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Defined: The ability to understand and interpret what we read.

• Reading comprehension is an outcome comprised of many skills.

• Comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading.

"Knowledge is like velcro. The more knowledge a child starts with, the more likely she is to acquire yet more knowledge. She’ll read more and understand and retain information better, because knowledge, like Velcro, sticks best to other related knowledge.” - Natalie Wexler

Build background knowledge:

• Conceptual background knowledge:

  • Provide students with a conceptual question or inquiry so they can connect and hone ideas

  • Make connections between the big ideas in different books

  • Incorporate multi-media about the same big idea

  • Connect new learning to prior knowledge about the big idea

• Content background knowledge:

  • Visit museums and take field trips to varied places

  • Encourage children to identify an interest and read as many books as they can on one topic.

  • Incorporate multi-media on the same topic

  • Connect new learning to prior knowledge about the topic

• Vocabulary background knowledge:

  • Expand the use of language and develop new vocabulary

  • Provide words in categories to children  (“I’m going to say the following words:strawberries, bananas, papayas, pineapples. They all are a type of… (fruit).”).

  • Use synonyms for common words (Instead of,  "We are going to be late," try "We are going to be tardy."

  • Use antonyms for common words

• Genre background knowledge:

  • Encourage children to read as many books as they can in one genre (fairy tales, fable, folk tale, biography etc.)

  • Help children identify a pattern for the genre (all fairy tales start with "Once Upon a Time")

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