Teaching the Comprehension Strategies: Monitoring Comprehension

The first comprehension lesson that I actually teach is about Metacognition.  This past year I started using Tanny McGregor's "Salad bowl lesson" from her book Comprehension Connections.  You can read all about that lesson with printable at Reading Resources.net  They also have resources for some other awesome concrete lessons from her book that teach some of the strategies.

Your students need to be able to understand that we need to be able to think about our thinking and think about our reading before they can use and understand the comprehension strategies.  Once that is established then we discuss monitoring our comprehension.  I always introduce all strategies by reading a book and doing think alouds where I use the strategy.  Then I have them use the strategy.  Finally we make an Anchor chart.   Every time I do any reading aloud I will then use the strategy if needed and make sure I point out what strategy I am using and why I am using it.  Therefore, I literally teach the strategies all year.

Also please always make an Anchor Chart with your students. please do not make it on your own, pretty it up, and laminate it to use year after year.  If you going to do that then just buy a pretty chart from Really Good Stuff or something because the only way they will anchor their learning to the chart is if you go through the process together. That is the whole point.  Do you want them to use what is on your classroom wall?  Or do you want it to just become background stuff?

Also, when you choose a book make sure you have read it before you read to your class and that there are actually places where it make sense to monitor your comprehension.  Ok, getting off my soap boxes, so a nonfiction book actually works very well for a read aloud in the upper grades to teach monitoring comprehension.  Any Nic Bishop or Seymour Simon book would probably work here.  Choose one that covers a topic you need to cover in Science.  My personal favorite Nic Bishop book is Frogs but they are all beautiful and well written.

Another lesson and read aloud are spent making this Comprehension Fix-Up Strategy chart.