Cloudy with a Chance of Comprehension

Last post, I discussed the importance of prompting students to pay attention to the confusing parts of text. It reminded me of a bookmark that I made and used for students in the past. The bookmark was comprised of weather symbols: A bright, sunny day, a cloudy day, and a dark, stormy day. As students read, they could choose a symbol to track their comprehension. I advised students to put their finger on the sunny day block if they were reading with understanding, to touch the cloudy block if comprehension was starting to break down, and lastly, to finger the stormy block if they were "in the dark" about what they were reading. This allowed me to circulate through the room and stop to help children whose comprehension was falling apart or those who were totally stuck. It also served a a wonderful self-monitoring tool. Sometimes, the simplest devices help to focus a reader and motivate them to pay attention to the meaning-making process of reading. Try it!

What don't you know?

Since I was not in yesterday, the first thing I did today was distribute the Article of the Week to my students. Typically, I preview the article with my students and they have until next Monday to read it three times (rating their comprehension after each read) and develop a written response. Knowing that spring is in the air and students extracurricular activities are on the rise, I decided to simplify the original response requirements and create a series of prompts for them to use instead. I also decided that we would use today's class to do the actual reading of the article. I planned to give the students time to discuss the articles with a partner after the second reading.

When my first group of student had read the article twice, I told them to discuss it with their partner, summarizing key points and also parts that they found confusing. When they were finished, only one of the three pairs admitted to finding anything confusing in the article. Consequently, I asked one of the students with no confusion to clarify that portion of the text for the ones that did not understand it. Surprise, surprise! No one could explain that portion of the text. Ahh...the priceless "teachable moment" was obvious. "Good readers know what the know AND what they DON'T know," I quipped. With that, I launched into a brief (really!) discussion of the importance of recognizing confusions, lack of background knowledge, and words you don't know when you read. I used myself as a example and shared with the students that often, when my husband and I are both sitting around reading the newspaper, I need him to clarify something for me, especially in the areas of business, finance, or sports. I wanted my students to realize that it is okay to be confused, but as a reader, it is not okay to stay confused!

At that point, I sent my students back to the text to consider parts that were "cloudy" for them. How can we begin to make meaning when we aren't willing to consider what is unclear and work through it or ask someone for help? As teachers of reading, we often fail to help our students realize they don't have to know it all. Challenging text poses problems, but challenging text can also provide an excellent chance for us to hone our reading skills and use strategies to decrease our confusion and make sense of what we read. Let's stop simply asking, "What do you know?" and start prompting students to navigate through text successfully by asking,"What don't you know?"