Rationale for the Comprehension Superhero Team:

We all know that when we understand what we read, the better readers we become and the more we learn. If we have the tools to help us gain a deeper understanding of the text, we transport ourselves into gaining information on a higher level.



We change from passive readers to active readers!

Putting events in order

Sequencing

What happened first, next, last?

What are the important events that happen in the

beginning,

middle,

and end

of the story?

Access prior knowledge, experiences, opinions, and emotions to strengthen comprehension.

Text to Self: Something we read relates to our own experiences

Example, “This reminds me of when I took a trip to the grocery store and bought ice-cream.”

Text to Text:  We may have read something similar in a book by the same author or subject that reminds us of what we are currently reading.

Example,   “This similar situation happens in Arthur Goes Camping as it does in Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night.”

Text to World:  Larger connections that go far beyond our personal experiences that are based on things we learn through television, movies, magazines, newspapers.

Example,   “The article I read about bats in National Geographic Kids is also described in the book that I am reading about bats that live in the rainforest.”

Mental images in the “cinema” of the mind that help engage readers and make reading more memorable.

• Imagine the scene the words describe and use these words to help paint the picture or “set the stage”.
  
  
• Pay attention to adjectives such as hot, musty, and quiet.
  
  
• Use the  Think Aloud  strategy to get a better picture. “What does the dog look like? Is he big? How do you know that? What words does the author use to help us know that?”
  
  
• Think about what the characters smell, taste, hear, and think.

Predictions are based on information from text and prior knowledge. They are the connecting links between prior knowledge and new information.

Examples of prediction strategies:

• Think Aloud:
  • “I predict…”
  • “I estimate…”
  • “My hypothesis...”
  • “I guess…”
• Preview and Predict:
  Look at…..
  • The book cover
  • The title of the story
  • Pictures and captions from illustrations
  • The first few paragraphs (introduction)
  • Headings/subheadings
  • Key words
  • Charts, graphs, tables, diagrams
• Anticipation and Prediction
  • “What do I think will happen?”
• Stop, Predict, Prove
  • Stop reading mid-sentence
  • Ask, what will the next word be? What will happen next?
  • Explain the prediction
  • Prove it with clues from the story

The heart of the story; it is the story’s message and what the author wants you to remember the most. The theme of a fable is its moral. The theme of a parable is its teaching. The theme of a piece of fiction is its view about life and how people behave.

Example:

• Decide what the main topics of the story are. Most middle school stories include topics such as these:
  
  
  
  • Friendship
  • Courage
  • Hope
  • Trust
  • Justice
  • Love
  • Freedom
  • Childhood/Growing up
  • Family
  
  
  
• Although a story may include several of the topics mentioned above, try to choose the two most important ones.
  
  
• Go back to the story and identify which clues you have to support that these are the two main topics. If you have enough clues to support your choice of topics, you can try to figure out the story’s theme from the topics