Resources for teaching reading comprehension strategies
Below you will find a number of useful resources to help you with teaching reading comprehension strategies and also with developing your own literacy knowledge.
Literacy: Reading, writing and children's literature. 4th edition (2010)
This literary text provides teachers and others with comprehensive coverage on all aspects of literacy teaching including reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and literature.
There is a dedicated section on reading comprehension and reading comprehension skills and strategies. On top of this, the book discusses different practical ideas on planning and teaching reading comprehension to students at different reading levels with different learning needs.
This literary text provides teachers and others with comprehensive coverage on all aspects of literacy teaching including reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and literature.
There is a dedicated section on reading comprehension and reading comprehension skills and strategies. On top of this, the book discusses different practical ideas on planning and teaching reading comprehension to students at different reading levels with different learning needs.
Active Readers: Tools and strategies for comprehension (Middle Primary & Upper Primary editions) (2008)
This text stresses a focus on individual students and their specific learning needs. It also focuses on six main comprehension strategies that should be taught to students. These include predicting with prior knowledge, think-alouds, looking at text structure, visualising, questioning and summarising. There are three different editions which address each learning level - lower primary, middle primary and upper primary, meaning that as a teacher you can be consistent with your teaching strategies as your students move through the levels. There are also handy tips and good teaching guidelines.
This text stresses a focus on individual students and their specific learning needs. It also focuses on six main comprehension strategies that should be taught to students. These include predicting with prior knowledge, think-alouds, looking at text structure, visualising, questioning and summarising. There are three different editions which address each learning level - lower primary, middle primary and upper primary, meaning that as a teacher you can be consistent with your teaching strategies as your students move through the levels. There are also handy tips and good teaching guidelines.
Reading strategies: Word Recognition
http://literacy.kent.edu/nto/manual02/Section4_BasicSkills.pdf
This paper explores reading comprehension skills and strategies and gives suggestions and outlines on different reading/thinking activities. One activity in particular is called the 'Directed Reading Thinking Activity', which emphasises predicting, verifying and reading with a purpose. Here, you are provided with a step-by-step outline of how to teach these strategies. It also emphasises the importance of using these strategies pre-reading, during reading and after reading. Teachers are supplies with a pro-forma for a 'Prediction Verification Checklist' that students can use, as well as 'Readability Formulas' and suggestions of other useful resources.
http://literacy.kent.edu/nto/manual02/Section4_BasicSkills.pdf
This paper explores reading comprehension skills and strategies and gives suggestions and outlines on different reading/thinking activities. One activity in particular is called the 'Directed Reading Thinking Activity', which emphasises predicting, verifying and reading with a purpose. Here, you are provided with a step-by-step outline of how to teach these strategies. It also emphasises the importance of using these strategies pre-reading, during reading and after reading. Teachers are supplies with a pro-forma for a 'Prediction Verification Checklist' that students can use, as well as 'Readability Formulas' and suggestions of other useful resources.
Literacy Wings for KS2
http://www.successforall.org.uk/literacywings.shtml
Literacy Wings is a well-renowned research-based, reading comprehension programme that focuses on reading for fluency and comprehension. A British programme, it has been rated higher than many other reading programmes by the 'Best Evidence Encyclopaedia' in a 2009 report on effective reading programmes for upper-primary students. It provides teachers with effective daily teaching plans and ideas for teaching at five different reading levels. It also provides good support materials for students. One example of this is the 'Student Book', which gives students simple steps on becoming successful readers, as well as information on vocabulary for the text topic and different comprehension activities for students to do.
http://www.successforall.org.uk/literacywings.shtml
Literacy Wings is a well-renowned research-based, reading comprehension programme that focuses on reading for fluency and comprehension. A British programme, it has been rated higher than many other reading programmes by the 'Best Evidence Encyclopaedia' in a 2009 report on effective reading programmes for upper-primary students. It provides teachers with effective daily teaching plans and ideas for teaching at five different reading levels. It also provides good support materials for students. One example of this is the 'Student Book', which gives students simple steps on becoming successful readers, as well as information on vocabulary for the text topic and different comprehension activities for students to do.
Sum It Up
http://mainecontentliteracyproject.org/strategies/Sum%20It%20Up%20description.pdf
Sum It Up is a literacy support strategy. It is directed at teachers and outlines an effective teaching strategy for using summarising as a reading comprehension strategy. To be used after reading, the activity gets students to think about the key words and main ideas of their text. Students then share their ideas in pairs or small groups and then come to a consensus with the other students on what they key words and ideas would be. Students must then write a 1-2 sentence summary and share with the class.
http://mainecontentliteracyproject.org/strategies/Sum%20It%20Up%20description.pdf
Sum It Up is a literacy support strategy. It is directed at teachers and outlines an effective teaching strategy for using summarising as a reading comprehension strategy. To be used after reading, the activity gets students to think about the key words and main ideas of their text. Students then share their ideas in pairs or small groups and then come to a consensus with the other students on what they key words and ideas would be. Students must then write a 1-2 sentence summary and share with the class.
Scholastic website http://www.scholastic.com
The Scholastic website contains a countless number of resources, information and ideas on teaching reading comprehension strategies. One perfect example of this is the 'Stop, Ask, Fix: Student Checklist'. This is a great worksheet for students to use repeatedly as they monitor their comprehension. The checklist outlines questions that students should be asking themselves when they are reading a difficult text. This particular worksheet can be found at
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/collateral_resources/pdf/r/reading_bestpractices_comprehension_stopaskfixchecklist.pdf
The Scholastic website contains a countless number of resources, information and ideas on teaching reading comprehension strategies. One perfect example of this is the 'Stop, Ask, Fix: Student Checklist'. This is a great worksheet for students to use repeatedly as they monitor their comprehension. The checklist outlines questions that students should be asking themselves when they are reading a difficult text. This particular worksheet can be found at
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/collateral_resources/pdf/r/reading_bestpractices_comprehension_stopaskfixchecklist.pdf