Statistics show that 60-70% of students in third grade or
beyond read below grade level. 37% of
adults read below a fourth grade level.
There are many causes for these reading gaps. Some students struggle to read due to lack of
phonological awareness. These students
have trouble decoding unfamiliar words.
Some students have trouble comprehending what they have read. There are many issues that can cause reading
comprehension difficulties. Some students
have a limited vocabulary and do not have the skills necessary to understand
the meaning of unfamiliar words. Some
students have limited background knowledge as well as limited understanding of
text structure and or literary elements.
Whatever the cause, reading interventions have to be explicit and target
the missing skills.
Build Background
Knowledge
Think of the human brain as a file cabinet. In the file cabinet are files that contain
our memories, experiences and associations.
As we experience things or learn new things, we add new files to the
cabinet. These stored experiences are
called schema. When we read we access
these stored experiences to help us understand the concept. For example, if a student is reading a
selection about dogs, they will access their stored knowledge about dogs. If they learn something new about dogs, they
will add to their schema. If they have
no schema or stored knowledge about dogs, they will create a new file. The more stored files a student has the
better they are equipped to comprehend.
Schema can be built by having kids read and learn about various
subjects, take field trips, view demonstrations, as well as view instructional videos
and documentaries.
Teach Students to Decode Unfamiliar Words.
One important skill students need in order to comprehend, is
the ability to decode words. Decoding is
the ability to sound out words. In order
for a reader to successfully comprehend a text, a reader must decode the words to
gain meaning of the sentences. Decoding
requires that students use phonological awareness skills. Phonological awareness is the understanding
that sentences are made up of words, words are made up of syllables and
syllables are made up of sounds.
Students who have not received adequate instruction in this area will
have a hard time decoding words due to the complex nature of the English language. There are 44 sounds in the English
Language. These 44 sounds can be
represented by approximately 250 different spelling patterns. For example, the long /A/ vowel sound can be
spelled using the following letter combinations: /ai/, /ay/, /ea/, /ay/, /a-consonant-e/and /eigh/. In order to decode and spell, students need
to know all of these sound patterns. Students
must receive explicit and systematic instruction in the area of phonological
awareness in order to effectively decode words and comprehend text.
Teach Students to
Use Context Clues
When we read, we come across words in which we do not know
their meaning. Those who are effective
readers will use the words or sentences around the unfamiliar word to
understand its meaning. This is called
using context clues. Many students have
issues with comprehension due to limited vocabulary. Teaching students to find the meaning of
unknown words using context clues will help them comprehend the text they read
as well as comprehend more complex texts.
Teach Students to Identify
Text Structure
As students read more nonfiction texts, they will become familiar
with the text structure or the way the text is organized. When students learn to identify text
structure elements such as main idea, sequence, cause and effect relationships,
author’s purpose, comparing and contrasting, they are more likely to comprehend
nonfiction text.
Teach Students to
Analyze Literary Elements
Mostly all fiction texts are organized in the same way. All stories have characters, a setting, a
plot and most times a theme. When
students understand these literary elements, they are able to comprehend the
story better. Children who are read to
as well as those who read on their own have a better sense of story elements
than those who seldom read outside of school.
Teach Students to
Make Connections
When reading a text whether fiction or nonfiction, part of
comprehending the text requires that the reader make connections to other
texts, their own experiences and the world.
A text-to-self connection is when the reader makes a connection to what they
have read to their personal life or experiences. A text-to-text connection is a connection
made to the material being read and other texts that they've read. A text-to-world is a connection
made between what they read to something that has happened in the world. It is important that readers be taught to
make these connections so that they can comprehend the text they are reading.
Encourage
Recreational Reading
One of the biggest things I encourage all parents to do is
make sure that their child reads for recreation. Academic reading is the reading that one does
for school or work. Recreational reading
is the reading that we do for our own enjoyment. Children who read more have bigger
vocabularies, more background knowledge and better comprehension skills. Allow children to go to bookstores or
libraries to select books that may interest them. Children should read daily for at least
twenty minutes.
