Routman starts the chapter by stating that if we want our students to
comprehend, then we must begin with it. Having comprehended a text is the
purpose of reading; if you did not understand, what is the purpose? Through observing
my students I have noticed that many of my 4th graders are
confident, fluent readers. They look and sound the part, some are flawless. But
through conferencing with my students, I have learned what’s going on inside
them and many have no idea what they are reading.
From the beginning, I have focused on teaching the comprehension strategies
Routman lists on page 118. I have
modeled the strategies, made anchor charts, have had the students practice with
partners, and have had them practice independently with their own reading
materials. I feel that many of my students could name most of the strategies
they use while reading, but I fear that I haven’t done enough to help my
students make the connection that all of these strategies are to help with
their comprehension of the text. When
they do not understand what they are reading many just keep going. Rereading is something Routman really focused
on in this chapter and I know that I need to model rereading more to my
class. Being a proficient reader, I
usually understand what I’m reading, especially if it’s a children’s picture
book I’m reading aloud. While I may understand, I am going to work on selecting
parts which may be difficult for the students, whether the language or
vocabulary is more difficult or the theme in the book, to model rereading with.
I liked her idea to read aloud a short, yet challenging non-fiction text and
then retell it to the class. Then, reread it and retell it again and see how I’ve
increased my understanding. By modeling
rereading, I can make my students aware that good readers reread in order to
clarify understanding or to get more from a text. While I, and I will guess, others, dislike
rereading, our understanding is heightened by the second read, which we must
remember is the key to reading.
Self-monitoring is another strategy which I need to work on more with my
students. But her three questions on page 125, I think, are simply enough to
remember and apply to any kind of text: “Does this make sense? Does this sound
like language? Do I know what is happening in the text?” If I and my students ask these questions while
reading, we can all help one another gain more understanding.
As we begin Book Clubs in the coming weeks, I hope to emphasize to my
students that while they each have their book club job which they are
responsible to lead a discussion with, that they can and should take on the
role of the other book club jobs too. If they are the Connector, but really
enjoyed a particular passage in the book, then during discussion, they should
share and discuss that passage with their group. I want students to see that they are applying
all of these comprehension strategies (Connector, Visualizer, Questioner,
Passage Picker, Word Wizard) to their reading, but they can also use all of
these strategies to help them understand what they are reading. Through continued conferencing and listening
in on the students’ book club discussions, I hope to see my students truly
comprehending their books and not simply reading the words.
Helen, you pinpointed an issue a lot of the upper grades are struggling with: comprehension. We see that students are beautiful word callers but when asked to explain what they've just read, we are faced with blank stares and shoulder shrugs. Your reflection on your teaching of reading strategies is very thorough. I, too, struggled when I thought about how many times I've taught a reading strategy in isolation and haven't connected it to the primary goal of making meaning of text. Modeling the use of multiple strategies at once could remedy that situation. Having students see the actions a skilled reader takes to comprehend is more meaningful then being able to make obscure connections.
ReplyDeleteHi Helen,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the ways that you are utilizing the major strategies Routman suggests in this chapter - re-reading and self-monitoring in your instruction and in your book clubs. If we believe reading is meaning and our students look like they are reading and sound like they are reading but are not understanding what they are reading then we have a problem. I also appreciated the metacognitive modeling strategy that Routman shared in this chapter for us as teachers to utilize. Thinking aloud and showing students how we are applying the proficient reading strategies when we are reading a text during shared reading provides students with a model for how to do it, not just an explanation with a try it out for yourself assignment. Thank you! Dawn