Comp 13: Comprehension: Instruction and Assessment- Before Children Read, While Children Read, After Children Read

Question 1

Prior Knowledge

Answer 1

is the knowledge the learner already has before they meet new information or literature. A student’s understanding of text can be improved by activating their prior knowledge before reading and analyzing the new text.

Question 2

Background Knowledge

Answer 2

information that is essential to understanding a situation or problem. This knowledge is acquired by study, experiences, and instruction.

Question 3

Coherence

Answer 3

is the relating of elements into a consistent, logical whole. Readers establish relationships between elements in a text and their background knowledge.

Question 4

Imaging

Answer 4

refers to creating sensory representation of items in text.

Question 5

Metacognition

Answer 5

a metacognitive awareness; being aware of one’s own mental process.

Question 6

Monitoring

Answer 6

is being aware or checking one’s cognitive process. In reading comprehension, the reader monitors his or her understanding of the text.

Question 7

Self-questioning

Answer 7

is an ongoing process of asking questions before, during, and after reading that are used by the reader to understand text.

Question 8

Integration of knowledge and ideas

Answer 8

refers to making connections between key ideas across texts.

Question 9

Range of reading and Level of text complexity

Answer 9

refers to students’ readings and understanding increasing complexity texts that address history, science, social studies and technical topics at their grade level and beyond.

Question 10

entry-level assessment

Answer 10

is a question and answers assessment, mainly consisting of multiple-choice questions, that is given to students to find out what language level they have reached,

Question 11

monitoring of progress

Answer 11

to check for the student’s levels in progress this can be done through assessments or benchmark

Question 12

Benchmark

Answer 12

means an expected level of performance on a task.

Question 13

Interim tests

Answer 13

are used to determine whether students are on track to reach key instructional goals.

Because they are given at intervals during the school year, they can be used to plan future instruction.

Question 14

Performance assessment

Answer 14

is the practice of evaluating students by observing how well they are able to complete a task.

Make a rap song about the planets

Question 15

summative assessment

Answer 15

occurs after learning has taken place and summarizes students’ progress at the end of a unit or a semester or at some other point in time

Question 16

Formative assessment

Answer 16

Takes place during learning and is used to plan or modify instruction

Question 17

Instruction BEFORE Children Read: What is the Context of Comprehension Lessons?

Answer 17

o Comp. lessons should be planned and implemented for small group of students since they require intimate discussions
o Students should have the same instructional reading level and lessons should align with students’ reading needs
o Students should start with instructional level first so they don’t struggle w/ word identification
o Students can be regrouped depending on their progress; students who are having difficulty should have individual attention

Question 18

Instruction BEFORE Children Read: How to activate background knowledge and PreP

1.KWL
2.PreP

Answer 18

o KWL:
(K) What do you already know about ____?
(W) What do you want to know about ____?
(L) What did you learn about ____ ?

o PreP: PreReading Plan (structured discussion) that includes

1) Associations- “Tell me what comes to mind when I say the word, “penguin”
2) Reflections on the associations- “What made you think of (whatever the child said about penguins)?”
3) Organizing associations- “Do any of you have new or different ideas of thoughts about penguins?”

Question 19

Instruction BEFORE Children Read: Vocabulary Instruction

Answer 19

o Teach key vocabulary (Comp. 11)

Question 20

Instruction BEFORE Children Read: Previewing the Text

Answer 20

o Picture Walk:
Teacher and students look at the illustrations prior to reading to highlight key words and encourage students to make predictions

o Using Graphic Features:
For older readers, have students look at title, subtitles and illustrations

Question 21

Instruction BEFORE Children Read: Setting a Purpose for Reading

Answer 21

o “Today we will read a story about friendship” (theme)
o “Today we will learn three things about penguins: where they live, what they eat and why they take such long walks” (informational)
o “Today we are going to read about a girl who makes a surprising discovery” (plot element)
o “Today we are going to read about penguins, and we are going to classify using the QAR system” (instructional focus)

Question 22

Instruction WHILE Children Read: Question Classification/Answer verification

Also what’s a strategy for K-1st grade?

QAR System for Grades 2-6?
1.
2.
3.
4.

Answer 22

Many students waste time looking for answers in the text for inferential or evaluative thinking comprehension Q’s
o In this process, students determine what kind of question is being asked and then verify it by explaining how they got their answer

For Kindergarten and 1st Grade Students:
Is the answer a) in the book, or b) in your head?

QAR System for Grades 2-6
1. Right There- The answer is in the text in a single identifiable sentence (Literal)
2. Think and Search- The answer is in the text but it is in 2 different parts of the text; The answer is not in 1 single sentence (Diff. type of literal)
3. Author & You- The answer is not in the text. You need to think about what you already know and what they answer said to put the answer together (Inferential or Evaluative)
4. On my own- The answer is not in the story. You can answer the Q without reading the story (Inferential or Evaluative)

Question 23

While Children Read: Strategic Reading
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Answer 23

1. Visualizing
2. Paraphrasing
3. Clarifying
4. Predicting
5. Generating Q’s
6. Summarizing
7. Adjusting Reading rate

Question 24

Strategy Instruction: Gradual Release of Responsibility Model

Answer 24

o The teacher starts doing most of the work and gradually allows students more responsibility
1. teacher models the target strategy and students watch and listen
2. Next time, teacher does a part of strategy and students do the rest
3. Towards final set of lessons, students do the strategy by themselves

o Provide scaffolding such as allowing choices of predictions until they could make their own

Question 25

Strategy Instruction: Reciprocal Teaching

Answer 25

o Teaches predicting, generating questions, clarifying and summarizing
o All students have the same copy of text and select a small chunk of text

1) Teacher describes the strategy and how to use it
2) Models strategy to reveal the cognitive process: “I am not sure why Sally would do that; I’m going to reread the last 2 paragraphs”
3) After modeling, the teacher and small group collaboratively practice
4) After small group, students are encouraged to do it on their own with guided practice
5) Students have time to practice independently

Question 26

Instruction AFTER children read: Format: Discussions, Writing, Visual/Graphic

Answer 26

Teacher should encourage students to use one of these 3 methods for after reading

Question 27

Instruction AFTER children read: Post Reading Tasks

Answer 27

1. Summarizing and Retelling:
   Teachers should follow gradual release of responsibility model to teach this strategy
2. Sharing Personal Perspectives: Teachers should ask open-ended questions such as “Did you have a favorite part of the story?” “Do you think you would like to have (character) as a friend?” “If you were the author, would you have written a different ending?”
3. Text-To-Self, Text-to-Text, Text-to-World Connections:
   Promotes students to make connections to their own experiences, other stories, and real life
4. Visual/Graphic Representations of What was Read:
   Students can be encouraged to draw an event that they read about or their own semantic maps or Venn Diagrams

Question 28

Differentiated COMPREHENSION for Struggling Readers and Students w/ Reading Disabilities:

Answer 28

o Building Word Analysis Skills, Fluency, Vocabulary, Academic Language and Background Knowledge- Focus on foundational skills to improve comprehension

o Providing Access to Grade-Level Texts through Oral Presentations- Teachers may need to read aloud more difficult texts at grade level in order to involve the student in the discussion

o Reteaching Additional Practice, Concrete Example- More opportunists to practice and more concrete examples, if possible

Question 29

Differentiated COMPREHENSION for ELLs

Answer 29

o Capitalizing on Transfer of Comp. Strategies from the Primary Language- summarize, predict, clarify, take notes
o Explicitly Teaching Comp/ Strategies that are Missing- Those that are lacking should be retaught and emphasize

Question 30

Differentiated COMPREHENSION for Advanced Learners:

Answer 30

Advanced Learners:
o Increasing the Pace or Complexity of Instruction- Less modeling and should expect more responsibility for comp. tasks than their classmates
o Using more advanced text
o Extending Depth by using the classification system of literal, inferential and evaluative
o Utilizing a wide variety of texts: informational books, biographies and poetry

Question 31

Assessment of Comprehension:

a)How to Determine Reading Levels:

Answer 31

o Should use graded reading passages from IRI to determine the independent, instructional and frustration reading levels
1) The % of words they student read aloud correctly
2) The % of comp. Qs answered correctly

**However, this doesn’t reveal:
1) Whether a student will be able to read a specific story or article because the IRI is a rough estimate
2) Which specific comprehension skills and strategies a child has mastered, and which needs to be more developed

Question 32

Assessment of Comprehension:

b) Asses Comprehension Skills at Each Level: Literal, Inferential Evaluative

Answer 32

Using QARS to assess each type of Q:
1) Right there: Answer is in the text
2) Think and Search: Multiples parts of the text that have an answer
3) Author & You: Using your knowledge already, how do you think this character should act? What does the author say?
4) On my Own: Answer on your own, open-ended Q

** Teacher can use a passage and write up one question assessing each Q to see their ability to answer literal, inferential and evaluative Q

Question 33

Assessment of Comprehension:

c) Using Retellings to Assess the Literal Comprehension of Young Readers

*Only assesses Literal Comprehension

Answer 33

o Unaided Retelling/Free retelling/Recall: Simply asked to retell with no teacher help

o Aided Recall/Probed Recall: Asking the student if they remember anything about a major component of the story they failed to mention

o Teacher has a checklist of things the student should mention (character, plot events, setting) or main events and supporting details

Question 34

Assessment of Comprehension:

d)How to Assess Reading Comprehension Strategies

Answer 34

o It can be difficult to assess prediction, summarizing, generating Qs, visualizing and adjusting reading rate because they are metacognitive

o Oral Think Alouds: can be used to assess which students monitor their reading, reread what they don’t understand and are able to implement reading strategies

o Written Assessments of Reading Comprehension Strategies: ‘Write a summary using no more than 25 words of what we just read”, although it doesn’t show the students’ thought process

Question 35

Assessment of Comprehension:

e) Entry-Level, Progress Monitoring and Summative Purposes

Answer 35

o Teachers can know what students already know so they don’t have to reteach
o Assessment will be less formal and more about observing and analysis of daily written work
o Assess all 3 areas of comprehension