Comprehension

Comprehension is being able to understand what the text is talking about. According to the University of Oregon, comprehension is "the essence reading." This is true because if someone can't read, than he/she can't understand what the text is about. The University of Oregon also mentions that comprehension is "active and intentional thinking in which the meaning is constructed through interactions between the [text] and the reader." This is also true because the only way to comprehend what is being read is to construct meaning in a way that allows someone to understand what he/she just read. In Comprehension From The Ground Up, Taberski mentions that comprehension isn't just reading, but it is also for when students are writing. Writers need to be able to understand what they are writing, and so if they can't comprehend their own text, than readers won't be able to either. She also mentions that "[e]ach goal, each strategy, each skill, each facet of our teaching" helps students learn how to understand what they are reading. This is true because learning how to comprehend doesn't stop when the students learn how to read. Students are continuously learning new ways of making notes as they read so that they can understand what the author is trying to say.

http://reading.uoregon.edu/big_ideas/comp/comp_what.php

Examples of Activities for 4th Grade

Check-a-Trait

Fact or Opinion Game

In this activity, the teacher needs a Fact or Opinion game board, number cube, and game pieces.

First, the teacher partners the students up and then gives them their own game board, game pieces, and number cube. Player one roles the cube first. Depending on the number it lands on will decide how many spots he/she moves their game piece. Once player one has moved, he/she will read out the statement on the board and decide if it is a fact or opinion. If he/she says it correctly, then he/she stays on that spot, but if he/she gets it wrong, then he/she moves back to their previous space. For example, if the statement is "Magnets attract objects made of iron," then player one will decide if it is an opinion or fact. The statement is fact and so if the student says it correctly, then he/she stays put, but if the student says opinion, then he/she will move back to their previous space. Once player one has gone, then player two will do the same thing that player one did. The game ends when both reach the end.

This activity is best done at partners.

This is a good activity for comprehension because students are learning how to recognize when something is a fact or an opinion. Students can only understand how to figure out what is fact and opinion if they can comprehend what the text is saying.

In Comprehension from the Ground Up, Taberski mentions that students need to know many skills to be able to comprehend what they are reading. One skill is being able to recognize facts from opinions. The only way to gain the skill is to practice differentiating from fact and opinion and the only way to do that is to be able to understand what they are reading.

One change that I would make is that when the students misses an opinion or fact, that they write it down in a spot that is designated for that. The paper will be split with two columns. The left one will be facts and the right is opinions. Whenever a student misses one, he/she will write down that statement under the correct heading. The student has to be able to recognize the statement five times throughout a period of time before it can be taken off the list. By doing this, it helps the students remember that the statement is a fact/opinion.

http://www.fcrr.org/documents/sca/G4-5/45CPartThree_Text_Analysis.pdf

In this activity, the teacher needs a narrative text, pencil, and a Check-a-List sheet.

The teacher hands out the sheet and the narrative text to each student. As the students are reading, they write down the character's name and then as they are reading, they make check marks under each trait that fits with that character.

This activity is best done by themselves.

This is a good activity for comprehension because the students have to write down the character's name and then check off any traits that the character has. By being able to check off different traits, it shows that the students understand what they are reading. If the student wasn't understanding the text, then he/she wouldn't be able to check off the different traits for each character because he/she wouldn't know what is going on.

In Comprehension from the Ground Up, Taberski mentions the use of strategy Sheets. Strategy sheets are sheets that are used while the student is reading. Unlike traditional worksheets that has specific questions for the book and is given after that student is done reading, strategy sheets are broad so that it can be used for multiple books and not just one. Strategy sheets are also given to the students before they read so that they can do the sheet while they are reading. The check-a-list sheet is a strategy sheet because the students are filling it out as they read and not afterwards.

There aren't many changes that I would make for this sheet, but there are a few things that could be different. Instead of having the students check off each trait, I would have them write down the trait next to the character. By doing it this way, the students are learning how to spell the traits instead of checking off each one. I would also have them write down any changes the character(s) go through. What I mean by this is that some characters' traits will change throughout the book. By writing down any trait changes, it shows that the students are comprehending what they are reading and helps them keep track of the characters and their personalities throughout the book.

http://www.fcrr.org/documents/sca/G4-5/45CPartOne_Narrative_text_Structure.pdf