I think comprehension is one of the most difficult aspects of literature. Some students struggle with comprehension because they cannot read the words to put the information together. While some students struggle with comprehension because they just do not understand what is going on in the text. I had a student in my sixth grade class last year that was reading at grade level, but was at a first grade level when it came to comprehension. According to the Applegate article this student would have been considered a left fielder because she gave answers that are unpredictable and had no connections to the text. I was surprised at how many different types of profiles there were for comprehension. I think it is so important to start comprehension young, which relates to the Gregory and Cahill article. I like the way this article described schema as the stuff you already have in your head, like your personal experiences. My kindergarten class uses their personal experiences to relate to the different books that they read. When my teacher reads a book she asks questions that relates to their lives. I have seen my teacher ask if the students have ever had an experience like the one talked about in the book and then she chooses five or six students to share their experiences. Another strategy that my teacher uses that I find beneficial is asking “I Wonder” questions to get students thinking about the book. My teacher sometimes says I wonder what is going to happen next? She then asks several students what they think is going to happen. I think this is beneficial because the students have to think about what is going to happen so they have to understand what has already happened in the book to have an opinion on what is going to happen next. I think comprehension is very important for students to understand and it is pivotal to start this process young so they can grow in their comprehension as they get older.
I think that it is great that you touched on how you had a sixth grader who was at a lower comprehension level because I feel that there are probably many students who are in that same category, but "sneak on by" because they may figure out ways to act like they are comprehending. I also thought that it was important to start comprehension when students are young because it sets them up for the rest of their literate life. My CT has been doing a lot of question prompting as a means of working with comprehension, but I really liked the example that was given in the Cahil article with the students raising their hands and doing different signs for different meanings. I think this is a great way for them to start relating to stories, but is also basic enough for it to not be too overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteMy CT does a lot of the same things when trying to make connections between the students and text. when she is reading she encourages students to raise their hands and share anything that may have stuck out to them or share if they have had a similair experience as one mentioned in the text. I have noticed that the students are a lot more wiling to share their experiences and they seem to relate better to the text. The downside of this is that the students sometime focus more on their peers stories than the ones being mentioned in the text.
ReplyDelete