Docherty Blog 4- November
Chapter 8 Teach Comprehension, Routman
I was hoping once I read this chapter I would gather many
new ideas to help my students master the art of comprehending what they
read. Routman explains that
comprehension must come first. How
though do you teach a child with Learning Disabilities how to comprehend? They must be able to understand what they
read and make meanings of the words.
Often students word call and get better with fluency yet they never
actually read for understanding.
Students with comprehension as a weakness are the hardest students to
teach. Routman describes modeling and
thinking through how we read by asking questions… Does this make sense? Does this sound like language: Do I know what
is happening in the text? If they could
do this boy my job would be easier, yet they don’t know how to ask these
questions much less answer them correctly.
They don’t take the time to decipher the words they read, make the
connections, and gain a deeper understanding of what they read aloud. Yes, in my class we read more than once, yes
we discuss among the group what we’ve read, but still they struggle with
comprehension. We highlight crucial
words, we reread, we discuss, we make connections and still they struggle due
to short term memory issues, lack of prior knowledge, vocabulary weaknesses,
and reasoning skills. I never found the
answer I wanted to hear when I began the chapter.
Erin, Despite the fact that your kiddos struggle, imagine where they would be if they didn't have all the practice with comprehension strategies that you are giving them! Sometimes we hope for something new to help us and when we realize we are doing all those things already it can be a bit of a let down, but what what I see is a giant pat on the back for all that you do already! I encourage you to keep plugging away at all these skills and know that your kiddos are gaining and learning!
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