10 Things You Ought to Know About Reading Comprehension

Timothy Shanahan is one of my favorite researchers/educators. He once presented “10 Things You Ought to Know About Reading Comprehension.” Here is his list…

1. Reading comprehension tests don’t tell much about reading comprehension. It could be a decoding, word meaning, fluency, or comprehension problem.

2. Basic skills teaching improves reading comprehension. It provides enabling skills.

3. Reading comprehension itself can be taught explicitly. It is possible to provide instruction that helps students to think more effectively while they read to understand and remember more.

4. Reading comprehension instruction is not listening comprehension.

5. Reading comprehension instruction requires more than practice. Just reading and answering questions is better than just reading. But reading comprehension instruction is more than an assignment. We can teach kids how to think effectively when reading. Teach strategies.

6. Comprehension strategy instruction is different than comprehension skills instruction. Strategies are intentional and complex. Skills are cause and effect, categorize, compare and contrast, fact and opinion, etc. Strategies are summarizing, questioning, story mapping, monitoring, etc.

7. Combination of strategies are best.

8. Clear explanations matter. Students need to learn what, when, how, and why of strategies.

9. Gradual release of control approaches are effective. Modeling and explanation, guided practice and explanation, and independent practice.

10.We don’t have all the strategies. Strategies are about taking intentional mental actions to understand a text.

We can improve the reading lives of children by providing students with exemplary narrative and expository texts on which to practice their reading strategies.