The Key Comprehension Routine addresses these topics, strategies and skills:

• Critical thinking: for close, analytic reading of both narrative and expository text

• Main idea skills: categorizing information and vocabulary, identifying main ideas at the paragraph level, and identifying central ideas in lengthier text

• Text structure knowledge: at the sentence, paragraph, and longer text levels

• Top-down topic webs: a graphic organizer that represents the major topics and big ideas of any content that is read, said, or done

• Two-column notes: a note taking format that supports active reading and listening

• Summarizing: students comprehend and synthesize the main ideas from any content that is read, said, or done

• Generating questions: students create and answer questions along a continuum of thinking using Bloom’s Taxonomy based on content that is read, said, or done

• I, We, You instruction: strategies are taught explicitly through modeling and think aloud, guided practice is provided, and scaffolds are gradually released as students become independent users of the strategies

• Cooperative learning: students learn and practice comprehension strategies by working in cooperative pairs or small groups

These strategies and instructional practices have been identified consistently in the research literature as most effective for improving student comprehension, and are highly aligned with Common Core literacy standards. (Keys to Literacy, 2020)

1. Teach main idea skills

   • Introduce the concept of main idea and the process for finding a main idea.

   • Introduce the 3 techniques.

   • Introduce related terminology: topic, main idea, details.

   • Practice applying the process and 3 techniques to categorizing words.

2. The structure of paragraphs

3. The difference between informational and narrative text structure

1. Continue to teach main idea skills

   • Continue to practice categorizing.

   • Introduce related terminology: topic sentence, stated, implied, relevant, irrelevant.

   • Introduce and practice identifying state and implied paragraph main ideas (using the process and 3 techniques)

2. Introduce top-down topic webs

   • Organizing in a hierarchy

   • Format

   • Using a teacher-generated web as a before tool

3. How to use heading and other text features that reveal text structure

4. About introductions and conclusions

5. Introduce two-column notes

   • Format

   • Take notes from 1 to 4 paragraphs of text - read actively to identify main ideas and relevant supporting details

   • Students complete scaffolded (partially completed) notes

1. Continue to practice main ideas skills

   • Continue to practice categorizing of words

   • Continue to practice main idea skill at the paragraph level

   • Introduce identifying and stating the main idea of a multi-paragraph passage.

   • Introduce terminology: hierarchy.

2. Continue to use and teach top-down topic webs\Continue to use and teach two-column notes

   • Teach abbreviating, paraphrasing, writing concisely

   • Carry over topics/main ideas from a topic web into left column of notes Gradually release not taking scaffolds (partially completed notes)

3. Introduce summarizing

   • What is a summary?

   • Applying main idea skills to determine the main ideas of the summary

   • Steps to writing a summary

   • Introduce summary template as a scaffold

   • Introduce transition words

   • Write brief summaries about every day topics

   • Write summaries about content information

1. Continue to practice main idea skills

   • Continue to practice categorizing and main ideas skills at the paragraphs and multi-paragraph levels.

   • Introduce identifying hierarchies of main ideas in paragraphs, sections, chapters, and longer text.  Include how headings can be used.

   • Practice applying main idea skills to different types of text (narrative, informational, argument) and different subject areas.

2. Continue to use and teach top-down topic webs

   • Student-generated topic webs

3. Continue to use and teach two-column notes

   • Introduce taking and integrating notes from more than one source

   • Introduce taking notes from listening, starting with scaffolded notes (introduce in grade 6)

4. Continue to use and teach  summarizing

   • How to use a topic web or two-column notes as a scaffolding for summarizing

   • Write summaries from a variety of text types and subject areas

5. Introduce question generation

   • Introduce Bloom's Taxonomy as a continuum of thinking

   • Teach students to identify the level of teacher-generated questions beginning with everyday experience and then with text

1. Continue to practice main idea skills

2. Continue to use teacher- and student-generated top-down topic webs

3. Continue to have students take notes from written and oral sources

4. Continue to have students write summaries from a variety of sources

5. Continue to use and teach question generation

   • Provide question prompts

   • Ask students to generate questions at different levels of thinking about every day information

   • Ask students to generate questions at different levels of thinking based on text

   • Ask students to generate questions at different levels of thinking based on a topic web and two-column notes

1. Continue to practice main idea skills

2. Continue to use teacher- and student-generated top-down topic webs

3. Continue to have students take notes from written and oral sources

4. Continue to have students write summaries from a variety of sources

5. Continue to use and teach question generation

• The Key Comprehension Routine: Grades 4-12 Administrator Walk Through 

• Professional Book Discussion Guide

• Math Examples

• Art, Music, PE, CTE Examples

• Keys to Literacy Monthly Lesson Submission

• Keys to Literacy Padlet

• Keys to Virtual Teaching Webinar Series Padlet

• Keys to Comprehension Coaches Resources

• Keys to Literacy PD Session