Conversation is a strategy that helps students build reading skills and improve reading comprehension. This study describes the implementation of connection prompts in a 2nd-grade classroom to support students in making predictions, questioning the text, and initiating further conversation. Research suggests that once conversation is initiated,…

The purpose of this "teaching tips" article is to describe practical classroom instruction that helps elementary students write expository responses to narrative texts. It focuses on the importance of scaffolded, interactive discussions comprised of a combination of teacher think alouds and similar student responses before, during, and…

Reading Comprehension is one of the four components tested by the "MUET" (Malaysian University English Test) for Sixth-Form students in Malaysia, and school teachers are charged with the task of helping these students improve. This article discusses how "reciprocal teaching strategies" could help low-proficiency Sixth-Form…

This 8-month qualitative study investigated 3 primary classrooms' implementation of a synthesized approach to comprehension instruction that incorporated vocabulary development, cognitive strategies, and responsive engagement. Three themes emerged, including successes and challenges in (a) the implementation of the separate components of the…

When response activities and comprehension strategies are combined, classroom instruction can enhance student engagement and understanding of a text, enrich student response, and improve students' awareness of their own strategic reading. This article presents some activities, adapted from the new IRA book "Children's Literature in the Reading…

Students in Ginger M. Eikmeier's high school classes link themes and terms from their readings to episodes of "The Simpsons." Because students are already familiar with "The Simpsons," Eikmeier believes that using the show supports students' comprehension and retention by activating prior knowledge. Additionally, it shows students that she cares…

Examines two concerns teachers have expressed over the cloze procedure--that of student frustration and of the impulsive child who does not complete the exercise. (HOD)

An approach to teaching foreign languages that acknowledges the importance of individual readers' responses to literary texts read in the course is discussed. (20 references) (VWL)

Suggests alternatives to questioning after reading that involve students and encourage independence. (AEA)

Advocates the application of L. Kohlberg's stages of moral reasoning to literary characters as a stimulus to generate insightful interpretations of characters' actions in literature. (HOD)

To compare structural analysis with experiential reflective analysis as teaching techniques for literature, a study was made of the written responses of three groups of typical 10th-graders after reading four modern novels--Paul Annixter's "Swiftwater," Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451," Bel Kaufman's "Up the Down Staircase," and John…

This study sought to determine if logical relationships that have been clearly established in textual terms can be presented equivalently in diagrams, and, if so, what the effect might be on student comprehension when diagram technology is employed together with instructive questions. Participants in the study were 129 college students randomly…

Reports on research from New Zealand showing that both teachers and students benefited from a concurrent interview technique in which teachers try to discover what their students understand, or fail to understand, from the material they read. (HOD)

Gathers information from students and faculty in order to find ways to help community college students overcome their difficulties learning new concepts from content area readings. Research findings indicate that students' and instructors' responses indicated some agreement and some discrepancy between the students' perceptions of themselves as…