No matter which side of the literacy debate you’re on, teaching comprehension strategies is obviously key. I think everyone can agree on that. If children don’t understand the words they’re reading, what’s the point?
I can’t recall where I first read this, but I say it all the time: Reading is an action sport.
I think, at the very least, we should help children fall in love with books. Once that happens, their desire and enthusiasm become all the fuel my lessons need.
During the first few weeks of school, I don’t plan a lot of “work” around the books I share. I want the children to know how much I love stories. I read lots of them… I do funny voices, I respond emotionally, I share all of my thinking along the way, and I ask the kids genuine questions. I’m so intentional about this because I want to cultivate a community that values living literate lives.
TRIED AND TRUE
I’ve always liked to read, but pre-teacher me didn’t have an official name for all the things I was doing. I didn’t know I was “activating prior knowledge” and “engaging in inferential thinking.” I just knew how much I loved stories and how much I couldn’t wait to read the next Judy Blume book.
It wasn’t until I read books like these that I understood not only what I had been doing all those years, but what my students needed to do to develop big ideas about people, life, and the world we live in.
If you’re looking to learn more about comprehension strategies in reading, these are classics that still ring true. (Am I really old enough to be recommending “classic” PD books? Apparently.)
Not pictured, but no less loved, is The Primary Comprehension Toolkit by Stephanie Harvey & Anne Goudvis. Their collection has six thin (but mighty) books for teaching these reading comprehension strategies:
- Monitor Comprehension
- Activate & Connect
- Ask Questions
- Infer & Visualize
- Determine Importance
- Summarize & Synthesize
They’re great because they include suggestions for instructional dialogue, samples of student work, and pictures of charts that make the thinking visible. I’m a sucker for photos. They make me think, “Oh, I can see that… I can teach that.”
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES MADE VISIBLE
After a short time of being READING’S self-appointed cheerleader, I begin the yearlong work of using books to help us stretch and grow. At this point, I’ve laid a good foundation and hopefully persuaded my new little community to think books are as amazing as I do.
They learn that sometimes I will read to them just for enjoyment (no specific agenda) and sometimes I’ll read to them so we can reflect, discuss, and form big ideas (also enjoyable, but different). This is when I start being way more intentional with my objectives and making our thinking visible. This might look like sticky notes tucked into the pages of my books, strategic anchor charts hanging here and there, and lots of modeling.
When they’re ready, I’ll want the kids to begin making their own thinking visible by writing down their questions and ideas. This can also look like sticky notes (and trust me, we’re keeping 3M in business), but young readers usually need more space to write than that tiny yellow square. Reading journals and prompted templates are a great way for children to respond. Journals give them plenty of space to write and the guided templates help children focus and organize their thoughts.
If you’re looking for templates that will help guide your students in their work with fiction and nonfiction books, CONSIDER THESE. They have ample room for the littles to write and will work for almost any title, so they last all year long. We’ve been using them for years.
…but rest assured, we’ve still got stock in sticky notes!
Happy teaching!
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