In accordance with our commitment to deliver reading programs based on research-based instructional strategies, Read Naturally’s programs develop and support the five (5) components of reading identified by the National Reading
Panel—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics and decoding, fluency, and print concepts are widely recognized as foundational reading skills. Show
Phonemic AwarenessPhonemes, the smallest units making up spoken language, combine to form syllables and words. Phonemic awareness refers to the student’s ability to focus on and manipulate these phonemes in spoken syllables and words.
According to the National Reading Panel, teaching phonemic awareness to children significantly improves their reading more than instruction that lacks any attention to phonemic awareness. PhonicsPhonics is the relationship between the
letters (or letter combinations) in written language and the individual sounds in spoken language. Phonics instruction teaches students how to use these relationships to read and spell words. The National Reading Panel indicated that systematic phonics instruction enhances children’s success in learning to read, and it is significantly more effective than instruction that teaches little or no phonics. FluencyFluent readers are able to read orally with appropriate speed, accuracy, and proper expression. Fluency is the ability to read as well as we speak and to make sense of the text without having to stop and decode each word. The National Reading Panel’s research
findings concluded that guided oral reading and repeated oral reading had a significant and positive impact on word recognition, reading fluency, and comprehension in students of all ages. VocabularyVocabulary development is closely connected to
comprehension. The larger the reader’s vocabulary (either oral or print), the easier it is to make sense of the text. According to the National Reading Panel, vocabulary can be learned incidentally through storybook reading or listening to others, and vocabulary should be taught both directly and indirectly. Students should be actively engaged in instruction that includes learning words before reading, repetition and multiple exposures, learning in rich contexts, incidental learning, and
use of computer technology. ComprehensionComprehension is the complex cognitive process readers use to understand what they have read. Vocabulary development and instruction play a critical role in comprehension. The National Reading Panel determined that
young readers develop text comprehension through a variety of techniques, including answering questions (quizzes) and summarization (retelling the story). Note: Progress in reading does not necessarily result in progress in spelling.
Spelling instruction is needed to develop students’ spelling skills. For more informationLearn more about the National Reading PanelIntervention programs that address these reading components BibliographyMehta, P. D., Foorman, B. R., Branum-Martin, L., & Taylor, W. P. (2005). Literacy as a unidimensional construct: Validation, sources of influence and implications in a longitudinal study in grades 1–4. Scientific Studies of Reading, 9(2), pp. 85–116. National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. 1. Monitoring comprehensionStudents who are good at monitoring their comprehension know when they understand what they read and when they do not. They have strategies to "fix" problems in their understanding as the problems arise. Research shows that instruction, even in the early grades, can help students become better at monitoring their comprehension. Comprehension monitoring instruction teaches students to:
2. MetacognitionMetacognition can be defined as "thinking about thinking." Good readers use metacognitive strategies to think about and have control over their reading. Before reading, they might clarify their purpose for reading and preview the text. During reading, they might monitor their understanding, adjusting their reading speed to fit the difficulty of the text and "fixing" any comprehension problems they have. After reading, they check their understanding of what they read. Students may use several comprehension monitoring strategies:
3. Graphic and semantic organizersGraphic organizers illustrate concepts and relationships between concepts in a text or using diagrams. Graphic organizers are known by different names, such as maps, webs, graphs, charts, frames, or clusters. Regardless of the label, graphic organizers can help readers focus on concepts and how they are related to other concepts. Graphic organizers help students read and understand textbooks and picture books. Graphic organizers can:
Here are some examples of graphic organizers:
4. Answering questionsQuestions can be effective because they:
The Question-Answer Relationship strategy (QAR) encourages students to learn how to answer questions better. Students are asked to indicate whether the information they used to answer questions about the text was textually explicit information (information that was directly stated in the text), textually implicit information (information that was implied in the text), or information entirely from the student's own background knowledge. There are four different types of questions:
5. Generating questionsBy generating questions, students become aware of whether they can answer the questions and if they understand what they are reading. Students learn to ask themselves questions that require them to combine information from different segments of text. For example, students can be taught to ask main idea questions that relate to important information in a text. 6. Recognizing story structureIn story structure instruction, students learn to identify the categories of content (characters, setting, events, problem, resolution). Often, students learn to recognize story structure through the use of story maps. Instruction in story structure improves students' comprehension. 7. SummarizingSummarizing requires students to determine what is important in what they are reading and to put it into their own words. Instruction in summarizing helps students:
Effective comprehension strategy instruction is explicitResearch shows that explicit teaching techniques are particularly effective for comprehension strategy instruction. In explicit instruction, teachers tell readers why and when they should use strategies, what strategies to use, and how to apply them. The steps of explicit instruction typically include direct explanation, teacher modeling ("thinking aloud"), guided practice, and application.
Effective comprehension strategy instruction can be accomplished through cooperative learning, which involves students working together as partners or in small groups on clearly defined tasks. Cooperative learning instruction has been used successfully to teach comprehension strategies. Students work together to understand texts, helping each other learn and apply comprehension strategies. Teachers help students learn to work in groups. Teachers also provide modeling of the comprehension strategies. What are the 3 approaches in reading?Classrooms were assigned to one of three reading approaches: (1) traditional interactive reading, (2) interactive reading with focused attention, and (3) interactive reading using a mindmap.
Which strategy would most likely improve a student's reading comprehension?Which strategy would most likely improve a student's reading comprehension? Leveled questioning is critical for building reading comprehension skills. As students learn to find information within a text, interpret that information, and evaluate it, they will come to a deep understanding of the author's message.
Which of the following words are examples of subordinating conjunctions select all that apply?Subordinating conjunctions are conjunctions that are used at the beginning of subordinate clauses. Some examples of these conjunctions are; although, after, before, because, how, if, once, since, so that, until, unless, when etc.
What are the two approaches to reading?Though there are many strategies when it comes to teaching reading, we chose to focus on the two most essential: the cognitive and the metacognitive reading strategies.
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