Neshaminy Title I
Spotlight on Literacy: Comprehension
Dear Neshaminy Families,
This is our last issue for the year of the Neshaminy Title I Spotlight on Literacy series. Each issue an on demand mini workshop that is available anytime, anywhere. It provides families with background knowledge, strategies and resources to support learners at home with reading and related areas. In this issue, Neshaminy SD Reading Specialist, Kelly Dougherty, shares her expertise about comprehension.
In this issue:
- Please take a few minutes to complete the below end of year Parent & Family Engagement Survey so we may better serve you!
- Recorded video of Parent & Family Engagement event, Smart but Scattered
- Reading resources and activities that focus on comprehension
Sincerely,
Kim Maurizi
Title I Reading Specialist
kmaurizi@neshaminy.org
Parent and Family Engagement Survey
Comprehension: What is it?
Comprehension is the understanding and interpretation of what is read. To be able to accurately understand written material, children need to be able to decode what they read; make connections between what they read and what they already know; and think deeply about what they have read.
Listed below are key strategies students use to understand text:
- Using Prior Knowledge/Previewing
- Predicting.
- Identifying the Main Idea
- Summarizing
- Questioning
- Making Inferences
- Visualizing
- Retelling
- Synthesizing
Comprehension: Why is it Important?
The purpose of reading is comprehension — getting meaning from written text. It is the “essence of reading.” Without comprehension, reading is a frustrating, pointless exercise in word calling. Comprehension is the whole point of reading. Skilled readers do more than decode the words on the page; they understand and interpret what they read. They construct meaning from text. With this in mind, asking children questions about the text is very important. Understanding the levels of questioning will help children develop different skills as a reader. Literal questioning will ask for and provide factual information found
directly in the text. These are all based on RECALL: Your questions will ask for information that can be found in the text. Inferential questions have responses that are indirectly stated, induced, or require other information. Evaluative questions require the reader to formulate a response based on their opinion.
Comprehension Activities & Resorces
Comprehension Catch Activity
Comprehension Catch activity is intended to be used with fiction text. This activity may be used with students K-4.
Write some of the following questions in black permanent marker on each section of the beach ball:
- Who are the main characters?
- How do you think the character felt?
- When and where did the story take place?
- What happened in the beginning of the story?
- What happened in the middle of the story?
- What happened in the end of the story?
- What would you change about the story if you were the author?
- What story does this story remind you of?
2. After reading the story/passage, toss the ball to the student.
3. Student (or adult) reads the question under their right thumb.
4. Student answers the question.
5. Continue to toss the ball until all questions have been answered.
**You may print resources and materials from the below links. If you do not have access to a printer, please email your Title I Reading Specialist for a print copy of the resource. Reading specialist contacts can be found at the end of the newsletter. In the email, be sure to provide the name of the activity, your child’s name and grade.
Smart but Scattered with Dr. Peg Dawson
Last month Title I Parent and Family Engagement hosted virtual evening with Dr. Peg Dawson. Dr. Dawson is a child psychologist and author. She shared with parents and families her expertise in the area of executive functioning, how it impacts learning and what parents can do to help student achieve their full potential. Below is the video from that event.
Executive function and self-regulation skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. Just as an air traffic control system at a busy airport safely manages the arrivals and departures of many aircraft on multiple runways, the brain needs this skill set to filter distractions, prioritize tasks, set and achieve goals, and control impulses (Harvard University).
Parent & Family Engagement Support
We have a Title I Reading Specialist available at each building to assist parents with supporting their child’s academic progress between home and school. One of the roles of the Title I Reading Specialist is that of a coordinator who provides opportunities for parents to participate in workshops and activities that will greatly benefit students. Also, the Title I Reading Specialist organizes and conducts, planning meetings with parents and volunteering opportunities that will help influence academic success. For more information, please contact the Title I Reading Specialist at your student's school:
Neshaminy School District Title I
Please feel free to contact Michelle Burkholder, Director of Elementary Education, at any time with questions, concerns or suggestions regarding Neshaminy School District Title I.
