Comprehension

The first article I read was The Comprehension Matrix by Gill. I really liked this article because it broke down comprehension instruction in to three separate parts: pre-reading, during reading, and post reading. I think this matrix is a great tool for teachers to teach their students because it helps them acquire a deeper meaning of the text they are reading. Pre-reading helps build and activate background knowledge and gets the students interested in what they are about to read. I think this is an important step in comprehension because it allows students to put an authentic purpose on the reading and gives them time to make predictions on the text. The during reading is equally important in that it helps students use the strategies that have been modeled to them. The main strategy that stuck out to me during this part of the matrix is think-alouds. The second article I read was What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Comprehension by Pardo, she emphasizes the importance of modeling and think-alouds throughout the article.  Think-alouds are a great way to model what good readers do as they read and students will be more likely to use strategies if they have seen them work. The post reading activities help extend the reading and help the students connect the purpose of the text to something new that they create. Some good ideas of post reading activities are timelines, maps, newscasts, newspaper reports, letters, diaries, or even a poem.

The picture at the top is of a bookmark that students can use while they read. It has great reminders that students can use to help them comprehend. The picture below is a great example to have posted in the classroom somewhere that students can reference when they read a new text. Teachers should refer to this as they do think-alouds and model comprehension behaviors.