Reading Comprehension Strategies: Providing Explicit Instruction

Comprehension is the essence of reading. Without it the act of reading is incomplete. Yet, the RAND Reading Study Group (2002) said that there is inadequate reading comprehension instruction and teacher preparation programs do not give sufficient emphasis to this important domain. It is critical for teachers to acquire knowledge and develop skills for explicitly teaching students to use comprehension strategies. Comprehension instruction should be taught in the early grades. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (2000) noted that research should help to determine which strategies are more appropriate for younger readers. But much research has not been done on the lower grades. This book, therefore, extends the research on comprehension strategy instruction showing how the strategies were explicitly taught to second graders, and how they responded to the instruction. It outlines steps teachers and parents may follow when providing strategy instruction that includes comprehension monitoring, finding the main idea, and summarizing. Teachers can successfully use the procedure as a guide, modifying it for teaching comprehension strategies at any grade level.