Mary’s Monday/Wednesday READING COMPREHENSION Class September 2016 The students coming to the reading comprehension class very excited and eager to learn what is next. We are starting with a workbook called ​Reasoning & Reading ​
by Joanne Carlisle, and enhancing it with stories and reasoning games. We will also be adding elements from the SLANT System®, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Visualizing & Verbalizing©, graphic & semantic organizers, and other resources. Here are the concepts we have covered so far: Parts & Wholes, Classification, Same or Different Meanings, Opposites, Word Relationships, and Making & Finding Categories, How You Can Help (Otherwise Known As Homework) Practice the concepts listed above with your son/daughter. Ex. What’s the opposite of full? (opposites); Is good the same as great? (same or different); red, yellow green ­ what is the category? (categories). Read with your student and discuss what you are reading. Avoid questions that elicit a yes/no response; instead ask for more information. Following are some general guidelines for beneficial conversations. 1. Re­telling ­ What is the paragraph or story about in your own words? You can also have the person type a response, draw a picture or point to pictures if verbalization is difficult. 2. Vocabulary Comprehension ­ What does this word mean in this passage? Do you know any other meanings for this word. 3. Predicting ­ Based upon the title, what do you think this story will be about? What do you think will happen next? Do you think that from what is in the story or your past experience? Then read to see if the prediction comes true. Prove it ­ show where in the story the prediction does/does not come true. 4. Bloom’s Taxonomy Questions: a. Knowledge (recalling information) ­ facts; who, what where when. Ex. What 3 cities were they visiting? What was Joe’s problem? b. Comprehension (understanding meaning) ­ summarizing. Ex. What was the weather like in L.A.? What happened when they went to the store? (OVER) c. Application (using learning in new situations) ­ Ex. What happens to you when you feel stressed? What would you do in a city like L.A.? d. Analysis (ability to see parts and relationships) ­ classify; compare. Ex. How is your baby brother/sister the same or different from the baby in the story? How did Jo’s friend’s help Henry? e. Synthesis (using arts to create an original whole) ­ drawing conclusions. Ex. Why didn’t David’s parents come the first time he called? What are some tips you might give to someone who is shy? f. Evaluation (judgment based on criteria) ­ Ex. What do you think will happen to Jack? Why were David’s parents so concerned? Go to​ ​www.spellingcity.com​/mberman​. Click the blue login button on the top right hand corner. The students have all received usernames and logins. Click on any of the lists from Stage 2 on. The games in the vocabulary and language arts sections are helpful for comprehension. Examples: Match­Its, Definitions, Word­O­Ramas. You can also print out worksheets. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mary Berman at 847­986­7070.