Comprehension Strategies
Recommended Practice: Teach students reading comprehension strategies using carefully selected texts.
- Overview & Tools: Video overviews and professional development materials
- Learn What Works: Expert interviews about comprehension strategies
- See How It Works: Videos and sample materials from schools
Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies and Selecting Appropriate Text
Reading Comprehension > Comprehension Strategies > Overview & Tools
This multimedia overview introduces central ideas in comprehension strategy instruction, offers some examples of specific instructional approaches, and describes the importance of text selection...
Resource Type
Overview
A Gradual Release of Responsibility
Reading Comprehension > Comprehension Strategies > Learn What Works
Dr. Nell Duke describes the “gradual release of responsibility” instructional approach to reading instruction, which involves explicit modeling and opportunities for guided practice leading to...
Resource Type
Expert Interview
Choosing the Right Text
Reading Comprehension > Comprehension Strategies > Learn What Works
Dr. Nell Duke discusses the importance of choosing texts for reading instruction that are an appropriate difficulty level, range in genres, and align well with instructional goals.
Resource Type
Expert Interview
What Good Readers Do
Reading Comprehension > Comprehension Strategies > Learn What Works
Dr. Nell Duke, who served on the IES Panel that developed the Pratice Guide on Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade, discusses the recommendation to teach students how...
Resource Type
Expert Interview
Single-Strategy Instruction: Asking “Wh-” Questions
Reading Comprehension > Comprehension Strategies > See How It Works
Watch a second-grade teacher use a single-strategy approach to teach questioning. She begins with modeling then extends instruction to small group guided reading activities and independent center...
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School Example
Question Sea: On- and Under-the-Surface Questions
Reading Comprehension > Comprehension Strategies > See How It Works
Watch how a third-grade teacher uses modeling and guided practice to teach questioning. Listen as she describes how she supports students in learning to use the strategies on their own. View the...
Resource Type
School Example
Unpacking Standards in Grade-Level Teams
Reading Comprehension > Comprehension Strategies > See How It Works
Hear a principal and literacy specialist describe the use of professional learning communities to unpack standards and guide instruction. The principal addresses standards-based instruction, and...
Resource Type
School Example
Third-Grade Articulation Meeting: Needs-Based Text Selection
Reading Comprehension > Comprehension Strategies > See How It Works
Watch a team of third-grade teachers review assessment data and hear how they adjust their reading comprehension instruction based on the needs of their students. Listen to a literacy coach...
Resource Type
School Example
Supporting Teachers’ Text Selection
Reading Comprehension > Comprehension Strategies > See How It Works
A principal, literacy coach, and kindergarten teacher discuss ways in which the coach trains and supports teachers’ reading instruction and text selection. The coach assists with lesson planning,...
Resource Type
School Example
Purposeful Text Selection to Supplement Core Materials
Reading Comprehension > Comprehension Strategies > See How It Works
Listen to a literacy coach discuss text selection and watch her help a kindergarten teacher choose nonfiction texts to incorporate into core instruction. The coach emphasizes selecting texts that...
Resource Type
School Example
Teaching Early Readers Questioning Strategies
Reading Comprehension > Comprehension Strategies > See How It Works
Watch how a first-grade teacher uses interactive puppets and cooperative learning strategies like think-pair-share to teach her students about questioning. Related Files: Garfield...
Resource Type
School Example
Targeting Reading Strategies: Summarizing
Reading Comprehension > Comprehension Strategies > See How It Works
View a presentation of a second-grade teacher using a gradual release of responsibility to teach summarizing. She uses story maps, guided practice, and literacy center games to support students in...
Resource Type
School Example
