Maximizing Effectiveness of Reading Comprehension Instruction in Diverse Classrooms

With 8 million students in Grades 4–12 struggling to read on grade level, effective comprehension instruction is a top priority for middle and high school teachers. This teacher-friendly supplemental textbook fully prepares current and future educators to help all students "read to learn." With a strong emphasis on teaching a wide variety of struggling readers, this concise introductory text gives educators research-based knowledge on reading comprehension and the practical instructional techniques they need to explicitly teach comprehension skills. The ideal foundational text on comprehension—and a great resource for in-service educators—this accessible volume equips teachers with the critical background knowledge they need to strengthen every reader's confidence and competence. GET TEACHERS READY TO Understand why some students struggle with comprehension Improve the comprehension skills of students with learning disabilities and English language learners Promote language development—the foundation of reading comprehension Understand how basic reading skills affect comprehension and are addressed at the secondary level Modify texts and provide accommodations when necessary Identify pitfalls to common instructional practices and plan ways to differentiate for a wide range of learners Explicitly teach key vocabulary words students need to know to be better readers Help students connect new information to their existing knowledge as they read Plan instruction appropriate for the type of text being used Teach students how to read strategically and monitor their own comprehension Get students motivated and engaged and more TEACHER-FRIENDLY FEATURES: Vignettes that model instructional techniques, "Dig Deeper" features with research-based enrichment information, "Practical Applications " features with supplemental information and resources.

Table of Contents:
About the Authors Acknowledgments 1 What Is Comprehension? Overview of Reading Comprehension. How Is Language Development Related to Reading Proficiency? Why Do Some Students Struggle with Learning Language? What Does This Mean for Classroom Teachers? 2 Basic Reading Skills What Are Basic Reading Skills and Why Are They Important for Reading? How Are Basic Skills Taught at the Secondary Level? How Do I Select Texts for Students that Are Not Proficient in Basic Reading Skills? What Are Considerations When Modifying Text or Providing Accommodations? What Are Other Considerations for Selecting Texts for Struggling Readers? 3 Teach Vocabulary What Is Vocabulary and Why Is It Important for Reading Comprehension? What Types of Vocabulary Words Should Be Explicitly Taught? What Instructional Techniques Can Help Students Learn Important Vocabulary? What Are Potential Problems with Students' Understanding of Vocabulary? How Can Teachers Assess Students' Understanding of Vocabulary? What Else Do Teachers Need to Know About Vocabulary? 4 Teach to Activate Students' Prior Knowledge and Help Them Make Connections What Is Prior Knowledge and Why Is It Important for Reading Comprehension? What Instructional Techniques Can Help Students Activate Prior Knowledge? What Are Potential Problems with Student Activation of Prior Knowledge? How Can Teachers Help Create Shared Prior Knowledge to Support Instruction? What Are Other Aspects of a Reader's Prior Knowledge to Consider? 5 Teach Students to Ask and Answer Questions What Are Questioning Strategies and Why Are They Important for Reading Comprehension? What Are Types of Questions that Teachers Should Ask and Teach Students to Answer? How Can Students Be Taught to Ask Their Own Questions About Text? How Can Questioning Help Students Summarize Text? What Challenges Might Arise Related to Questioning? What Else Do Teachers Need to Know About Questioning? 6 Teach Students to Recognize Text Structure What Is Text Structure and Why Is It Important for Reading Comprehension? What Instructional Techniques Can Help Students Understand Narrative Text? What Instructional Techniques Can Help Students Understand Expository Text? What Are Potential Problems When Using Graphic Organizers to Teach Students to Recognize How Text Is Organized (Text Structure)? What Else Do Teachers Need to Know About Text Structure? 7 Teach Students to Read Strategically and Monitor Their Comprehension What Is Strategy Instruction and Why Is It Important for Reading Comprehension? Why Is Comprehension Monitoring Important for Reading Comprehension? What Does This Look Like in Instruction? What Is the Bottom Line with Strategy Instruction? 8 Motivation and the Struggling Reader How Do Students Respond to Past Failures in Reading? Why Does Motivation and Engagement Matter for Reading Success? How Can Teachers Address Motivation and Engagement in the Classroom? Final Thoughts References Index