The Ins and Outs of Comprehension A Presentation of the National Reading Technical Assistance Center

1. The Ins and Outs of ComprehensionA Presentation of the National ReadingTechnical Assistance Center PRESENTER: Trudy Hensley, Ed.D. DATE: July 12, 2010 MEETING: 3rd Annual Literacy Conference Center for Excellence in Literacy Instruction Oxford, MS Introduction � National Reading Technical Assistance Center and RMC Reference having lived and worked in MS schoolsIntroduction � National Reading Technical Assistance Center and RMC Reference having lived and worked in MS schools

2. 2 Reading is� thinking guided by print. translating between oral and written language. Ask for participants to provide other definitions Ask for participants to provide other definitions

3. 3 The INs The reader brings to the act of reading his or her Cognitive capabilities (attention, memory, critical analytic ability, inferencing, visualization) Motivation (purpose, interest, self-efficacy) Knowledge (vocabulary, topic knowledge, linguistic knowledge, comprehension knowledge) Experiences Reading for Understanding (2002) When we think about reading, we can think about inputs and outputs. The reader has many inputs: 1. Capabilities � think of students who have trouble focusing on a task or students who have never been asked to visualize something Motivation � why read? Is there a compelling reason such as to follow a recipe? To know if a store is open or closed? Knowledge � these are the things we can learn such as vocabulary, how language is constructed, etc. and experiences � imagine not knowing what it is like to never have seen an ocean or ever tasted ice cream. When we think about reading, we can think about inputs and outputs. The reader has many inputs: 1. Capabilities � think of students who have trouble focusing on a task or students who have never been asked to visualize something Motivation � why read? Is there a compelling reason such as to follow a recipe? To know if a store is open or closed? Knowledge � these are the things we can learn such as vocabulary, how language is constructed, etc. and experiences � imagine not knowing what it is like to never have seen an ocean or ever tasted ice cream.

4. 4 The INs Reading comprehension requires a great deal of knowledge, strategy, and skill: Word recognition and decoding skills Fluency Vocabulary and relevant world knowledge Text knowledge (genre, structure, etc.) Working memory Strategies and skills to actively construct meaning Motivation to engage with the text Duke (2008) These are the things a person much do in order to understand text: They must know how to read the words. They must be rapid and accurate with reading the words � fluency They must understand the words. They must understand how text is constructed They must have available working memory to process the text They must have some way to make sense of what they are reading And, they must be motivated to want to continue. � for example, during Wimbleton in June, history was made � two players played a match (5 games) over 3 days for a total of 11 hours and 5 minutes. Would you say they had motivation to stay with it? The irony, winning only gave them the opportunity to play more tennis!These are the things a person much do in order to understand text: They must know how to read the words. They must be rapid and accurate with reading the words � fluency They must understand the words. They must understand how text is constructed They must have available working memory to process the text They must have some way to make sense of what they are reading And, they must be motivated to want to continue. � for example, during Wimbleton in June, history was made � two players played a match (5 games) over 3 days for a total of 11 hours and 5 minutes. Would you say they had motivation to stay with it? The irony, winning only gave them the opportunity to play more tennis!

5. 5 The OUTs Reading is an active and complex process that involves: Understanding written text Developing and interpreting meaning Using meaning as appropriate to type of text, purpose, and situation So, what is the output of reading words? You can see on this slide that reading is active and complex.So, what is the output of reading words? You can see on this slide that reading is active and complex.

6. 6 The OUTs Three factors that are important in reading comprehension: Monitoring comprehension Relating the sentences to one another Relating the sentences to things already known Willingham (2006)

7. 7 The OUTs Good readers are active readers set clear goals for their reading and evaluate if the text is meeting their goals preview the text before reading to note structure read selectively make predictions monitor their understanding These behaviors probably describe what you do as you read something. And, you do it without thinking about it � it�s automatic. Good readers are active, set goals, preview, are selective, make predictions, and constantly monitor their understanding.These behaviors probably describe what you do as you read something. And, you do it without thinking about it � it�s automatic. Good readers are active, set goals, preview, are selective, make predictions, and constantly monitor their understanding.

8. 8 Profiles of Readers Who Struggle With Comprehension Automatic word callers Struggling word callers Word stumblers Slow and steady comprehenders Slow word callers Disabled readers Riddle Buly & Valencia (2002) From a study by Riddle Buly and Valencia � 4th graders scoring below proficient on state assessment (Washington): But, not all our students are Good Readers. We have many students who do not understand what they read. Here are profiles of six types of readers � do you recognize any of them by name? Automatic word callers � stronger in word ID and fluency than in meaning Struggling word callers � struggling with word recognition � stronger in word ID and fluency than meaning Word stumblers � word ID problems, slow readers, meaning is relative strength Slow and steady comprehenders � good word ID and meaning, slow readers Slow word callers � good word ID, slow readers, poor meaning Disabled readers � low word ID, low fluency, low meaningFrom a study by Riddle Buly and Valencia � 4th graders scoring below proficient on state assessment (Washington): But, not all our students are Good Readers. We have many students who do not understand what they read. Here are profiles of six types of readers � do you recognize any of them by name? Automatic word callers � stronger in word ID and fluency than in meaning Struggling word callers � struggling with word recognition � stronger in word ID and fluency than meaning Word stumblers � word ID problems, slow readers, meaning is relative strength Slow and steady comprehenders � good word ID and meaning, slow readers Slow word callers � good word ID, slow readers, poor meaning Disabled readers � low word ID, low fluency, low meaning

9. 9 Reading Instruction is NOT Linear If we look at the five big ideas about reading, many people think there is a progression in instruction from Phonemic Awareness to comprehension. In other words, until students learn how to decode, we can�t teach vocabulary and comprehension. This is NOT true.If we look at the five big ideas about reading, many people think there is a progression in instruction from Phonemic Awareness to comprehension. In other words, until students learn how to decode, we can�t teach vocabulary and comprehension. This is NOT true.

10. 10 Conceptual Framework for Reading Instruction (Coyne) Here is a framework for thinking about comprehension (meaning based � vocabulary and comprehension) and decoding (code based � PA, Phonics, Fluency) instruction. Instruction should focus on BOTH aspects of reading Here is a framework for thinking about comprehension (meaning based � vocabulary and comprehension) and decoding (code based � PA, Phonics, Fluency) instruction. Instruction should focus on BOTH aspects of reading

11. 11 Code-Based and Meaning-Based Instruction Here is what this might look like. You see that meaning-based (comprehension and vocabulary) should be taught through listening skills early on and continued. Explain figure.Here is what this might look like. You see that meaning-based (comprehension and vocabulary) should be taught through listening skills early on and continued. Explain figure.

12. 12 So, how do we teach comprehension? Your answer to this question might be: teach main idea; teach students how to summarize, teach students how to sequence the events in a story or text.Your answer to this question might be: teach main idea; teach students how to summarize, teach students how to sequence the events in a story or text.

13. 13 Comprehension Instruction Effective comprehension instruction includes explicitly teaching a small repertoire of strategies, modeling and explaining, and facilitating scaffolded practice. Pressley (2006) Some of the comprehension strategies Pressley speaks about on the slide include: making predictions and connections to ideas in text based on prior knowledge, asking questions and seeking answers, and constructing summaries of what has been read (Pressley & Afflerbach, 1995).Some of the comprehension strategies Pressley speaks about on the slide include: making predictions and connections to ideas in text based on prior knowledge, asking questions and seeking answers, and constructing summaries of what has been read (Pressley & Afflerbach, 1995).

14. 14 This helps to understand what to teach and why. We don�t teach Main Idea for the purpose of being able to underline the main idea � rather we teach how to find the main idea so that the student can use it to summarize what he/she has read. The skills feed into the strategies which are the behaviors that good readers do when they read. This helps to understand what to teach and why. We don�t teach Main Idea for the purpose of being able to underline the main idea � rather we teach how to find the main idea so that the student can use it to summarize what he/she has read. The skills feed into the strategies which are the behaviors that good readers do when they read.

15. 15 Skills-Strategy Example To SUMMARIZE involves: Sequencing of events Making judgments Noting details Making generalizations Using story structure or text organization This is an example of how a strategy (in this case, summarize) requires that readers know several different skills. When good readers summarize, they don�t go through a list of skills one-by-one developing a summary. Rather, they recognize when a summary would help them progress in a text selection and then flexibly combine the skills necessary to construct that summary. It is also important to note here that comprehension strategies are often not applied elegantly or even correctly each time. Rather, they are recursive requiring the reader to continuously evaluate whether their thinking about the text (i.e., application of comprehension strategies) is working and, if not, what to do next.This is an example of how a strategy (in this case, summarize) requires that readers know several different skills. When good readers summarize, they don�t go through a list of skills one-by-one developing a summary. Rather, they recognize when a summary would help them progress in a text selection and then flexibly combine the skills necessary to construct that summary. It is also important to note here that comprehension strategies are often not applied elegantly or even correctly each time. Rather, they are recursive requiring the reader to continuously evaluate whether their thinking about the text (i.e., application of comprehension strategies) is working and, if not, what to do next.

16. 16 Summarization Summarizing requires students to determine what is important in what they read, to condense the information, and to put it into their own words. Summarizing requires students: 1. to determine what is important in what they read � being able to delete unnecessary information, to pay attention to detail to condense the information � being able to understand the main idea and supporting details and to put it into their own words � draw conclusions, restate, retellSummarizing requires students: 1. to determine what is important in what they read � being able to delete unnecessary information, to pay attention to detail to condense the information � being able to understand the main idea and supporting details and to put it into their own words � draw conclusions, restate, retell

17. 17 Summarizing Help K-1 students learn to summarize by: Identifying the main ideas Connecting the ideas and events Eliminating redundant information Remembering what they read Help 2-3 students learn to summarize by: Identifying the main ideas Underlining the important points Writing successively shorter summaries Looking for key words to identify Who? What? When? Why? How? This is how that might look in the classroom. Read K-1 Read 2-3This is how that might look in the classroom. Read K-1 Read 2-3

18. 18 Evidence-Based Instructional Practices to Improve Comprehension Comprehension Monitoring Graphic and Semantic Organizers Story Structure Question Answering Question Generation Summarization Multiple Strategies Cooperative Learning National Reading Panel (2000) There is research to help you make some decisions about how to best spend your instruction time to help students improve their reading comprehension. From the National Reading Panel research synthesis, published in 2000, these are eight instructional practices that will give you a �bang for your buck.� Comprehension Monitoring � the reader learns how to become aware or conscious of his/her understanding during reading and learns procedures to �FIX� comprehension problems. Fix up strategies might be re-reading, re-stating passage in own words, reading ahead to see if it makes sense. Graphic and Semantic Organizers � readers graphically represent meanings and relationships of the ideas that underlie the words in the text. Examples are word webs, KWL, Compare/Contrast charts, maps, etc. Main value is they appear to improve reader�s memory of the content Story Structure � helps students learn to identify story content � the setting, events, outcomes; can help students learn to infer cause and effect, compare and contract, problem and solution. Question Answering � helps students get more from their reading by showing them how to find and use information from text to answer questions; can help students locate information in text that is related to the question Question Generation � teaching students to ask their own questions improves their active processing of text; students become aware of whether they can answer questions, and thus, whether they understand what they are reading. Summarization � requires students to determine what is important in what they are reading, to condense information, and put it into their own words; helps students be more aware of the way text is organized and how ideas are related. Multiple Strategies � the reader uses several strategies with guidance from the teacher; multiple strategy teaching is most effective when the procedures are used flexibly and appropriately in naturalistic contexts. Cooperative Learning � when readers work together to learn strategies in the context of reading There is research to help you make some decisions about how to best spend your instruction time to help students improve their reading comprehension. From the National Reading Panel research synthesis, published in 2000, these are eight instructional practices that will give you a �bang for your buck.� Comprehension Monitoring � the reader learns how to become aware or conscious of his/her understanding during reading and learns procedures to �FIX� comprehension problems. Fix up strategies might be re-reading, re-stating passage in own words, reading ahead to see if it makes sense. Graphic and Semantic Organizers � readers graphically represent meanings and relationships of the ideas that underlie the words in the text. Examples are word webs, KWL, Compare/Contrast charts, maps, etc. Main value is they appear to improve reader�s memory of the content Story Structure � helps students learn to identify story content � the setting, events, outcomes; can help students learn to infer cause and effect, compare and contract, problem and solution. Question Answering � helps students get more from their reading by showing them how to find and use information from text to answer questions; can help students locate information in text that is related to the question Question Generation � teaching students to ask their own questions improves their active processing of text; students become aware of whether they can answer questions, and thus, whether they understand what they are reading. Summarization � requires students to determine what is important in what they are reading, to condense information, and put it into their own words; helps students be more aware of the way text is organized and how ideas are related. Multiple Strategies � the reader uses several strategies with guidance from the teacher; multiple strategy teaching is most effective when the procedures are used flexibly and appropriately in naturalistic contexts. Cooperative Learning � when readers work together to learn strategies in the context of reading

19. 19 Framework for Comprehension Strategy Instruction Select the text What do my students know about this topic? What is the purpose of the text? What is the structure of the text? Handout 1 Activity 1 The next set of slides provide a framework for how to conduct effective comprehension strategy instruction. This framework is adapted from Duke and Pearson (2002) First step � select the text. Stress importance of student background for understanding Purpose � Entertain? Inform? Persuade? Structure � Handout 1 � review handout. Activity 1: disseminate text examples (1 per group) � have participants determine which text structure they are. The next set of slides provide a framework for how to conduct effective comprehension strategy instruction. This framework is adapted from Duke and Pearson (2002) First step � select the text. Stress importance of student background for understanding Purpose � Entertain? Inform? Persuade? Structure � Handout 1 � review handout. Activity 1: disseminate text examples (1 per group) � have participants determine which text structure they are.

20. 20 Framework for Comprehension Strategy Instruction Select the strategy Is the strategy relevant to the understanding of the text? How will this strategy assist comprehension? Is this a strategy that will be useful in other content areas? Look back at slides 13 and 17. Slide 13 has strategies listed (and skills) and 17 has instructional practices. Which one might you select with your text? Does your text lend itself to some type of graphic organizer? Will understanding story structure help students understand this text? Take a minute and think about it.Look back at slides 13 and 17. Slide 13 has strategies listed (and skills) and 17 has instructional practices. Which one might you select with your text? Does your text lend itself to some type of graphic organizer? Will understanding story structure help students understand this text? Take a minute and think about it.

21. 21 Framework for Comprehension Strategy Instruction Give a clear explanation of the strategy Tell the students what the strategy is. Tell the students why the strategy is useful. Third step is to tell the students what the strategy is and why it is useful to understanding this text.Third step is to tell the students what the strategy is and why it is useful to understanding this text.

22. 22 Framework for Comprehension Strategy Instruction Model the strategy Help students learn how, when, and where to use the strategy by demonstrating or thinking aloud about how to use the strategy to better understand the text. Fourth � always model the strategy. Follow the format of �I do � We do � You do�Fourth � always model the strategy. Follow the format of �I do � We do � You do�

23. 23 Framework for Comprehension Strategy Instruction Support student practice Work with students to help them figure out how and when to use the strategy. Engage students in discussion about how they are applying the strategy. Provide corrective feedback. Gradually release responsibility. Step 5 is the WE DO section � lots of feedback and lots of scaffolding Step 5 is the WE DO section � lots of feedback and lots of scaffolding

24. 24 Framework for Comprehension Strategy Instruction Apply the strategy Ask students on their own to apply the strategy to other texts. Be prepared to model and guide practice again. Lehr & Osborn (2005); Duke & Pearson (2002) This last step is the �YOU DO� section � you want the student to use the strategy in other applications. Remember, be prepared to model and guide again.This last step is the �YOU DO� section � you want the student to use the strategy in other applications. Remember, be prepared to model and guide again.

25. 25 Active Engagement High levels of active engagement during lessons are associated with higher levels of achievement and student motivation. Intrinsically motivated students tend to persist longer, work harder, actively apply strategies, and retain key information more consistently. Ryan & Deci (2000) The Framework presented in the last few slides focuses on what you � the teacher � does. It�s important to grasp this concept: TEACHERS DO NOT CAUSE ACHIEVEMENT. STUDENTS CAUSE ACHIEVEMENT. So, we need to think about what the student is doing while you are presenting this wonderful lesson in strategies. From the research � students need to be engaged � actively DOING something. The Framework presented in the last few slides focuses on what you � the teacher � does. It�s important to grasp this concept: TEACHERS DO NOT CAUSE ACHIEVEMENT. STUDENTS CAUSE ACHIEVEMENT. So, we need to think about what the student is doing while you are presenting this wonderful lesson in strategies. From the research � students need to be engaged � actively DOING something.

26. 26 Putting It Together As you watch the video, watch for: How the teacher models the strategy How the teacher elicits responses from the students How the teacher maintains attention of students How the teacher monitors and coaches students How the teacher adjusts the lesson Handout 2 Handout 3 Give directions on slide. Have participants locate Handout 2 for note-taking while viewing. Show Video � Anita Archer � Modeling Retell � 8 minutes. Debrief after video. Reference Handout 3 for other examples of active engagement.Give directions on slide. Have participants locate Handout 2 for note-taking while viewing. Show Video � Anita Archer � Modeling Retell � 8 minutes. Debrief after video. Reference Handout 3 for other examples of active engagement.

27. 27 Video

28. 28 �To grow, our students must read lots, and more specifically they must read lots of �complex� texts � texts that offer them new language, new knowledge, and new modes of thought.� Adams (2009) Read quote Thank for their participationRead quote Thank for their participation

29. 29 Contact Information Dr. Trudy Hensley RMC Research Corporation thensley@rmcres.com 800-762-5001