Content+Area+Resources

** Content Area Resources: Reading/Comprehension **

Growing up and learning how to read, the most important thing that a teacher stressed to me was to use context clues. If I didn’t know what something meant I usually was able to figure it out by my prior knowledge and how it was used in the surrounding sentences. My concern is that students these days are so used to asking, or being able to find the one meaning of a word that they are not practicing this. This will leave them underprepared for situations in life when they are older and do not have a cell phone, computer, or dictionary to look something up in, for example on standardized tests.
 * Concern 1:**

My second concern is being able to keep students interested in reading. I feel like when students are first learning to read and succeeding they really enjoy it. Once they reach a point where they feel satisfied I have noticed in my own experience that children start to let other interests take over with electronics and media that take the place of reading.
 * Concern 2:**

Another concern I have has to do with reading comprehension. As students learn to read often they focus on decoding the words and not comprehending them. They want to compete with their classmates to read fast but can struggle telling you what they read 5 minutes later. My concern is being able to promote comprehension and understanding.
 * Concern 3:**

My solution to promoting the use of context clues is to set a good example for my students. I want them to be able to rely and feel confident in their own ideas even if they are wrong! If I could get them to practice using context clues and not looking up words they don’t know, then afterward checking to see if they were right I think it would promote this and get them feeling confident in their abilities to infer things.
 * Solution 1:**

This is tough and it will be hard to keep every student interested in reading. Coming from a former student that didn’t always like to read I think the important thing is to get them reading about their interests. In the past I have said I don’t like reading because in school some of the books assigned were not my style. Sure not every book you assign will fit every student’s needs but it is important to promote free or outside reading where they can choose. Also with technology like the kindle, students can read anywhere and a huge selection of books is available, while they still have the feel that they are using technology.
 * Solution 2:**

My solution to this is practicing comprehension as a class. While reading allowed to my class I want to set a good example to not rush, take my time, and pause when I need to ask a question to the class that promotes comprehension. I think by doing this and constantly doing projects on the meanings behind books that we read together or separately, we can stop most students from just simply reading words.
 * Solution 3:**

Here are a couple more outside resources to get a different perspective on the subject:

Reading comprehension in Schools: media type="custom" key="19259498"

[] (This site is a great one for parents! Shows how to work with your child and practice comprhension and vocabulary with them.)

[] (Shows 7 steps to help your children with reading comprehension.)

[] (More strategies to help your child make connections in reading.)

[] (Tips to get your children interested in reading!)

[] (More tips for creating readers.)