Michael C. McKenna University of Virginia

1. Comprehension Strategy Instruction Sharon Walpole University of Delaware Michael C. McKenna University of Virginia

2. Today’s Goals • Review history of comprehension research • Situate comprehension within our GARF framework • Read about scaffolding during reading • Consider applications to information text

3. Back in School . . . • Conduct a comprehension strategy read-aloud from a text matched to one of the GPS standards for science and to the strategy instruction included in your core reading program • Create materials to facilitate comprehension strategy instruction for your teachers

4. What should we teach in the primary grades? Text structure elements Visualizing Summarizing Predicting based on prior knowledge Questioning Clarifying AND Fluent Word Recognition Duke & Pearson, 2002

5. Some History 1970s • Focus on teaching study skills through a series of procedures • Do you remember SQ3R? • Research interest in very specific aspects of thinking and memory • Mental images • Summaries • Story grammars • Identification of “skilled reader” strategies Pressley, 2002

6. Schema Theory Comprehension involves complicated processing of ideas! We need to activate prior knowledge in order to really understand text; We need to connect text ideas to what we already know; We need to build meaning during reading; Knowledge is built from these connections. Anderson & Pearson, 1984

7. http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/literacy/ImplementALiteracyProgram/SchemaTheoryOfLearning.htmhttp://www.sil.org/lingualinks/literacy/ImplementALiteracyProgram/SchemaTheoryOfLearning.htm

8. 1980s: Multiple Strategies Reciprocal Teaching Procedures can help Discussion can help Described in Pressley, 2002

9. 1980s: Multiple Strategies Direct Explanation Focus on mental reasoning Apply strategies to real text Duffy, 2002

10. 1990s: Multiple Strategies Transactional Strategies Instruction (SAIL) Good reader strategies can help Thinking aloud can help Described in Pressley, 2002

11. Now: Comprehension Acquisition Interactive Read-Alouds Spontaneous interaction is important Information books are important Smolkin & Donovan, 2002

12. How did your teachers respond to the Duffy study group? To what extent were ideas from this book used to improve comprehension strategy instruction?

13. Duffy’s Explanation Template • What is the lesson objective? • What is the “secret” about comprehension being targeted? • How will you introduce it? • How will you model it? • How will you scaffold student application? • How will students apply the secret? • How will you assess their success? • How can you have them apply the secret in writing?

14. Some GARF Assumptions • Reading comprehension strategies must be modeled across the elementary grades, across texts and text types, and across content areas • Read-alouds are important opportunities for comprehension instruction and practice • Science and social studies standards can be developed during read-alouds inside the GARF block

15. How can I ask my teachers to do these read alouds without abandoning the core? The core provides many of the tools they need -- the comprehension strategies, the modeling talk, graphic organizers to help -- and they can be applied and practiced in additional contexts.

16. Coaches’ Corner Has anyone been successful in supporting teachers to use these techniques? What are your secrets?

17. Clark, K. F., & Graves, M. F. (2004). Scaffolding student comprehension of text. The Reading Teacher, 58, 570-580. Read this article. It focuses attention on various definitions and applications of scaffolding, central to expert comprehension instruction. Think about whether your teachers are actually scaffolding student understanding and what you might do to help them.

18. Let’s Plan . . .

19. How could you support teachers? • Make a calendar to summarize the strategy introduction from the core (so that they will know what has already been introduced)? • Make some strategy-introduction cards that the teachers could use as they become more familiar with strategy instruction? (We’ve brought some samples to share.) • Start to share lesson plans?

20. Back in School . . . Conduct a comprehension strategy read-aloud from a text matched to one of the GPS standards for science and to the strategy instruction included in your core reading program. Create materials to facilitate comprehension strategy instruction for your teachers. Prepare a reflection to share with the group at our next meeting.

21. References Duffy, G. G. (2002). The case for direct explanation of strategies. In C.C. Block & M. Pressley (Eds.), Comprehension instruction: Research-based best practices (pp. 28-41). New York: Guilford Press. Duke, N. K., & Pearson, P. D. (2002). Comprehension instruction in the primary grades. In C.C. Block & M. Pressley (Eds.), Comprehension instruction: Research-based best practices (pp. 247-258). New York: Guilford Press. Pressley, M. (2002). Reading instruction that works: The case for balanced teaching (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press. Smolkin, L. B., & Donovan, C. A. (2002). “Oh excellent, excellent question!”: Developmental differences and comprehension acquisition. In C.C. Block & M. Pressley (Eds.), Comprehension instruction: Research-based best practices (pp. 140-157). New York: Guilford Press.