Implementing Common Core:

A Focus on Early Literacy

Module 6 – Comprehension I

Presenters:
LaRae Blomquist, Susie Lapachet
and Patty Tong
October 2013
 Share Out
As a result of the last module, how did the
information impact your thoughts
and/or actions?

Topics covered:
• Recognize effective vocabulary
instruction
• Develop criteria for selecting vocabulary
• Identify research-based vocabulary
instruction components
 Outcomes:
Participants will explore:

• comprehension at the sentence level.

• support for struggling readers to enhance
sentence level comprehension.
• close reading and text dependent questions and
implications for implementation of the CCSS.
Reading Comprehension
 Setting the Stage
ACTIVITY:

• Read the sentence from The Great Gatsby on the

following slide.
• Prepare to paraphrase what the sentence is saying.
• Determine what
might make the
sentence difficult to
understand.
 A Challenging Sentence…

“The groups change more swiftly, swell with

new arrivals, dissolve and form in the same
breath; already there are wanderers, confident
girls who weave here and there among the
stouter and more stable, become for a sharp,
joyous moment the center of a group, and
then, excited with triumph, glide on through
the sea-charge of faces and voices and color
under the constantly changing light.”
Deconstructing Comprehension
Difficulties

Some of the following features may

have made the sentence difficult to
comprehend:

• Length of the sentence

• Multiple phrases
• Figurative use of language
Consider the Implications for “Pre-Readers”

• How might the comprehension difficulties be

compounded for pre/non-readers who do not
have a visual reference for the sentences?
Listening and Reading Comprehension
(by Age)
Comprehension

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Source: CCSS Appendix A e
Teaching Reading Comprehension

connections to self
words
and the world

strategic
phrases reading

sentences and their paragraph and

interconnections discourse structure

L. Moats, 2005
CA Reading First Institute
 Reading Comprehension:
Connection to the CCSS
“Integration of Knowledge
connections to self
words and Ideas”
and the world
R-L/R-IT 7, 9, 10

strategic
“Close Reading” strategies
phrases reading

sentences
“Craft and and their
Structure” paragraph and
interconnections
R-L/R-IT 5, discourse structure

L. Moats, 2005
CA Reading First Institute
 Reading Comprehension:
Connection to the CCSS
“Craft and Structure” – RL/RIT 4 to self
connections
words “Vocabulary Acquisition andand
Use” :
–sworld
a rd
the
L4&5 n d
S ta -9
i ng T2
e I
ad L/Rstrategic
phrases R R reading

sentences and their paragraph and

interconnections discourse structure

L. Moats, 2005
CA Reading First Institute
Text-Dependent Nature of
Reading Standards
 Effective Comprehension of Sentences

Read the quotes on this slide and the next two

slides. How does syntax impact comprehension?
“A common element of all natural language is
grammar, or syntax. Derived from the Greek word for
“arrangement,” syntax has been defined as “the way in
which words are arranged to show relationships of
meaning within (and sometimes between) sentences”
(Crystal 1987,p.94).” J. Carlisle & M. Rice (2002)
Improving Reading Comprehension
 Quote on Syntax
“When students process a simple sentence, they
mainly use word associations. Syntax merely helps
them corroborate the associations. But when the
associations are ambiguous and/or the syntax is
complex, students must have a good understanding
of syntax in order to work out how each word fits
into the sentence structure and, ultimately,
comprehend the sentence.”

The Brain Connection (2001)

Sentence Comprehension
 Quote on Syntax
“Why Teach Sentence Comprehension
• Written language structures are different from oral
language.
• Syntactic awareness helps readers correct decoding
errors.
• Efficient processing of sentence structure is necessary
for overall comprehension.
• Syntactic awareness (conscious awareness of the parts
of a sentence) support composition skill.”
L. Moats (2004)
LTRS
Problematic Syntactical Structures

Dr. Louisa Moats

 A Kindergarten Example
OCR 2002 Unit 5 p. T104- “Tillie and the Wall”
 Table Talk

1. What were AH-HAs that you had as you

listened to Dr. Moats?
2. What is the specific impact for diverse
learners such as EL students or students with
auditory/visual processing difficulties?
3. How might this knowledge inform/affect
your role as a site administrator?
 Sentence Structures

• Simple
• Compound
• Complex
• Compound-Complex
 Resource: Types of Conjunctions

Coordinating Conjunctions
and but for nor or so yet

Correlative Conjunctions

both… and either…or whether…or

not only…but also neither…nor

Commonly Used Subordinating Conjunctions

after because since until

although before so that when
as how than whenever
as if if that where
as much as in order that through wherever
as though provided unless while
Examples of Sentence Structures
• Simple
The pig chased the sheep.
• Compound
The pig chased the sheep, and the turtle ran away.
• Complex
While the pig chased the sheep, the turtle ran
away.
• Compound-Complex
After the sheep bit the turtle, the pig chased the
sheep, and the turtle ran away.
Build the Other Sentence Structures
Write compound, complex, and compound-
complex sentences for the simple sentence
provided.

Simple: The dog played with the children.

Compound:
Complex:
Compound Complex:
 Whole-Group Share Out
• How is grammar (e.g., sentence structure)
typically taught in most classrooms?

• What is the connection between explicit

grammar instruction (CCSS Language #1) to
reading comprehension?
Working Memory: Is there enough?
Phonological Decoding
Read the paragraph and highlight phrases that
tell how phonological decoding impacts working
memory and student comprehension a the
sentence level.
 The Role of Working Memory
Retaining
Efficient Words & Successfu
Phonologi Word l Sentence
cal Order in Comprehe
Decoding (leads Working (leads nsion
to) Memory to)

What implications does this have for first

instruction and intervention on your site?
A Strategy for Developing Working Memory

Five Ws and an H • The student should be

able to repeat five-to –
seven word statements
• Words are introduced in
sequence one at a time
• Sequence: who & what,
where & when, how &
why
 Five Ws and an H: Example
Sentence: A girl played soccer in the park.
Questions: Who played soccer?
What did a girl do?
Where did the girl play soccer?
Making Sense of Sentences: Revisited
“The groups change more swiftly, swell with new
arrivals, dissolve and form in the same breath; already
there are wanderers, confident girls who weave here
and there among the stouter and more stable, become
for a sharp, joyous moment the center of a group, and
then, excited with triumph, glide on through the sea-
charge of faces and voices and color under the
constantly changing light.”

Re-read the paragraph applying the strategy.

Answer the following questions:
Who? What? When? Where? How? Why?
 Focused Sentence Practice
• Sentence Anagrams: Rearrange the words to
make a complete sentence that sounds right.
Start by finding the main action word (verb)
and putting words together to make phrases.
• Sentence Elaboration: Elaborate
sentences systematically.
 Big Ideas

 The components of reading comprehension are

represented in CCSS with both reading and
language standards.

 Explicit instruction of syntax is critical for all students

since it’s a bridge to reading comprehension.

 Sentence-level comprehension requires significant

working memory at the primary grades.
 Reading Comprehension:
Connection to the CCSS

connections to self
words
and the world

strategic
“Close Reading” strategies
phrases reading

sentences and their paragraph and

interconnections discourse structure

L. Moats, 2005
CA Reading First Institute
Close Reading
 Why Close Reading?
“A significant body of research links the close
reading of complex texts - whether the student
is a struggling reader or advanced- to
significant gains in reading proficiency and
finds close reading to be a key component of
college and career readiness.”
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, 2011
 What is Close Reading?

“Close reading means reading to uncover layers

of meaning that lead to deep comprehension.”
-Nancy Boyles, Southern Connecticut State University
Note: Close reading is not a technique or a
strategy, but rather an outcome. One uses
various techniques in order to closely read.
An Introduction to Close Reading

Dr. Douglas Fisher

• Professor, San Diego State
University
• Teacher and administrator at Health
and Science High School
• Recipient of the IRA Celebrate
Literacy Award and numerous other
awards
 Key Points

• Use of short passages

• Rereading
• Reading with a pencil (grade-appropriate)
• Noticing things that are confusing
• Discussing the text with others
• Responding to text-dependent questions
Fisher and Frey, 2012
 How are text dependent questions
connected to a close read?

If artichokes represent close reading….

Artichoke leaves represent text

dependent questions.
 Demonstrating the Difference
DIRECTIONS:

• Read the following slide.

• Compare the two sets of questions.
• What are the differences?
• Which set of questions most probably
represents a close-reading approach? Support
your answer with evidence.
From “Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!”
 Whole-Group Debrief

• What were the differences between the sets of

questions?
• Which set of questions most probably
represents a close-reading approach? Support
your answer with evidence.
• How would the learning objectives differ with
the two approaches to reading?
 Think of Close Reading as “layers” of text-
dependent questions.

Look Out Kindergarten…

1st Read: “Key Ideas and
Details” RL 3–
character actions
2nd Read:
“Craft and
Structure” RL 4 –
vocabulary
3rd Read:
Language #1
grammar
 Walk and Talk
Please choose a language frame:

• Two things that I learned about close reading

are_______ and _______.
• One thing that I learned about close reading is
_________, but I still have a question about
________.
 “Big Ideas”
Close Reading

Close reading is an outcome, not a strategy.

Text-dependent questions are organized

in “layers” aligned to specific standards.

Close reading examines not only the

content but also the syntax of a text.
Possible Red Flags
• Shanahan Blog on
Close Reading
• Reading
comprehension and
close reading are
difficult to learn.
 “Next Steps”
At your tables, discuss the information presented
and what “next steps” might be taken.
• What is the current, “typical” practice for
comprehension instruction? How do you
know?
• What is the perceived need for professional
learning opportunities?
 Evaluations

•Please fill out the

evaluation forms
provided.

•Specific feedback is
greatly appreciated
in the comment
section.