Lecture 5: Reading Comprehension

Question 1

What is reading comprehension?

Answer 1

• construct meaning

- information on the printed page and the knowledge stored in the readers head

Question 2

What are the three component’s of reading comprehension?

Answer 2

• reading
• talking
• explicit strategy instruction

Question 3

How can we observe or assess comprehension?

Answer 3

Indirectly

Question 4

How can we indirectly observe and assess the mental process of comprehension?

Answer 4

• Oral or written re-telling’s
• Informal Reading Inventories
• Answering questions
• Acting out stories through puppet play Readers’ Theatre
• Peer or self-assessments

Question 5

What happens the more a child reads?

Answer 5

• the more reading comprehension should improve

Question 6

What happens when reading is too hard?

Answer 6

frustration= not engaged and give up

Question 7

What happens when reading is too easy?

Answer 7

bored= not engaged and give up

Question 8

What two things help a child make connections when talking?

Answer 8

• discussion and converstations

Question 9

To encourage talking, what should the CDA DO and NOT DO?

Answer 9

• to guide the talk
• limit WH and yes/no questions
• say, can you tell me more, examples

Question 10

How do we work on explicit strategy instruction?

Answer 10

• Describe strategy (when to use it)
• Model the strategy
• Collaborative use of the strategy
• Lead guided practice
• Provide independent practice

Question 11

Out of the three components, what’s the biggest peice of the pie?

Answer 11

reading

Question 12

Whats the appropriate level for reading?

Answer 12

• when the child can decode 90-95% of the text

Question 13

What are the 8 strategies for reading comprehension?

Answer 13

1. Monitoring Comprehension
2. Using Mental Imagery/Visualization
3. Using Visual Representation of Text
4. Using Prior Knowledge/Predicting
5. Summarizing/Retelling
6. Using Text Structure
7. Generating Questions
8. Answering Questions

Question 14

1. Monitoring Comprehension

What’s the point of teaching kids to self monitor? BE aware of…

Answer 14

• what 
they do understand 

• what 
they do not understand 

• use appropriate fix-up strategies to resolve the 
comprehension problems 


Question 15

What are clinks and clunks?

Answer 15

Clinks: 1 finger= i get it
Clunck: 2 fingers= i dont get it

Question 16

2. Using Mental Imagery/Visualization

What does this strategy help with?

Answer 16

• ability to create mental pictures of characters and scenes.
• greater recall 


Question 17

3. Using Visual Representation of Text

Whats some examples of this?

Answer 17

• Graphic organizers

- Semantic maps

Question 18

4. Using Prior Knowledge/Predicting

How can CDAs facilitate using prior knowledge/predicting? (3)

Answer 18

• Previewing the text (pic walk)
• Make predictions
• Use graphic organizers

Question 19

5. Summarizing/Retelling

What is summarizing/Retelling? (4)

Answer 19

• determining 
the important
information
• Connecting the main
 ideas
• Eliminating unnecessary
 information
• Remembering what they have read

(3 little pigs example)

Question 20

6. Using Text Structure

What are different ways to represent the text so it makes sense?

Answer 20

• Recognize the problem
• Compare and contrast
• Describe
• Sequence
• Cause and Effect

Question 21

7. Generating Questions

Why do kids have to learn how to generate questions?

Answer 21

• Clarify meaning

• Speculate about what might happen in the text
• Locate a specific answer in the text
• Connect to other texts and ideas

Question 22

8. Answering Questions

How does answering questions support reading comprehension?

Answer 22

• Gives purpose for reading. 

• Focuses attention on what they learn 

• Helps think actively
• Encourages students to monitor their comprehension. 

• Review content and relate to current knowledge