Monitoring Comprehension

1.
Monitoring comprehension
Students who are good at monitoring their comprehension know when they understand what they
read and when they do not. They have strategies to "fix" problems in their understanding as the
problems arise. Research shows that instruction, even in the early grades, can help students
become better at monitoring their comprehension.
Comprehension monitoring instruction teaches students to:
Be aware of what they do understand
Identify what they do not understand
Use appropriate strategies to resolve problems in comprehension
2. Metacognition
Metacognition can be defined as "thinking about thinking." Good readers use metacognitive
strategies to think about and have control over their reading. Before reading, they might clarify
their purpose for reading and preview the text. During reading, they might monitor their
understanding, adjusting their reading speed to fit the difficulty of the text and "fixing" any
comprehension problems they have. After reading, they check their understanding of what they
read.
Students may use several comprehension monitoring strategies:
Identify where the difficulty occurs

"I don't understand the second paragraph on page 76."
Identify what the difficulty is

"I don't get what the author means when she says, 'Arriving in America was a milestone
in my grandmother's life.'"
Restate the difficult sentence or passage in their own words

"Oh, so the author means that coming to America was a very important event in her
grandmother's life."
Look back through the text
"The author talked about Mr. McBride in Chapter 2, but I don't remember much about
him. Maybe if I reread that chapter, I can figure out why he's acting this way now."
Look forward in the text for information that might help them to resolve the difficulty
"The text says, 'The groundwater may form a stream or pond or create a wetland. People
can also bring groundwater to the surface.' Hmm, I don't understand how people can do
that Oh, the next section is called 'Wells.' I'll read this section to see if it tells how they
do it."
3. Graphic and semantic organizers

Graphic organizers illustrate concepts and relationships between concepts in a text or using
diagrams. Graphic organizers are known by different names, such as maps, webs, graphs, charts,
frames, or clusters.
Regardless of the label, graphic organizers can help readers focus on concepts and how they are
related to other concepts. Graphic organizers help students read and understand textbooks and
picture books.
Graphic organizers can:
Help students focus on text structure "differences between fiction and nonfiction" as they
read
Provide students with tools they can use to examine and show relationships in a text
Help students write well-organized summaries of a text
Here are some examples of graphic organizers:
Venn-Diagrams (29K PDF)*

Used to compare or contrast information from two sources. For example, comparing two
Dr. Seuss books.
Storyboard/Chain of Events (29K PDF)*

Used to order or sequence events within a text. For example, listing the steps for brushing
your teeth.
Story Map (19K PDF)*
Used to chart the story structure. These can be organized into fiction and nonfiction text
structures. For example, defining characters, setting, events, problem, resolution in a
fiction story; however in a nonfiction story, main idea and details would be identified.
Cause/Effect (13K PDF)*

Used to illustrate the cause and effects told within a text. For example, staying in the sun
too long may lead to a painful sunburn.
Click here for more free graphic organizers.
4. Answering questions
Questions can be effective because they:
Give students a purpose for reading
Focus students' attention on what they are to learn
Help students to think actively as they read
Encourage students to monitor their comprehension
Help students to review content and relate what they have learned to what they already
know
The Question-Answer Relationship strategy (QAR) encourages students to learn how to answer
questions better. Students are asked to indicate whether the information they used to answer
questions about the text was textually explicit information (information that was directly stated
in the text), textually implicit information (information that was implied in the text), or
information entirely from the student's own background knowledge.
There are four different types of questions:
"Right There"
Questions found right in the text that ask students to find the one right answer located in
one place as a word or a sentence in the passage.
Example: Who is Frog's friend? Answer: Toad
"Think and Search"
Questions based on the recall of facts that can be found directly in the text. Answers are
typically found in more than one place, thus requiring students to "think" and "search"
through the passage to find the answer.
Example: Why was Frog sad? Answer: His friend was leaving.
"Author and You"

Questions require students to use what they already know, with what they have learned
from reading the text. Student's must understand the text and relate it to their prior
knowledge before answering the question.
Example: How do think Frog felt when he found Toad? Answer: I think that Frog felt
happy because he had not seen Toad in a long time. I feel happy when I get to see my
friend who lives far away.
"On Your Own"

Questions are answered based on a students prior knowledge and experiences. Reading
the text may not be helpful to them when answering this type of question.
Example: How would you feel if your best friend moved away? Answer: I would feel
very sad if my best friend moved away because I would miss her.
5. Generating questions
By generating questions, students become aware of whether they can answer the questions and if
they understand what they are reading. Students learn to ask themselves questions that require
them to combine information from different segments of text. For example, students can be
taught to ask main idea questions that relate to important information in a text.
6. Recognizing story structure

In story structure instruction, students learn to identify the categories of content (characters,
setting, events, problem, resolution). Often, students learn to recognize story structure through
the use of story maps. Instruction in story structure improves students' comprehension.
7. Summarizing
Summarizing requires students to determine what is important in what they are reading and to
put it into their own words. Instruction in summarizing helps students:
Identify or generate main ideas
Connect the main or central ideas
Eliminate unnecessary information
Remember what they read
Effective comprehension strategy instruction is explicit

Research shows that explicit teaching techniques are particularly effective for comprehension
strategy instruction. In explicit instruction, teachers tell readers why and when they should use
strategies, what strategies to use, and how to apply them. The steps of explicit instruction
typically include direct explanation, teacher modeling ("thinking aloud"), guided practice, and
application.
Direct explanation
The teacher explains to students why the strategy helps comprehension and when to
apply the strategy.
Modeling
The teacher models, or demonstrates, how to apply the strategy, usually by "thinking
aloud" while reading the text that the students are using.
Guided practice
The teacher guides and assists students as they learn how and when to apply the strategy.
Application
The teacher helps students practice the strategy until they can apply it independently.
Effective comprehension strategy instruction can be accomplished through cooperative learning,

which involves students working together as partners or in small groups on clearly defined tasks.
Cooperative learning instruction has been used successfully to teach comprehension strategies.
Students work together to understand texts, helping each other learn and apply comprehension
strategies. Teachers help students learn to work in groups. Teachers also provide modeling of the
comprehension strategies.

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1.

Be aware of what they do understand

Identify what they do not understand

Use appropriate strategies to resolve problems in comprehension

Identify where the difficulty occurs

Identify what the difficulty is

Restate the difficult sentence or passage in their own words

Look back through the text

3. Graphic and semantic organizers

Help students write well-organized summaries of a text

Here are some examples of graphic organizers:

Venn-Diagrams (29K PDF)*

Storyboard/Chain of Events (29K PDF)*

Story Map (19K PDF)*

Cause/Effect (13K PDF)*

Click here for more free graphic organizers.

Give students a purpose for reading

Focus students' attention on what they are to learn

Help students to think actively as they read

Encourage students to monitor their comprehension

"Think and Search"

"Author and You"

"On Your Own"

6. Recognizing story structure

Identify or generate main ideas

Connect the main or central ideas

Eliminate unnecessary information

Remember what they read

Effective comprehension strategy instruction is explicit

Effective comprehension strategy instruction can be accomplished through cooperative learning,

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