WEBVTT

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[Music] Welcome to the
overview on Effective Strategies

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That Boost Reading
Comprehension.

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Allie has read the same
paragraph three times.

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Every time she gets a few
lines in, she glazes over.

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Frustrated, she puts
her homework aside

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and grabs a magazine.

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Her science teacher, Ms.
Bonner, knows that Allie

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and other students aren't
getting as much as she'd

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like from their reading,
but she doesn't see

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that as something
she's supposed to fix.

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When students' low reading
scores are discussed

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at a staff meeting,
she thinks to herself,

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I'm a science teacher,
not a reading teacher.

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I wouldn't know how
to teach reading.

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By introducing direct

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and explicit reading
comprehension strategies

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into the curriculum and
across content areas,

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middle and high school
students become more engaged

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and effective in their learning

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and gain a better
understanding of their subjects.

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While research suggests

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that implementing any
reading strategy will result

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in comprehension improvement,
techniques that appear

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to be particularly effective in
bringing students into stronger

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and more direct engagement

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with difficult texts
include summarizing,

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asking and answering questions,
and graphic organizers.

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Teachers who utilize
more than one strategy

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in their instruction tend
to see the greatest gains.

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After all, no one approach
works for every text,

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and students' understanding
will grow more sophisticated

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as they see how each
new strategy complements

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their reading.

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Regardless of which strategy
is taught, it's important

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that teachers make it clear

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from the beginning
what the strategy is,

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what it is used for,
and how it will improve

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reading comprehension.

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When students understand why
the strategy is being taught,

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they are more likely to use it

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when they are reading
on their own.

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Indeed, comprehension
strategies are only truly useful

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to students when they go from
being a classroom exercise

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to being part of their
regular reading experience.

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Teachers should model
the strategy,

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walking through each
step and thinking aloud

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so that students can see how the
strategy impacts how they think

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about what they are reading.

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As students begin to use
the strategy themselves,

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it's important to guide their
practice and give feedback,

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either one-on-one, in small
groups, or with student pairs.

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This transition from at-home

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to in-class reading assignments
may require a shift in thinking

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for some teachers, who
may need encouragement

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that the change will
result in greater learning.

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There are things to be aware
of while selecting texts to use

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in teaching new reading
strategies.

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Be careful to select
a text that works well

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with the technique you
are planning to introduce.

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Main idea identification
is often not well suited

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for narrative texts, and
predictions can be difficult

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with some expository texts.

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A well-chosen passage
can facilitate student

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understanding,

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but an inappropriate one can
diminish confidence in the tool.

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Be sure that the
text is appropriate

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for the reading level
of the students.

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Introducing overly complex
texts while students are still

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learning a strategy is a recipe

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for increased frustration
and discouragement.

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Show students how the strategies
apply to different texts,

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and repeat thinkalouds
with different readings.

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This reinforcement will
help students remember

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to use the techniques in
their own independent reading.

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One key danger to be aware of
in teaching these strategies is

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that it is very easy to get
so focused on the proper use

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of the tool that the actual goal
is obscured or even forgotten.

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To avoid the strategies becoming
rote exercises to be completed,

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students need to be reminded

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that the end goal is improved
comprehension of the text.

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Some teachers may feel that
they are not reading teachers

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and that implementing this
practice will take time away

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from content instruction.

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They may also feel that they
don't have the background

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required to effectively
teach reading skills.

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Additionally, many teachers have

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so deeply internalized their
own comprehension processes

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that they find it
difficult to articulate

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and share the expert
strategies they use.

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For all these reasons,
it is essential

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that professional
development is available

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to help teachers understand
how improving student reading

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comprehension leads to deeper
and faster mastery of material,

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allowing them to teach
more content and not less.

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Even having teachers
lead one another

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in practice thinkalouds together
can help them clarify their own

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thinking and communicate
it effectively to students.

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The payoff is potentially huge.

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Students will be able to
tackle more challenging texts

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across subjects, which
will enhance their ability

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to understand complex
material in middle school,

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high school, and beyond.

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Ms. Bonner got some training

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on reading comprehension
strategy instruction and began

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to implement it in her class.

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Students like Allie began
to show marked improvement,

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and soon Ms. Bonner found

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that lessons she
previously spent weeks

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on could now be covered in days.

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Her students were really
starting to get it,

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and her colleagues in the
teacher's lounge were talking

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about improvements in
their own classes as well.

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[Music] To learn more
about Effective Strategies

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That Boost Reading
Comprehension,

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please explore the
additional resources

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on the Doing What Works website.