Two Tips for Developing Reading Comprehension Skills
by Suzanne Carreker
Guiding students through structured activities before and after they read can improve their comprehension of challenging material. These two techniques can be particularly helpful.
Tip 1 Activate Background Knowledge before Reading
Answering questions before students read activates their background knowledge and helps them become active and reflective as they read. As students read, encourage them to connect, correct, and collect: Connect with previously learned information, correct any misinformation, and collect new information.
Before you read the passage in Figure 1, jot down your answers to these questions:
- How fast can greyhounds run?
- What makes greyhounds so fast?
- How long have greyhounds existed?
- Do greyhounds make good pets?
Now, having answered the questions, read the passage in Figure 1. Think about the questions and your answer and connect, correct, and collect as you read.
| Figure 1 - Greyhounds
|
Greyhounds
Greyhounds are amazing dogs that have had a grand past and have had different roles. They are the fastest dogs in the world, with top speeds of over 45 miles per hour. Greyhounds are as smart as they are fast and make good house pets.
These noble canines have existed for more than 4,000 years. Long ago, greyhounds were greatly regarded in Europe and the Middle East. At one time in England, only noblemen could own and hunt with greyhounds. In the Arabian culture, the birth of a son was the only thing more important than the birth of a greyhound. Greyhounds enjoyed the same respect in Rome and Greece. When greyhounds came to the United States in the 1880s, they were admired by farmers for their hunting skills and by other people for their speed.
Why is a greyhound so fast? A greyhound runs with a special gallop. Most dogs run like horses. At top speed, there is a time when all four legs are off the ground and contracted under the body. This is the only time all four feet are off the ground. When a greyhound runs, there are two times when all four feet are off the ground. One time is just like it is for most dogs and horses, all four feet off the ground and contracted under the body. A second time has all four feet off the ground and extended in front of and in back of the body. At this time, the greyhound is flying in the air. This time of flight extends the greyhound's stride and speed. This kind of running is tiring, so a greyhound cannot run too far. But for as far as it runs, it is fast!
People think that a greyhound seems too frisky to make a good house pet. But a greyhound is not too frisky to make a good pet. A greyhound really is a couch potato. It has one big burst of speed for 10-15 minutes in the morning and then it rests for the day. A greyhound is smart and can learn new commands quickly, so it fits well into the standard daily routines of a house. A greyhound is a sweet and loving dog. While people love to see a greyhound run, a greyhound loves to love.
© 2002, 2003 Neuhaus Education Center. From Basic Language Skills All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.
|
What information did you connect with as you read the passage? Did you connect with how fast a greyhound can run? (Yes!) What information did you need to correct? Were you correct about how long greyhounds have existed? (Oops!) What new information did you collect? Did you know that greyhounds are couch potatoes? (Hmmm!) Did you find that the questions focused your attention on what you were reading and helped you to think actively as you read?
Tip 2 Use Card Pyramids and Précis Writing after Reading
Summarization requires students to think about what they have read and to identify the most important information in what they have read. There are two activities that facilitate students' summarization of expository text - the card pyramid and précis writing.
To build a card pyramid, students need to identify the subject (what the passage is mostly about). Knowing the subject will help students identify the main idea (the subject + what the passage says about the subject), the supporting ideas, and the details. Students write the main idea, each supporting idea, and the details for each supporting idea on separate index cards. They organize the cards in the shape of a pyramid, with the main idea at the top, the supporting ideas in a row under the main idea, and then the details in a row under the row of supporting ideas. The subject of the passage you just read is greyhounds. The card pyramid that students might build for this passage is illustrated in Figure 2.
| Figure 2 - Card Pyramid of Greyhounds
|
| The different
roles of greyhounds
1 |
|
The Noble
canine
2 |
Racer
4 |
Pet
6 |
Well respected
Good hunters
Admired for speed
3
|
Speed of 45 mph
Special gallop -
all feet off the ground two different times
5
|
Smart
Couch potato
Loving
7
|
After students have built their pyramids, they have a visual outline of the structure of expository text. They also have a quick, easy way to orally summarize the passage. Students number the cards as indicated in Figure 2. They collect the cards in numerical order. Using the cards as prompts, students shuffle through the cards in numerical order and take turns orally summarizing the passage with a partner.
When students have orally summarized the passage, they are ready to write a précis. The word précis comes from French, meaning precise. The original Latin word means to cut. The idea of a précis is to summarize a passage in 1/3 to 1/4 the number of words in the passage. The passage Greyhounds has approximately 380 words. A précis for this passage should contain about 127 to 95 words. To reduce or cut the number of words, students must make decisions about what is important and what is not. The cards from the card pyramid help students frame their thoughts as they write. See if you can write a précis for Greyhounds with 127 words. Can you then reduce your précis to 95 words? Good luck!
About the Author: Suzanne Carreker, CALT, is director of program development at Neuhaus Education Center in Houston, Texas, a past president of The Houston Branch of The International Dyslexia Association, and the author of several structured, multisensory curricula, including Developing Metacognitive Skills: Vocabulary and Comprehension.
|
