English Language

Comprehension

Illinois State Standards

• • • • C. Comprehend a broad range of reading material 1.C1a Use information to form questions and verify predictions.

1.C.1b Identify important themes and topics 1.C.1d Summarize content of reading material using text organization (e.g. story sequence).

Accommodations

• • • • • • Provide a graphic organizer Read aloud to the student Provide mnemonic strategies Summarize each paragraph Shorter reading material Create a story map

Accommodations Con’t

• • • • • Read in shorter intervals Provide a list of vocabulary words Group students into groups of 3-5 according to their instructional needs Provide a study guide with page numbers where answers can be found Provide questions to prompt information

Modifications

• • • • • • Test the student only on the big ideas Rewrite the story taking out useless information Limit the numbers of questions on a test Reduce writing demands Test in sequence of the story Break two part questions into separate questions

Teacher resources

• • • • Literacy and Language Sites for Teachers http://w3.gorge.net/cannon/teach4a.html

Reading Comprehension Instruction: Issues and Strategies $23.95 Improving comprehension with Think Aloud Strategies: Modeling What Good Readers Do By Jeffrey D. Wilhelm $10.47

Teacher Resources

• • Teacher’s Resources on the Internet by Charles j. Blume http://www.towson.edu/users/cblume/tea chweb.htm

Using Research and Reason in Education by Paula J. Stanovich and Keith E. Stanovich

Tips for Parents

• • A compact for Reading & School-Home Links http://www.ed.gov/pubs/CompactforReadi ng/index.html

Put reading first, helping your child learn to read – A parents guide [email protected]

Tips for Parents

• Reading and Literacy Skills http://www.ed.gov/pu bs/CompactforReadin g/table1.html

Special Organizations

• • International Reading Association http://pages.prodigy.net/jgreenbaum/orgfr ame.htm

Reading is Fundamental – Largest nonprofit children’s literacy organization http://www.rif.org/

Technology

• A Review of Reading Galaxy – $45.00

– Classic Stories – Played like a game show – Builds comprehension

Technology

• Interactive games http://pbs.org/lions/games/abcow.html

- Stories - Games - Songs - Parent and Teacher Tips

Research

• Put Reading First by The National Reading Panel – Research shows that certain instructional methods are more instructive than others – Teachers must use a combinations of strategies, incorporated in coherent plans with specific goals – To become good readers children must develop phonemic awareness, phonic skills, the ability to read fluently and accurately, and the ability to comprehend what is read – Systematic and explicit instruction and guided repeated oral reading is important in developing fluency

Research

• Vaughn, S. Levy, S. Coleman, M. Bos,C. (2002).

LD and EBD: a synthesis of observation studies.

Reading instruction for students with Journal of Special Education.

– 90% of students demonstrate significant difficulties in learning to read – Many are identified late for special education – Students are provided with more individual group instruction in special education – Independent seatwork and worksheets consumes large amounts of time allocated for reading

Website Review

• Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/programs/earlyreading /index.html

- Not trying to sell anything - U S government is the source - Updated often - For parents, teachers, administrators, and students

Website Review

• The Partnership For Reading – Recommended Resources – Presentations – Questions about Reading Instruction – Online Discussion – Research Articles – Run by the government nonprofit http://novel.nif.gov/partnershipforreading/

Website Review

• Reading is Fundamental -non-profit organization site -relates to class -suggests materials but doesn’t sell anything -great for teachers and parents http://www.rif.org/

Quote

• “To Control and sort young people for the sake of institutional efficiency is to crush the human spirit” – Ron Miller