Reading

Comprehension
Best practices and strategies
What is Reading
Comprehension?
Kirby, 2007
 Reading comprehension
is a process on how we
understand texts we
read.
Pardo, 2004
Comprehension is a process
which readers construct
meanings by interacting with
the text through previous
knowledge and based on their
experience and how the
reader take in relationship to
the text.
Kintsch, 1999
 Comprehension involves
the relating of two or
more pieces of
information.
Pressley & Afflerbach,
1995
 In broad terms,
comprehension is the
ability of readers to get
meaning from text
though a number
conscious processes.
Levels of
processing in
reading
Bottom-up and top-down
processing
bottom-up processing
 words are formed into
phrases, and phrases are
formed into more
abstract units called
propositions or ideas;
these processes require
knowledge of syntax
(grammar).
bottom-up processing
 Comprehension at the
phrase or idea level
results in a relatively
shallow understanding of
what the text stated
directly, often termed
literal comprehension.
Top-down processing
 occurs when higher-level
information, just as
knowledge of the general
topic of the text, helps
the reader identify
lower-level information.
Factors that
contribute to the
development of
reading
comprehension
What aids reading
comprehension?
Best practices in
reading
comprehension
What are the effective
strategies in teaching reading?
Drawing inferences
 The ability to make
inferences from given
information in a text and
from background
information has been
described as the heart of the
reading process (Anderson &
Pearson, 1984).
Activating schema
 Activating Prior Knowledge
Background or prior
knowledge comes from life
experiences, either real or
vicarious (Knuth and James,
1991)
Making Connections
 Directly connected to activating
prior knowledge is making
connections. Results of analyses
by the National Reading Panel
(2000) suggest that
comprehension is enhanced
when readers actively connect
ideas in print to their own
knowledge and experiences.
Asking questions
 Asking Questions and Finding
Answers Harvey and Goudvis
(2007) explain that “Questions
open the doors to
understanding.” (p. 18).
Generating questions about the
text propels the reader forward
(Harvey and Goudvis, 2000)
Visualizing
 Visualizing creates mental
images or visualizing personalizes
reading and engages the reader
directly with the text (Harvey
and Goudvis, 2000).
Summarizing
 Summarizing The National
Reading Panel (2000) analyses
found that summarizing
increases engagement by
focusing on the main ideas
rather than the details.
Vocabulary
Development
Best Practices and Strategies
What is
Vocabulary?
Susanto, 2017
• Vocabulary is all the words
in a language, the words
used in a particular
context and the words
that an individual knows.
Sedita, 2005
• Vocabulary knowledge is
important because it includes
the words that we must
learn and know to express
our ideas, communicate
effectively and learn new
concepts and words
Alqahtani, 2015
• Vocabulary learning is an
essential part in language
learning as the new words
are often emphasized
whether in books or in the
classrooms.
What is the
relationship of
vocabulary to
comprehension?
Vocabulary and
Comprehension
• Word knowledge is
important to reading
comprehension and
determines how well the
learners will be able to
comprehend the text they
read.
Best practices in
Vocabulary
Development
What are the effective strategies
in teaching vocabulary?
1. Word Selection
• Effective vocabulary
instruction is characterized
by deliberate selection of
words to be taught and
frequent opportunities for
students to interact with the
words in meaningful
contexts.
2. Instructional Practices
• Instruction should include
opportunities for students to
work with words in multiple
ways, including identifying
synonyms and antonyms,
looking for roots and using
cognates, and connecting
new words to known words.
A. Indirect Vocabulary
Instruction
• Students learn new words
by encountering them in
text, either through their
own reading or by being
read to.
B. Direct Vocabulary
Instruction
• Word consciousness means
having an interest and
awareness of words. Word
consciousness involves
awareness of word structure,
including an understanding
of word parts and word
order.
How should words
be selected when
using direct
instruction?
Word selection notes:
• Before instruction, preview the text,
even when using text that has pre-
selected vocabulary words.
• Read the passage and identify
vocabulary words you think students
will find unfamiliar. Ask yourself:
“How difficult is this passage to
understand?”
• Select words that are important to
understanding the text.
Word selection notes:
• List words you predict will be
challenging for your students.
• Determine which words are
adequately defined in the text.
• Identify words students may
know based on their prefixes,
suffixes and base or root words.
Word selection notes:
• Consider students’ prior knowledge.
Words can be discussed as you
activate and build prior knowledge.
• Determine the importance of the
word. Ask yourself: “Does the word
appear again and again? Is the
word important to comprehending
the passage? Will knowledge of the
word help in other content areas?”
Remember, words taught
before students read include:
• Words that will be frequently
encountered in other texts and content
areas.
• Words that are important to
understanding the main ideas.
• Words that are not a part of your
student’ prior knowledge.
• Words unlikely to be learned
independently through the use of
context and/or structural analysis.
3. Teaching word parts
• When students encounter
unknown words they can use
knowledge of word parts
(root words, suffixes and
prefixes) to help determine
the meaning.
4. Using drawing and
picture
• Teaching vocabulary using
pictures connect students’
prior knowledge to a new
story, and in the process,
help them learn new words.
5. Using mime,
expressions and gestures
• Many words can be
introduced through mime,
expressions, and gestures.
For example, adjectives:
"sad"," happy"; mime and
taking a hat off your head
to teach hat and so on.
6. Using enumeration and
contrast
• An enumeration is a
collection of items that is a
complete, ordered listing
of all of the items in that
collection. It can be used to
present meaning.
7. Guessing from the
context
• Guessing from context as a
way of dealing with
unfamiliar vocabulary in
unedited selections has
been suggested widely by
L1 and L2 reading
specialists (Dubin, 1993).
 References
• Philstar.com (2010, 02, 22) Low proficiency
reading comprehension may threaten global
competitiveness. Retrieved from
https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/business-
life/2010/02/22/551404/low-proficiency-
reading-comprehension-may-threaten-global-
competitiveness#Za8ZUq8FymLtE9IT.99
• Kirby, J. (2007). Reading Comprehension: Its
Nature and Development. Canadian Language &
Literacy Research Network.
https:/www.researchgate.net/publication/24259
9620
 References
• Alqahtani, M. (2015). The Importance of Vocabulary in
Language Learning and How to be Taught. . International
Journal of Teaching and Education Vol. III, No. 3 / 2015
DOI: 10.20472/TE.2015.3.3.002
• Sweeney, S. & Mason, P. (2011). Research-based
Practices in Vocabulary Instruction: An Analysis of What
Works in Grade PreK-12 Prepared by the Studies and
Research Committee of the Massachusetts Reading
Association. www. massreading.org
• Alpino, S. (2017). The Teaching Vocabulary: Perspective.
Jurnal KATA: Vol 1No. 2 Oktubre2017
• Sedita, J. (2005). Effective Vocabulary Instruction.
Published in “Insights on Learning Disabilities” 2(1} 33-45,
2005