Before I even began reading this chapter I looked at the title and knew this would be a great chapter. Teaching and assessing comprehension is the most difficult thing I have ran across. There are so many different strategies and I have to remember that they can only learn one a day. I would never want to overwhelm my students with a hundred different strategies and them still but not be able to comprehend what they have read. After reading the chapter I realized that I am not alone in this thinking. On page 119, Routman testifies by stating, "So much emphasis on comprehension strategies can actually make reading harder. Students become so focused on identifying words they don't know, questions to ask, or connections to make that they forget to read for overall meaning."
One thing I want to work harder with next year is to require students to create useful summaries. My students usually try to write word for word what was in the book. We have been practicing really hard to cite evidence correctly, rather than plagiarizing. On the SC Ready students are required to answer open ended questions about the text with evidence. I want my students to be prepared to feel confident about summarizing those passages appropriately. Something this year I felt that I was successful with this year was teaching my students to make connections. They are now infatuated with making connections. I LOVE IT!
I love the self monitoring checklist on page 125, although I do think it would be best if the wording was more kid friendly. Also, I enjoyed seeing the "Talk to Yourself to Aid Understanding" checklist.
Just as I had suspected this chapter was very insightful and is covered in sticky notes for me to refer back to next year!
Comprehension feels elusive to teach, but it is the foundation of all reading and meaning-making! When I was going over some TDA pre-assessment data with other teachers, we also noticed a lot of students copying verbatim from the text, so I do think there is a need for students to be taught to read and respond in their own words. If you make a kid-friendly version of that checklist, I'd love to see it! :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Emily,
ReplyDeleteI loved this chapter for the relevancy Routman brings to comprehension instruction and her explanation that without comprehension our students don't have meaning. Teaching students to self-monitor through modeling and through the checklist she provides helps us ensure that they aren't learning strategies and skills in isolation but in the context of actual reading.