Reading Comprehension

Hello World!

It's been so long since I've been on here... I nearly forgot the address. Changing grades this year has kept me quite busy as I get accustomed to the different routines and new content of a Year 3 classroom- while at the same time making sure that spending quality time with my family is still a priority. Things are now settling into a steady routine and I've even managed to make some time to do one of the things I love doing- creating some fun and fabulous resources for my classroom. 

Many of you will have faced the same challenges that I am facing in my classroom- children who can read and decode words accurately, but who cannot understand or make meaning from what they are reading. I have done a lot of thinking, researching and reflecting on how to better equip my students with the comprehension strategies they need to understand the texts they are reading. 

I was introduced to the Super 6 Reading Strategies a number of years ago. In a document titled Teaching Comprehension Strategies the NSW Dept of Education and Training stated:

When comprehending, learners strive to process text beyond word-level to get to the big picture.When comprehension is successful, learners are left with a sense of satisfaction from having understood the meaning of a text.

Learners who struggle with comprehension possess inefficient strategies and use them inflexibly.They are usually unaware of what good comprehenders do and need to be shown how and when to apply a small repertoire of comprehension strategies. Providing students with explicit instruction in comprehension strategies can be an effective way to help them overcome difficulties in understanding texts (Graham & Bellert, 2004). 

So this term, as part of my Literacy Program, I have been spending time each week explicitly teaching and modelling these strategies. I found some great resources and posters on the web, however, the best ones had American spelling (visualizing instead of visualising). This inspired me to create some posters of my own that I could use in my classroom to reinforce the strategies I was teaching.

The 'Super 6' Comprehension strategies are:
* Making Connections
* Predicting
* Questioning
* Monitoring
* Visualising
* Summarising

These poster resources are available from my Teachers Pay Teachers store if you would like to purchase them.

I hope you like them :)

A very happy to Easter to you all. This is a very special time of year for me. A time of reflection and celebration with family and friends. So for those of you who have stopped by let me encourage you to think about the importance of the cross... a symbol of shame, of punishment and brutal death. And yet through Jesus it has become a symbol of pure, sacrificial and perfect love. 

The journey begins...

The goal of teaching is not only to equip children with numeracy and literacy skills but also to foster and develop in them a love of life-long learning and the skills they need to interact with the world around them.

As I interact with the world around me I am constantly amazed at the creativity and generosity of so many teachers. It is inspirational to see how other teachers are equipping their students for the journey of life. I am constantly being challenged to explore new ways of becoming an effective teacher. I am determined to never stop learning. 

Not only am I blessed to work with some amazing colleagues I am also fortunate enough to learn from teachers all around the world via their blogs. And so, my journey into the world of blogs begins with this small step...