Amy Benjaminwww.amybenjamin.com

Today:

1.Reading Comprehension for Academic Success: Summary of the Research2.About Reading Comprehension Questions3. Text Complexity in various subject areas4. Teaching Procedures: Before, During, After: 3C’s5. Free Voluntary Reading6. Vocabulary Development to Improve Reading Comprehension

Improving Reading Comprehension for Academic SuccessSummary of the Research [1]

[1] National Council of Teachers of English, 2008 International Reading Association, 2008 Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2008

Identify two interesting and/or questionable points for discussion.

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Bryan Arlen

Remembering the reading materialKinds of unfamiliar vocabulary

Kinds of context cluesMore multisyllabic wordsMore words that are related to each otherMore words having Y, X, CH (pronounced K), PHMore words ending in …osis, …ology, …ity, …ism, …cious

Reasons for rereadingPace

“Anyway, the fascinating thing was that I read in National Geographic that there aremore people alive now than have died in all of human history. In other words, ifeveryone wanted to play Hamlet at once, they couldn’t, because there aren’tenough skulls!”

Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close. Jonathan Foer.

Qualitative: Not Measurable: Subtle qualities of text Underlying themes Symbolism Obscurity (rareness) of vocabulary Pre-20C writing style Figurative language Intentional ambiguity; intentionally misleading information Allusions: Literary, Biblical, etc. Long paragraphs Small print; lack of visuals in text Mixing of time frames Having multiple narrators

What determines text complexity?

Background knowledge of reader; Task to be done with the reading

Quantitative/Measurable: Sentence length Word length

Text Complexity Guideline Source: Adapted fromText Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading. Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, andDiane Lapp. International Reading Association.

Most Challenging :

Levels of Meaning

Moderately Challenging: :

Figurative language

Features:

Single but complex orabstract meaning; readerexpected to infer fromimplications to some extent

Stated and repeated explicitly

Language is straightfoward; negligible amount of figurative language

Single and literal meaning;meaning is explicitly statedand signalled (headings, etc.)

Least Challenging :

Figurative language used to some extent; symbols areobvious and/or explained by the author (ex: blackness for death or despair)

Purpose Implied but fairly easily identifiedbased on the title or context

Unfamiliar to the reader;has specific hallmarks that reader doesnot recognize

Somewhat unfamiliarto the reader, or easilyaccessible anyway

Organization

Familiar to the reader and consistent with reader expectations

Linear, chronological, limitedsettings; single narrator

Third person omniscient orauthoritative, credible sourceof the information

Almost entirely commonwords, simple or easily comprehensiblesentences

Narration

Goes back andforth in time; withholdschronological informationmultiple narrators & settings

Genre/ Sub-genre (ex: sci fi)

Multiple rare words on every page; pre-20C language style and unfamiliar nouns; long, complicated syntax

Unreliable first person and/or multiple narrators; reader is expected to questionthe narrator’s credibility

Vocabulary andLanguage style

Multiple layers of meaning; purposefulambiguity; multipleinterpretations possible

Metaphor, irony, allusion, symbolism playa significant part incomprehension

Deliberately withheld fromthe reader; reader has touse interpretative skills toidentify it

May be non-linearor have two narrators ormultiple settings, butthese are cleary signalled

Third person narrationreader given substantial information aboutthe narrator’s point of view

Not an overwhelming number ofrare words; modern style, familiarnouns; straightforward syntax

Elements of Text ComplexityScience History Literature Math

•subtle meanings •underlying, multiple themes•pre-20C language•charts, graphs, tables•words having more than 4 syllables•long sentences

•obscure/rare words used only once in text•figurative language•allusions•small print, lack of visuals•long paragraphs•mixing of time frames

•multiple narration•high degree of background knowledge assumed•intentional ambiguity• intentionally misleading information•Symbols (as in math/sci)

3 Types of Reading Problems:

I. Lack of cognitive abilities: comprehension, vocabulary, word recognition, fluency

II. Negative attitudes toward reading

III. Lack of flexibility to read different kinds of text; read all texts with the same strategies: pacing, focus, sequence

Teaching students to comprehend complex text:

Step 1: Lots of free reading time

Step 2: Vocabulary instruction: implicit (immersion) explicit (analytical)

Top Step: Test prep: Developingfamiliarity with the kinds of textand questions

Step 3: Specific practice in identifying features of textcomplexity: metaphor, tone,subtleties, allusion, rare vocab,figurative language, pre 20C,long sentences, long paragraphs

Text Exemplar (Grade 8)

Douglass, Frederick, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass as an American Slave, Written by Himself (1845)