Interactive Reading

I really enjoyed this week's reading material on making connections with the text and reading comprehension. The article "Kindergarteners Can Do It, Too!" by Gregory and Cahill explained great ideas and comprehension strategies for early readers. We tend to think that reading comprehension is geared towards upper elementary grades, but according to Gregory and Cahill kindergarteners can do it too!

I have heard of several cases where teachers assign signals for their students as a silent indicator. For example, a 3rd grade class I observed used numbers to indicate specific requests. If students held up one finger they were finished with their work, two fingers meant they needed more time, three fingers meant they wanted to get a book from the classroom library, and so on. However, I have never heard of using hand signals as a strategy for reading comprehension.

In the article, Mrs. Hope used hand signals in her classroom to help her students make connections with the text. Students would make the letter "C" with their hands if they made a connection, the letter "V" if they had a visualization or mind movie, or wiggle their finger if they had any questions or "I wonders" about the text. This strategy not only allows the teacher to see how much the students are comprehending the text but it keeps them engaged and interacting with the text.

As a teacher begins the story the "I wonders" can be written on the board so the students can discuss the questions brought up before and after the story. After the book is finished the students can determine if their questions were answered in the text or if they will have to use their brains to find the answer. After the story the students can also take their connections and visualizations and draw them on paper. The visualizations from each student can be presented and displayed in the classroom to illustrate what each student took away from the story.

This is an excellent reading comprehension strategy for all elementary grades. The hand signals constantly keep the students engaged and interacting with the reading. The follow up activities clarify and answer any questions that may arise from the text. Overall, the strategy is a fun way to help readers learn how to comprehend text and I will use this strategy in the future!

Here are some other interest reading comprehension strategies that are easy to incorporate in the classroom.

A Tool for Reading: Using Whiteboards During Guided Reading

 

Reader's Notebook: Promoting Comprehension Strategies through Letter Writing 

Questions

• What are some other reading comprehension strategies that you have seen or experienced in a classroom?