Comprehension

   Chapter 7 in the book, Classrooms That Work, is all focused on teaching children how to think while they read. The main point that is restated throughout the whole chapter is modeling, modeling, modeling. I loved the part that had modeling broken down in a way that led children to eventually think for themselves.
   1. I do, you watch
   2. I do, you help
   3. You do, I help
   4. You do, I watch
 I have never really thought of scaffolding in these simple steps, but they can be used for all subjects, not just reading comprehension. I also like the post reading beach ball activity, students can get out of their seats and lean in a hands on and memorable way.

    Pardo's article on What Every Teacher Needs to Know about Comprehension ties in so nicely with the articles we read on fluency. The term comprehension was named as the key factor of fluency, and this article explained the topic so great. This article also emphasizes modeling.Two aspects I found interesting with comprehension is prior knowledge and motivation. I loved the idea of having pen pals to motivate students to read and write on a regular basis. In third grade, my class had pen pals from France! I remember being so excited to get letters and write back. Also mentioned was book clubs, I had never thought of this before, but the readings I remember the most was chapter books that we did projects with. I loved to Kill a Mockingbird, Shilo, and The Scarlet Letter.

     Gill's, Comprehension Martix helps teachers develop a process for building comprehension in the classroom. This matrix includes the parts: Pre-reading, During, and Post-reading. During pre-reading, the teacher should model reading strategies, activate prior knowledge, and motivate students by giving them a purpose with post reading activity intros. During reading, the story the teacher should stop and ask meaningful questions as well as making predictions of what will happen next. Post reading gives students a chance to make sense of a story and create their own meaning. I think that these steps are a great start for teachers. What I like most is that it tells individuals that in order to be a great teacher, every comprehension lesson will be different, according to the story, the students, and the content. 

   Gregory and Cahill, the authors of the Kindergartners article, explain an exemplary classroom where students use signals during interactive reading time. A "C" for students who had a connection to the story, a "V" for the students who  had a visualization or mind movie comment, and a wiggling finger for those who are confused or has a question about the story. With practice, the students do this as if they have grown up knowing the motions. This is something that I think teachers shy away from, because it is difficult to set the routine, and it can make for a conversing, or loud, classroom. I think that its an amazing idea and want to include something like this in my class even I have older students like 4th or 5th grade. In the end of this article, it states that young children need this comprehension attention from teachers. It says they NEED to be hands on and visual. My question is why is this interactive approach only encouraged for kindergarteners? I think that students of all ages could benefit from a more active and hands on activities in reading comprehension.