Text

Comprehension
for Elementary Students

Kailey Davis
 What is text comprehension?
The process of simultaneously extracting and constructing meaning
through interaction and involvement with written language.
(Shanahan 2010)

A proficient reader can...

...read a variety of materials with ease and interest, can read for varying
purposes, and can read with comprehension even when the material is
neither easy to understand nor intrinsically interesting. Proficient
readers are capable of acquiring new knowledge and understanding new
concepts, are capable of applying textual information appropriately, and
are capable of being engaged in the reading process and reflecting on
what is being read. (RAND)
 Text Comprehension Components
VOCABULARY MORPHOLOGY

COMPREHENSION

Fluency
Background knowledge
 What can hinder comprehension?
Lack of background knowledge
Lack of vocabulary and word recognition
Lack of metacognitive awareness
Problems with working memory
Poor reading fluency
Passive reading
Non-fiction text

Students with learning disabilities often have difficulty thinking about

whether they understand what they are reading and do not know how or
when to use strategies.
 How can we help?
Text enhancement strategies
Story maps
Mnemonic illustrations
Study guides
Computer-assisted instruction
Graphic organizers

Graphic organizers provide learners

with a meaningful framework for
connecting their existing knowledge to
the new information. (Ausubel, 1963)
 How Else can we help?
Cognitive strategies
Text structure
Questioning
Main idea
Summarizing

Learning is more deliberate,

self-monitored, and self-regulated.
What does it look like in the classroom?

Differentiated instruction
Immediate, corrective feedback
Increased time of engagement
Frequent opportunity to respond
Social support with encouragement
 Resources
Reading comprehension instruction for students with learning disabilities
Use of story-mapping to increase the story-grammar text comprehension of elementary
students with learning disabilities
Peer-assisted learning strategies promoting word recognition, fluency, and reading
comprehension in young children
Teaching reading comprehension strategies to students with learnning disabilities
Reading motivation and reading comprehension growth in the later elementary years
Reading comprehension instruction for students with learning disabilities
Breaking down words to build meaning
Critical factors in reading comprehension
Graphic organizers and their effects on the reading comprehension of students with LD
QAR
Thank you!
Questions?