Comprehension of Narrative Texts
By Jenna Coalson
Definition
Comprehension is a complex, cognitive process that results in readers making "connections between what they know (prior knowledge) and what they are reading (the text)" (McLaughlin, 2012).
Rationale
In the case of narrative text, it "is based on the ability to encode and retrieve the basic building blocks (propositions) of sentences and relate the meaning within them to scenes and stories from a text" (Rosa, Parks, Androes, & McMahon, 2004). Students who have these building blocks will understand the meaning of the story more in depth.
Research indicates that readers use the following strategies to comprehend text: draw inferences, predict, self-monitor, retell and summarize, draw conclusions (McLaughlin, 2012; Stricklin, 2011), activate prior knowledge ( Harvey & Goudvis, 2013), and visualize before, during, and after reading (McLaughlin, 2012). These strategies may not be present in a struggling reader. It is important to go over only one strategy at a time explicitly to assist the student.
Artifacts
Graphic organizer
https://wiki.ncscpartners.org/images/5/59/Narrative_Text_Structure_PowerPoint.pptx
50 books and 50 more books
This site organizes which books are ideal to read at each grade level and why. Each book is highlighted with certain features by vocabulary, structure, etc. It is perfect for teachers looking to teach a certain subject or skill.
narrative writing activities
This PDF shows activities that can be built apon such as writing stories one word at a time then progressing to a sentence at a time.
https://secure.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Books/Sample/00465Chap07.pdf