Click/Clunk, Gist, and KWL
https://www.curriki.org/oer/Scaffolding-Comprehension-Strategies-Using-Graphic-Organizers
This link contains two graphic organizer which address reading comprehension strategies: "click" and "clunk," "Gist," and "KWL." The link also includes an instructional plan which can aid educators in implementing these graphic organizers with students. The instructional plan details every component of the three reading strategies and provides step-by-step directions on how to introduce these strategies to students.
The first graphic organizer contains a printable K-W-L chart, which is a simple, evidence-based practice that requires readers to actively participate in the reading process. Students will complete the K-W-L chart before and after reading an expository text, identifying what they know about the topic of the text, what they want to learn about the topic, and what they have learned once the text has been read.
The second graphic organizer contains Click and Clunk is a reading-comprehension strategy that divides a text into two sections: the reader identifies "click" sections, which are portions of text that make sense, as well as "clunk" sections, which are portions of text that are confusing or unclear to the reader. The clunk sections are presented in this graphic organizer along with "fix-up" strategies which enable readers to work through the unclear parts of a passage to produce meaning and improve comprehension.
The graphic organizer also contains a section for a "gist" statement. Gist is a reading strategy that asks readers to summarize a portion of text in their own words using ten words or fewer. After students have completed the "clunk" section and have better comprehension of the text, they have a space on the worksheet to write their gist statement.
Evidence Based Practice
This resource is valuable for educators seeking to improve students' reading comprehension skills as all three reading strategies are evidence-based to improve reading comprehension. The KWL graphic organizer is easy to use and targets reading comprehension skills by activating students' prior knowledge and providing a space for students to set goals for reading an expository text. There is evidence that readers who have used the K-W-L chart "recalled more information in articles" and enjoyed their reading experience more (Vaughn & Bos, 2015, p. 246). This graphic organizer is a great resource as it encourages students to activate their own experiences with the topic, read for meaning, and then evaluate what they learned after reading.
Click/Clunk and Gist strategies are also evidence-based practices that target reading comprehension. The clicking and clunking strategy builds reading comprehension by having students monitor their own comprehension, a strategy that good readers employ. Further, using this strategy provides opportunity for readers to clarify unclear portions of text which enhances reading comprehension. Additionally, the "gist" strategy focuses on summarizing the most important elements of a section of text so that readers learn to identify main ideas in bodies of text. The graphic organizer for these two strategies contains neat, simple boxes for students to grapple with text-meaning and addresses comprehension obstacles students might encounter. Teacher-directions are included for each of the three strategies, and the link contains the printable graphic organizers.
References
Vaughn, S.R. & Bos, C.S. (2015). Strategies for teaching students with learning and behavior problems (9th Ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon.
Questioning Strategies
https://www.curriki.org/oer/The-super-six-reading-comprehension-strategies
This link contains access to printable sheets that address six reading comprehension strategies: connect, predict, question, monitor, summarize, and visualize. These strategies focus on the metacognitive thinking that readers must employ to comprehensibly connect with text. Each strategy includes a list of questions readers should ask themselves at some point during the reading process (before, during, or after). This is an excellent resource for educators to provide to students as the printables are student-friendly with bright, bold headings and contain questions that can be applied to most fictional texts at varying reading levels.
Evidence-Based Practice
Encouraging readers to ask questions during the reading process is an evidence-based practice that promotes comprehension. There is evidence that good readers "have a running dialog with (or talk back to) the text, asking questions of themselves, the author, and the text itself" (Walter, 2004, p.49), and this is what this resource provides: questions that readers can use to make sense of text. Furthermore, when students ask questions about what they are reading, they remember that information better, and asking higher-level questions that activate background knowledge will promote deeper thinking and better comprehension (Vaughn & Bos, 2015). To improve comprehension it is imperative that readers ask questions, as questions guide the reading process by making connections between reader and text and creating meaning.
References
Vaughn, S.R. & Bos, C.S. (2015). Strategies for teaching students with learning and behavior problems (9th Ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon.
Walter, T. (2004). The how-to handbook: Teaching English-language learners. Whiteplains, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.
Questioning the Author
https://currikicdn.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/resourcefiles/54d28f6b53e4d.pdf
This resource is a short lesson plan that provides instructions for introducing the "questioning the author" reading strategy. Questioning the author targets reading comprehension by asking students to examine the author's purpose; this requires students to read for meaning. The lesson plan was designed to meet the reading needs of early elementary students (K-3), and it can be used with small or large groups of students. A specific book is not referenced in the lesson plan, so it can be used with any narrative or expository text. This resource may be helpful for new teachers as it provides step-by-step directions in introducing the reading strategy (explicitly stating when specific questions should be asked before reading, as the text is being read, and after reading). The end of the lesson plan also provides optional lesson adaptations for students who are advanced, struggling, or learning English.
Questioning the author is an evidence-based practice that engages students with the text and promotes "more collaborative discussions that involve both teacher and students in questioning and the development and elaboration of new ideas" (Vaughn & Bos, 2015, p.251). The strategy of questioning the author requires students to determine what the author is communicating and why the author wrote the text. This encourages readers to think about meaning as they read, a strategy that promotes reading comprehension.
References
Vaughn, S.R. & Bos, C.S. (2015). Strategies for teaching students with learning and behavior problems (9th Ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon.
Reading Cube
http://www.fcrr.org/studentactivities/C_011a.pdf
The resource that I am recommending is the comprehension cube. The comprehension cube is a six sided printable cube that can be cut out and pasted together. The different sides of the cube contain various question stems that challenge the student to answer the various questions based off of their comprehension of the story. The cube is rolled and depending upon which side of the cube lands in the upward or forward position, the student will answer the question pertaining to the story.
The different sides of the cube question stems can be modified and adapted for higher or lower order thinking questions according to Bloom's Taxonomy of questioning. I recommend this resource because it can be used in a small group setting with the teacher, or it can be used individually with a student at their desk.
The comprehension cube can also be used in a "turn & talk" activity with a student and their elbow partner. This will allow for the student and their partner to engage in conversation about the story in which each partner can express their own understanding of the story as well as make any inferences about the story. The teacher could pair a student who struggles with comprehension with a student who is stronger with their comprehension skills and allow them to work together.
The point is, because good readers have conscious control of their strategy use, they are able to make decisions about which strategies to use and when to use them. Most good readers do this with little or no explicit strategy instruction. Most students, however, can benefit greatly from organized, explicit instruction that teaches them to use specific strategies for understanding text. The good news is that specific comprehension strategies can be taught and learned - and that their deliberate use by readers improves comprehension (Texas Education Agency 2002).
The purpose of reading is comprehension, or to get meaning from written text.1 Without comprehension, reading is a frustrating, pointless exercise in word calling. It is no exaggeration to say that how well students develop the ability to comprehend what they read has a profound effect on their entire lives. A major goal of reading comprehension instruction, therefore, is to help students develop the knowledge, skills, and experiences they must have if they are to become competent and enthusiastic readers (TEA 2002).