Good readers are able to effectively coordinate their interaction with text by selecting and integrating reading strategies to use before, during and after reading. Torgeson (2006) emphasizes that struggling readers will need explicit strategy instruction that teaches them to use a repertoire of active comprehension strategies, including prediction, analyzing stories with respect to story grammar elements, question asking, image construction, and summarizing.
Research
Good readers are able to effectively coordinate their interaction with text by selecting and integrating reading strategies to use before, during and after reading. Good readers use these strategies and construct meaning from the text with which they are interacting. They create a complete image of their text. It is a complex process. Struggling readers often find it difficult to use these strategies effectively because they cannot see the big picture. They may not have all the strategies in their repertoire or they are not able to coordinate the strategies they do have in place. As noted by Pressley (2001):
The case is very strong that teaching elementary, middle school, and high school students to use a repertoire of comprehension strategies increases their comprehension of text. Teachers should model and explain comprehension strategies, have their students practice using such strategies with teacher support, and let students know they are expected to continue using the strategies when reading on their own. Such teaching should occur across every school day, for as long as required to get all readers using the strategies independently — which means including it in reading instruction for years. (Active Comprehension Strategies section, para. 4)
Torgeson (2006) emphasizes that struggling readers will need explicit strategy instruction that teaches them to use a repertoire of active comprehension strategies, including prediction, analyzing stories with respect to story grammar elements, question asking, image construction, and summarizing.
Resources
Request the TACtic, Comprehension Does Not Just Happen: Using Non-linguistic Represent- ations for Helping Students Become Independent Readers from https://ttac.odu.edu.
Complete the TTAConline Webshop, The Challenge of Reading Comprehension.
References
Pressley, M. (2001, September). Comprehension instruction: What makes sense now, what might make sense soon.
Reading Online, 5(2). Retrieved from http://www.readingonline.org/articles/art_index.asp?HREF=/articles/ hand- book/pressley/index.html.
Torgesen, J. K. (2006) Intensive reading interventions for struggling readers in early elementary school: A principal’s guide. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction.
