Maximizing Effectiveness of Reading Comprehension Instruction in Diverse Classrooms

by Sheri Berkeley, Ph.D.
George Mason University

and Ana Taboada Barber, Ph.D.
Baltimore·London·Sydney

Contents

1. What Is Comprehension?
   • Overview of Reading Comprehension
   • How Is Language Development Related to Reading Proficiency?
   • Why Do Some Students Struggle with Learning Language?
   • What Does This Mean for Classroom Teachers?
2. Basic Reading Skills
   • What Are Basic Reading Skills and Why Are They Important for Reading?
   • How Are Basic Skills Taught at the Secondary Level?
   • How Do I Select Texts for Students that Are Not Proficient in Basic Reading Skills?
   • What Are Considerations When Modifying Text or Providing Accommodations?
   • What Are Other Considerations for Selecting Texts for Struggling Readers?
3. Teach Vocabulary
   • What Is Vocabulary and Why Is It Important for Reading Comprehension?
   • What Types of Vocabulary Words Should Be Explicitly Taught?
   • What Instructional Techniques Can Help Students Learn Important Vocabulary?
   • What Are Potential Problems with Students’ Understanding of Vocabulary?
   • How Can Teachers Assess Students’ Understanding of Vocabulary?
   • What Else Do Teachers Need to Know About Vocabulary?
4. Teach to Activate Students’ Prior Knowledge and Help Them Make Connections
   • What Is Prior Knowledge and Why Is It Important for Reading Comprehension?
   • What Instructional Techniques Can Help Students Activate Prior Knowledge?
   • What Are Potential Problems with Student Activation of Prior Knowledge?
   • How Can Teachers Help Create Shared Prior Knowledge to Support Instruction?
   • What Are Other Aspects of a Reader’s Prior Knowledge to Consider?
5. Teach Students to Ask and Answer Questions
   • What Are Questioning Strategies and Why Are They Important for Reading Comprehension?
   • What Are Types of Questions that Teachers Should Ask and Teach Students to Answer?
   • How Can Students Be Taught to Ask Their Own Questions About Text?
   • How Can Questioning Help Students Summarize Text?
6. Teach Students to Recognize Text Structure
   • What Is Text Structure and Why Is It Important for Reading Comprehension?
   • What Instructional Techniques Can Help Students Understand Narrative Text?
   • What Instructional Techniques Can Help Students Understand Expository Text?
   • What Are Potential Problems When Using Graphic Organizers to Teach Students to Recognize How Text Is Organized?
7. Teach Students to Read Strategically and Monitor Their Comprehension
   • What Is Strategy Instruction and Why Is It Important for Reading Comprehension?
   • Why Is Comprehension Monitoring Important for Reading Comprehension?
   • What Does This Look Like in Instruction?
8. Motivation and the Struggling Reader
   • How Do Students Respond to Past Failures in Reading?
   • Why Does Motivation and Engagement Matter for Reading Success?
   • How Can Teachers Address Motivation and Engagement in the Classroom?

About the Authors

Sheri Berkeley, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Special Education and disAbility Research, George Mason University. Dr. Berkeley aims to improve reading outcomes for older students with learning disabilities in reading. Her research has been published in numerous research journals, including Exceptional Children and The Journal of Learning Disabilities.

Ana Taboada Barber, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education, University of Maryland.
Dr. Taboada Barber’s research focuses on classroom contexts that support reading engagement for monolingual and second language learners. She is currently working on frameworks within the engagement model for second language learners.

Motivation and the Struggling Reader

Although reading skills are important, addressing motivation and engagement is crucial. Many older students who have struggled in reading lack focus on difficult tasks and become disinterested. Good readers are generally motivated, while poor readers are often disengaged and have negative self-perceptions. This discouragement can be a barrier to learning, especially for students with learning disabilities (LD) and English language learners (ELLs).

Empirical research suggests that reading for enjoyment and out of curiosity positively influences reading achievement. Conversely, disengaged students often have entrenched negative attitudes toward reading. It's important that teachers support engagement through various strategies, such as fostering relevance, providing choices in reading materials, and enabling collaboration among students.

Addressing Motivation and Engagement

Research has identified several practices that can effectively boost student motivation:

• Use of Knowledge Goals: Engaging students with profound themes and concepts in reading tasks fosters deeper processing and comprehension.
• Abundant Interesting Texts: Providing diverse and engaging texts encourages students to read more frequently and develop a genuine interest in literature.
• Student Collaboration: Encouraging collaboration in reading activities boosts comprehension and motivation, particularly in diverse classrooms.
• Autonomy Support: Enabling students to control elements of their reading activities fosters motivation and investment in their learning.

By implementing these strategies, teachers can significantly increase motivation and re-engagement in struggling readers, fostering an environment where students not only improve their reading skills but also find joy in reading.