Comprehension Strategies

**The following are strategies for understanding what you read.**

Visualization is Powerful ●Tell students to form a movie in their head as they read.

●You can lead them into this by having them draw as you read aloud.

●Use think alouds.

However, NONE of these comprehension strategies is taught in a single mini-lesson. It’s impossible to teach visualization in 15 minutes. Rather, plan and deliver numerous mini-lessons across the year that target the array of sub-skills that will prepare students to visualize independently.

LEARN TO MAKE CONNECTIONS

•text to self – This reminds me of my own life…

When picking text to self books, it is important to look for books that have a theme that kids can relate to. Family, sibling rivalry, pets, school, or feelings are a great place to start. The characters also need to be realistic, especially for older kids.

•text to text– This reminds me of another book I’ve read/movie I’ve watched…

•text to world– This reminds me this time in history/what’s going on in the world right now…

Excellent Resources:

●Harvey, S. & Goudvis, A. (2000). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension to enhance understanding. Portland, ME: Stenhouse. ●Keene, E. & Zimmerman, S. (1997). Mosaic of Thought. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

●Tovani, C. (2000). I read it, but I don’t get it: Comprehension strategies for adolescent readers. Portland, ME: Steinhouse.

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