1. What Factors Influence Comprehension?
EDC 423
September 12, 2017

2. Objectives – You will be able to:
Identify skills needed to be a good reader and cluster them into five core elements
Explain the role that development plays in shaping instruction around these core elements
Explain how these core elements connect to inform comprehension
Identify examples of five factors that greatly influence comprehension
GOOD READER 3 2 4 5 1

3. What makes a good reader? Five Core Areas of Reading

4. What does it take to be a good reader? Five Core Areas of Reading
Phonemic Awareness: the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate sounds (phonemes) in spoken words
Phonics: knowledge of the relationship between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language
Fluency: the ability to read words quickly (rate), accurately (accuracy), and with expression (prosody)

5. What does it take to be a good reader? Five Core Areas of Reading
Vocabulary: knowledge of words needed to communicate effectively
Listening vocabulary
Speaking vocabulary
Reading vocabulary
Comprehension: the ability to actively make sense of and construct meaning from words

6. Other areas? Attitude/motivation/personality (affective factors)
Oral language

7. Are all areas important all the time
Are all areas important all the time? Development, development, development!
Oral language
Phonemic awareness
Phonics
Fluency
Vocabulary
Comprehension
VERY important for young
children; building block of literacy; Important at all ages
VERY important for beginning readers (whether young or old)
Important transition from beginning reading to more mature reading
VERY important ALWAYS!!
Cornett p. 11: “National reading panel Report (2000) – No Child Left Behind (2001) – five core areas of reading (not to be confused with the Common Core State Standards) but also argued that four of these components are means to the fifth – “Comprehension First” book title

8. Stages of Reading Development (Chall, 1983)
Label
Grade
What Children are Learning
Activities to Support
Prereading (emergent literacy)
PK-K
Functions of written language, alphabet, phonemic awareness
Story reading, “pseudo reading,” alphabet activities, rhyming, nursery rhymes, invented spelling 1
Initial Reading/Alphabetic Decoding
K-2
Letter sound correspondences/decoding/blending sounds; word recognition
Teacher-directed reading instruction, phonics instruction 2
Confirmation and fluency
2-3
Automatic word recognition, prosody, expression
Wide and varied reading, modeling fluent reading and lots of practice 3
Reading to Learn
4-8
How to learn from text, vocabulary knowledge, comprehension strategies
Reading content area materials, research, strategy instruction to build understanding 4
Multiple Points of View HS
Reconciling different views
Critical reading, discourse synthesis, report writing 5
Construction and reconstruction
College/beyond
Developing a well-rounded view of the world
Learning what not to read as well as what to read
Video:
Gives us signposts and guidelines – if you know where each child is, this gives you a sense of what you should be doing and what kinds of things to expect

9. Emergent Readers (not yet reading)
Oral Language
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Beginning Readers ( just starting to read)
Oral Language, Vocabulary, Comprehension
Phonemic Awareness
Phonics (including spelling, word reading)
Transitional readers (beginning to sound like more mature readers)
Fluency (including higher-level phonics/word reading)
Oral language/Vocabulary

10. Oral Language and Vocabulary
In This Class, We will Focus on the Three Areas We Are ALWAYS Thinking About:
Oral Language and Vocabulary
Comprehension

11. Why Aren’t the Reading Components Equal?
National Reading Panel Report (2000)
And No Child Left Behind (2001)
COMPREHENSION P H O N E M I C A W R S V B U L Y F P H O N E M I C A W R S V B U L Y F
PA and phonics – and fluency skills – having these skills does not guarantee comprehension (think of decoding in a foreign language)
Cornett p. 11: “National reading panel Report (2000) – No Child Left Behind (2001) – five core areas of reading (not to be confused with the Common Core State Standards) but also argued that four of these components are means to the fifth – “Comprehension First” book title

12. Phonics skills… Fluency skills… Do not guarantee understanding (comprehension)
I do not understand a single word of what I am reading.
Vocabulary skills can help… (and are linked to comprehension)
“Je ne comprends pas”; “No entiendo”

13. Having phonemic awareness, phonics, & fluency does not guarantee comprehension
National Reading Panel Report (2000)
And No Child Left Behind (2001)
COMPREHENSION P H O N E M I C A W R S V B U L Y F P H O N E M I C A W R S V B U L Y F
PA and phonics – and fluency skills – having these skills does not guarantee comprehension (think of decoding in a foreign language)

14. What if we added the “other” important areas?
ORAL
LANG
COMPREHENSION P H O N E M I C A W R P H O N I C S V O C A B U L R Y F L U E N C Y WR I T N G M O T I V A N

15. What makes a good reader? Five Core Areas of Reading

16. Why is teaching comprehension so important?? (p. 13)

17. What makes a good reader?
Five components of reading
What to consider when planning for reading instruction? Five Factors that influence comprehension
Phonemic Awareness
Phonics
Fluency
Vocabulary
Comprehension

19. Sociocultural Context
Five Factors that Impact Comprehension
Reader
Text
Teacher/Teaching
Task/Activity
Sociocultural Context

21. Common Learning Needs => Better Teaching Practices
Text: Large blocks of time engaged in active meaning making (reading, listening, viewing, talking) with content rich-text
Tasks: Explicit teaching in active meaning making and instruction in foundational skills (decoding, word study, fluency)
Teachers/Teaching: Models of passion and problem solving; explicit teaching, discussion, formative assessment, regular routines, diverse response options
Context: Learning spaces physically and psychologically supportive of inquiry and problem solving to make meaning

22. Are these really separate? How might you draw them all together?
Learner
Text
Comprehension
Teacher/Teaching
Task
Context

23. Homework Read Cornett Chapter 2
Comprehension Problem Solving: Inquiry Into Big Ideas Using Important Questions
Before/During/After Reading Sequence
Key Comprehension Processes to help readers “work” to problem solve hard texts
What processes are familiar/new to you
Next Class: Why and how to teach reading comprehension as inquiry-based problem solving
Flipgrid Reflection: see wiki menu link
Long term: Reading Interview Assignment (download from wikispace – due Oct. 5)

24. Reading Interview (Due 10/5)

25. How it all fits together!
Sociocultural
Comprehension
Task/Activity
Text
Teacher/Teaching
Reader
Context