Ch. 7 Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehesion is one of if not the most important thing we teach students.  If students cannot  find meaning in what they read, they are unlikely to be successful in any subjects.  I try to bring comprehension skills into all subjects.  We talk about main ideas in science and social studies and we break down word problems in math to make sure we understand exactly what the problem is asking us to find.  I teach comprehension strategies during shared reading each day, but feel more effective during guided reading when students are working on a text on their own level.  This is great one on one time when you are sure you have their attention and can focus specifically on the student's weaknesses.  We always start a new book with bringing in our background knowledge.  We talk during the reading about how the character might be feeling, what they might do next, and I always ask the students to be able to explain their answer.  We also use different types of graphic organizers which students usually enjoy.

I think something I need to work on with reading comprehension is finding more time to write summaries.  We often do one together, but I know students need to be able to do these on their own also.  I also, after reading this chapter see that I really need to work on self-regulation with students.  Making sure they not only have the skills they need but that they know how to monitor themselves to make sure they are using them is huge!  I think as with most things in teaching, modeling is the way to do this.

The two things I want to improve on arranging my time so that the students are doing more independently and to make sure I am modeling and emphasizing self-regulation strategies.  I think both of these will be beneficial to my students and their understanding of the text they read.