References

Tompkins, G. (2011). Literacy in the early grades: A successful start for preK-4 readers and writers. (3rd edition). Boston, MA: Pearson.

1.A.10 Understand the role of formal and informal assessment of comprehension in making instructional decisions to meet individual student needs.

Assessments are critical in allowing me to identify strengths and weaknesses in your child’s education Like other elements in reading, comprehension is assessed both formally and informally. However, with comprehension I will be assessing students on a daily basis to determine strategies to use to further your child’s reading development. Some informal assessments  include

• Think Alouds- After students and I read a passage, we will orally discuss the passage and I will ask the students questions to gauge their understanding of the story. I will also allow students to have a piece of paper at their desk to use while we are reading the story in case they want to write down anything they would like to remember. (Tompkins, 2011, 223).
• Story Retellings- After reading a passage, students will tell me what happened in the story. I may ask them for the main idea or plot of the story or what happened in the beginning, middle and end of the story. The purpose is for the students to be able to read a passage and accurately recount the story as it occurred within the context of my question. I will use a rubric to score their storytelling (Tompkins, 2011, pg.222).
• Cloze Procedure- This activity will involve students fill in words that have been removed in a passage in order to demonstrate knowledge of the text. Students will use the content of the passage, vocabulary and sentence structure to construct their answer (Tompkins, 2011, pg, 223)

Students will also be given the following formal assessments to determine their level of comprehension.

• Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT)- Students will be assessed beginning in 3rd grade and the test will measure your students ability to comprehend.  It is administered once a year.
• Accelerated Reader(AR)- There are questions on the accelerated reader test that measure comprehension. Students will be tested on this every time they take an AR test.

1.A.9 Understand how English language learners' linguistic and cultural background will influence their comprehension.

English language learners have more of a challenge in every facet of reading. English language learners typically aren’t as strong in reading because they usually lack one or more of the foundational skills for reading. Linguistically, vocabulary suffers because English language learners don’t have the Tier 2 vocabulary necessary for comprehension. English learners are also going to have a problem with fluency because they will be so consumed with the decoding element of the word that they lose out the understanding concept. Since background knowledge plays an essential role in comprehension, it is important for students to have an idea of mainstream cultural knowledge in order to understand what they are reading.  An English language learners’ experience will be much harder than a native English speaking students, so it is important for me as a teacher to acknowledge the deficiencies to aid the ELL in becoming a successful reader.

1.A.8 Understand that effective comprehension processes rely on well developed language, strong inference making, background knowledge, comprehension monitoring and self-correcting.

In order for comprehension to take place many different factors are in play. Students with a well developed language will have a broader understanding of text because of their knowledge of words. Strong inference making allows students to think about a passage critically and analytically to comprehend what they're reading. Background knowledge may play the biggest role in comprehension because of all the information a child can bring with him prior to reading the story to make the passage relatable. A student who is aware of his/her strengths and weaknesses and has the ability to self-correct will become a more fluent reader. This reader will not be influenced or slowed down when he/she runs into a word they don't know the meaning of.

1.A.7 Understand the reading demands posed by domain specific texts.

Domain specific vocabulary is found within domain specific texts. Domain specific vocabulary is Tier III vocabulary that is explicitly used in the course in which it’s taught. For instance, you wouldn’t hear a lecture on the word photosynthesis in math class. The word photosynthesis is specific to science text. The words found in domain specific texts are highly specialized words that students will only hear in the domain specific texts, (i.e. history, math, science). The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) utilize domain specific texts which are found in the form of informational texts as well. The intention of the CCSS is to better prepare students for college so having that expanded vocabulary from domain specific vocabulary will aid in this process.

1.A.6 Understand reading as a process and constructing meaning from a wide variety of print and digital texts for a variety of purposes.

Students who read more than others doesn't necessarily mean that their comprehension is going to be better. Student's comprehension is more apt to be increased when they are reading something that they enjoy. A student will encounter various forms of texts while in the classroom because they read for various reasons. A student may be reading with a purpose, or simply reading during free time in the classroom, Some of the media will be print based stories, passages in their journals, or a story that I read to them in read alouds. Other times, students will be given a choice on what they choose to read, which greatly increases the chances of comprehension. Students will also be exposed to a number of technology based assignments that I will assign to be completed on the computer throughout the semester. It is important for students to realize that the words for both avenues convey the same menu.

1.A.5 Identify cognitive targets (e.g., locate/recall;integrate/interpret;critique/evaluate and the role of cognitive development in the construction of meaning of literary and informational texts.

Cognitive targets set the framework for constructing questions for formal assessments. Locate/ recall, are questions that are often referred to as “right there questions.” Students will be able to read a question and go right t0 the part of the story where the answer is located. Integrate/Interpret is the way a student makes comparisons in the text to determine the answer to a question. Teachers refer to this method as a “seek and find” answer. It demands a student analyze the text more to determine the answer. Critique/evaluate is when students have to review a book critically and answer questions about the book. For instance, I may ask “Why did you like this book?” Students will then give a critique on why they liked the book.  When a student can identify these targets they are demonstrating their knowledge in understanding and answering what is being asked of them. In a literary text it might be describing a character’s role in a particular book or perhaps they are recalling specific dates from an informational text. The reader should be able to construct meaning to whatever it is they are reading.