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Written Reflection: Comprehension and Communication of Content

Jessica Peralta

Arizona State University

RDG 323: Literacy Processes

Instructor Arnett

November 13th, 2020

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Using digital tools like Google Slides, Google Docs, Jamboard, Flipgrid, Canva, Gimkit,

etc., whether with asynchronous or synchronous learning, is a great way to get students to

collaborate, create, and further engage with the content. A great way to utilize digital tools to

engage students and further their understanding is through multiple texts. Students develop

layers of knowledge when they read multiple texts and it helps them contribute productively to

real conversations (Cummins, 2017). This leads to deeper understanding and creative thinking.

This helps with their writing because the depth of knowledge helps them express ideas. Writing

is important in the learning process but there is a difference between learning to write and

writing to learn. Writing to learn does not focus on grammar or structure, but on the content. It

means using writing as learning tool, like we would digital tools (Sedita, 2013). Students aren’t

expected to be experts in using digital tools to engage with the content and create, just like

students aren’t and shouldn’t be expected to compose writing samples that are one hundred

percent grammatically and syntactically correct.

This leads to other forms of engaging and comprehending content that students may not

have much experience with and that is discussions. There are different protocols for discussions,

and it is up to teachers on how they want to utilize discussions to help students comprehend the

content and activate prior knowledge. Activating prior knowledge is important to do before any

lesson or new activity. For example, think-pair-share is an easy and effective way to get students

thinking about a concept, idea, or skill. Activating prior knowledge helps teachers identify

knowledge gaps, prioritize standards, and revise upcoming lessons and units in response to those

gaps (TeachThought, 2017). Academic language also plays a huge role in a student’s ability to

comprehend and communicate effectively with the content. Academic language consists of the

words and phrases used to communicate important concepts and ideas in content specific
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discussions. It is the language that is needed to successfully participate in content-specific

discourses, like the aforementioned discussions for activating prior knowledge. This goes hand in

hand with explicit and deep content vocabulary instruction which is different from academic

language in that the words and phrases, while can be considered academic are more specific to a

content’s core processes. For example, the word narrative or term figurative language would

unlikely come up in a science class, but most definitely would come up in an English Language

Arts class or a fine arts class. Content specific vocabulary is usually considered tier 3 vocabular

because they are words that would unlikely be used in everyday life (Beck et al., 2002 as cited in

Tiered Vocabulary, n.d.). With all of these strategies and important content components in place,

monitoring the students understanding, or comprehension of the material is necessary before

moving forward. Specific strategies for comprehension may include think alouds, where a

teacher models specific thought process to help students understand the process of critically

thinking in that content. For example, when analyzing literature, there are certain elements that

experienced readers take notice of – such as the work’s point of view, genre, title, structure, use

of literary devices, and how these elements inform and help develop the work’s theme (Fisher et

al., 2017). Students should practice thinking in specific ways when dealing with specific content.

Monitoring comprehension in ELA with literature can include the use of literature response

groups (writing or aloud), character maps, plot maps, and guided questions to help students piece

information together that is central to understand the text as a whole.

Ensuring that students are comprehending and communicating through appropriate use of

content and academic specific language is important for their post-secondary endeavors. Whether

it is through structured discussions, word analysis, or through digital tools, students need to be

challenged and their prior knowledge needs to be used for their advantage.
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Resources

Cummins, S. (2017). The Case for Multiple Texts. Retrieved from ASCD:

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb17/vol74/num05/The-Case-

for-Multiple-Texts.aspx

Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2017, February). Show & Tell: A Video Column / Modeling Disciplinary

Thinking. Retrieved from ASCD: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-

leadership/feb17/vol74/num05/Modeling-Disciplinary-Thinking.aspx

Sedita, J. (2013). Learning to Write and Writing to Learn. In M. Hougen, Fundamentals of

Literacy Instruction & Assessment: 6-12. Baltimore.

TeachThought Staff. (2017, September 2). 27 Ways To Assess Background Knowledge.

Retrieved from Teach Thought: https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/27-ways-

assess-background-knowledge/

Tiered Vocabulary: What is it, and why does it matter? (n.d.). Retrieved from Literacy in Focus:

https://www.litinfocus.com/tiered-vocabulary-what-is-it-and-why-does-it-matter/