Unit 5: Teaching Strategies: Reading

Objectives:

At the end of the module, the students are expected to:

a. discuss and describe the meaning and nature of Reading, Comprehension, the Different
Models of Reading Strategies and the Aids to Develop Comprehension of Students;
b. explain the Concepts, Theories, and Principles of vocabulary and comprehension;
c. describe the different factors that affect the acquisition of Reading Ability; and
d. develop reading materials using the Taxonomy of Reading Comprehension.

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 Unit 5: Teaching Strategies: READING

MODULE OVERVIEW

By mastering the reading sub-skills, you can encourage reluctant or underachieving readers
to start showing an interest in reading. It will assist you in introducing kids to the many methods that
proficient and effective readers employ to understand various passage kinds. The lesson will also
cover some typical reading difficulties and strategies for overcoming them, which should motivate
teachers to engage in action research by critically examining their instructional strategies.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

LEARNING CONTENTS (Meaning and Nature of Reading, Comprehension, the Different Models of
Reading Strategies)

What is READING?

Reading is the ability to comprehend written language as well as decode and interpret
symbols on a page. it entails a complicated range of cognitive processes that enable people to
derive meaning from written words.

Reading is a receptive skill. Through it, we receive information. The complex process of
reading also requires the skill of speaking, so that we can pronounce the words that we read. For
learners, reading also has an important role in the learning process:
 Learning to pronounce words.
 Learning to identify words and get their meaning.
 Learning to identify words and get their meaning.

Reading is also a complex task, seen variously (depending on the theoretical approach)
as being dependent on either:

 Information processing or decoding skills (bottom-up skills);

 Background knowledge (top-down skills);
 An interaction between bottom-up or top-down skills; or
 A complex mix of top-down and bottom-up skills combined with social experiences (new
literacy approaches.

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Some of the problems in teaching reading to learners are:
 They read slowly.
 They don’t have enough vocabulary.
 They get frustrated.
 Easily bored.
 Prefer watching TV or playing with their gadgets.

We can get learners to read if:

 We let them choose the material they want to read.
 We provide them with interesting material.
 If we read to them.
 If we connect reading to other skills.

What is Comprehension
Comprehension is the ability to comprehend and make sense of what has been read. It entails not just decoding
the words on a page, but also comprehending the meaning of the words as well as the overall message that the
author is attempting to express.

Nature of Reading Comprehension

Comprehension: The Goal of Reading

Reading comprehension, or extracting meaning

from what you read, is the ultimate purpose o f
reading. The process of comprehension is both
interactive and strategic. Readers must evaluate,
analyze, and personalize the text they are reading
rather than simply reading it their own. Experienced
readers take this for granted and may not appreciate

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 the reading comprehension skills required.

In order to read with comprehension, developing readers must be able to read with
some proficiency and then receive explicit instruction in reading comprehension strategies
(Tierney, 1982).

General Strategies for Reading Comprehension

When a picture book is read to a child before they can read, the process of
understanding text begins. They hear the words, look at the pictures in the book, and possibly
begin to connect the words on the page with the thoughts they are hearing.

Students require modeling, practice, and feedback to develop comprehension skills. The
following description lists the main comprehension strategies described below.

Using Prior Knowledge/Previewing

When students preview text, they tap into what they already know that will help them to
understand the text they are about to read. This provides a framework for any new information
they read.

Predicting

When students make predictions about the text they are

about to read, it sets up expectations based on their prior
knowledge about similar topics. As they read, they may mentally
revise their prediction as they gain more information.

Identifying the Main Idea and Summarization

Identifying the main idea and summarizing requires that

students determine what is important and then put it in their own words. Implicit in this
process is trying to understand the author’s purpose in writing the text.

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 Questioning

Asking and answering questions about text is another strategy that helps students focus on the
meaning of text. Teachers can help by modeling both the process of asking good questions and
strategies for finding the answers in the text.

Making Inferences

In order to make inferences about something that is not explicitly stated in the text,
students must learn to draw on prior knowledge and recognize clues in the text itself.

Visualizing
Studies have shown that students who visualize while reading have better recall than those who
do not (Pressley, 1977). Readers can take advantage of illustrations that are embedded in the
text or create their own mental images or drawings when reading text without illustrations.

Strategies for Reading Comprehension: Narrative Text

Narrative text tells a story, either a true story or a fictional story. There are a number of strategies
that will help students understand narrative text.

Story Maps
Teachers can have students diagram the story grammar of the text to raise their awareness of the
elements the author uses to construct the story. Story grammar includes:
 Setting: When and where the story takes place (which can change over the course of
the story).
 Characters: The people or animals in the story, including the protagonist (main
character), whose motivations and actions drive the story.
 Plot: The story line, which typically includes one or more problems or conflicts that the
protagonist must address and ultimately resolve.
 Theme: The overriding lesson or main idea that the author wants readers to
glean from the story. It could be explicitly stated as in Aesop’s Fables or inferred by the
reader (more common).
Retelling

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Asking students to retell a story in their own words forces them to analyze the content to determine
what is important. Teachers can encourage students to go beyond literally recounting the story to
drawing their own conclusions about it.

Prediction
Teachers can ask readers to make a prediction about a story
based on the title and any other clues that are available, such as
illustrations. Teachers can later ask students to find text that
supports or contradicts their predictions.

Answering Comprehension
Asking students different types of questions requires that they find
the answers in different ways, for example, by finding literal
answers in the text itself or by drawing on prior knowledge and
then inferring answers based on clues in the text.

Strategies for Reading Comprehension: Expository Text

Expository text explains facts and concepts in order to inform, persuade, or explain.

The Structure of Expository Text

Expository text is typically structured with visual cues such as headings and
subheadings that provide clear cues as to the structure of the information. The first sentence
in a paragraph is also typically a topic sentence that clearly states what the paragraph is
about.

 Expository text also often uses one of five

common text structures as an organizing
principle:
 Cause and effect
 Problem and solution
 Compare and contrast
 Description
 Time order (sequence of events, actions, or
steps)

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 Teaching these structures can help students recognize relationships between ideas and
the overall intent of the text.

Main Idea/Summarization

A summary briefly captures the main idea of the text and the key details that support
the main idea. Students must understand the text in order to write a good summary that is
more than a repetition of the text itself.

K-W-L
There are three steps in the K-W-L process (Ogle, 1986):

 What I Know: Before students read the text, ask them as a group to identify what the
already know about the topic. Students write this list in the ―K‖ column of their K-W-L
forms.

 What I Want to Know: Ask students to write questions about what they want to learn
from reading the text in the ―W‖ column of their K-W-L forms. For example, students
may wonder if some of the ―facts‖ offered in the ―K‖ column are true.

 What I Learned: As they read the text, students should look for answers to the
questions listed in the ―W‖ column and write their answers in the ―L‖ column
along with anything else they learn.

Graphic Organizers - provide visual representations of the concepts in expository text.

Representing ideas and relationships graphically can help students understand and remember
them. Examples of graphic organizers are:

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LEVELS OF COMPREHENSION

1. Literal Comprehension- r is the ability to comprehend and communicate ideas and facts. The
what, who, when, and where questions provide the answers.

Example:

What is the difference between a natural born person and a person who has become naturalized?

2. Interpretative Comprehension- Understanding indicated concepts that are frequently inferred

from the writing or material is referred

Example:
One’s quality of leadership is determined not by the number of people he leads, but by the number
of people he serves.

3. Critical Analysis- refers to the appraisal of something that takes into account both what is
explicitly stated and any potential implication or conclusion that may be drawn from the context.

Example:

1. Same sex marriage should be legalized in the Philippines.

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4. Application-refers to the process of putting ideas together and of applying what one has learned
from the selection or learning situation.

Example:

1. Show how the formula is applied.

a.3 Models of Reading Strategies

Bottom-up approaches to reading are based on the view that readers learn to read by
decoding, and that reading difficulties can be remedied through the development of phonic skills.
Bottom-up approach sees reading skills as developing at the level of word recognition, with little
connection to context or to the reader’s background knowledge.

Top-down approaches are based on psycholinguistic views of reading. It places less

emphasis on the role of decoding, seeing reading as a process of guessing meaning from context
with the support of background knowledge.

Interactive approaches see reading as a process of interaction between top-down and

bottom-up skills, advocating a combination of language development, decoding, and strategy
development. A modified interactive approach may be used to explain general reading, but this
does not account for the different processes used when reading for different purposes.

Comprehension is the result of the interaction of BOTTOM – UP and TOP – DOWN approaches.
Comprehension is the ability of the readers to understand what they are reading; to interpret ideas
and inject meaning to printed words. It’s also the ability to read text, process it and understand its
meaning. It is the capacity of the mind to perceive and understand; power to grasp ideas; ability to
know

There are various reading strategy models that can be employed to assist pupils in developing their
reading comprehension skills. The SQ3R approach, which stands for Survey, Question, Read,
Recite, and Review, is one prominent model. This model consists of multiple steps:

 Skim through the text to get a general idea of what it's about.
 Create questions depending on what you discovered through the survey.

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 Read carefully, focusing on answering the questions you've generated.
 Summarize and recite all you've learned from the text.
 Examine the text and your notes to ensure that you understand it.

The K-W-L model, which stands for Know, Want to Know, and Learned, is another common reading
strategy paradigm. This model consists of multiple steps:

 Start with what you already know about the subject.

 Want to know: Make a list of questions about what you want to know.
 Learned: Summarize what you've learned after reading.

A range of tactics and resources can be used to help pupils develop their comprehension. The
following are some examples of aids that can be utilized to improve reading comprehension:

 Graphic organizers: These visual aides assist pupils in organizing their thoughts and
comprehending the text's structure.
 Summarization: Asking pupils to summarize what they have read can help them understand the
content better.
 Active reading practices, such as highlighting, underlining, and taking notes, can assist children
in engaging with the text and remembering crucial information.
 Discussion with peers: Discussing the book with peers can help students clarify their
comprehension and get fresh ideas.
Giving pupils new vocabulary words can help them understand the text more thoroughly

GRACE GOODELL’S READING SKILLS LADDER

1. Basic sight words

2. Using phonetic analysis
3. Using structural analysis
4. Using contextual clues
5. Vocabulary building
6. Finding the main idea
7. Finding the supporting details
8. Inferring meanings, drawing conclusions

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9. Classifying and organizing facts
10. Using parts of the book
11. Using the dictionary
12. Using the encyclopedias and other reference books
13. Borrowing library books for research and enjoyment
14. Starting your private library collection
15. Exposure to reading from mass media
16. Reading from the internet

STAGES OF READING

Reading can be divided into three stages namely: pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading.

1. Pre-reading. According to research, background knowledge plays a significant role in reading.

Readers who have more prior knowledge about a reading passage can comprehend the passage
better, as compared to those who do not have much prior knowledge. Knowledge of the content and
the target culture plays a more significant role in reading comprehension than knowledge of the
language.
For comprehension to take place, readers not only need to have the relevant schemata, but
also the ability to tap into the appropriate schemata. This is important because according to Carrell
& Eisterhold (1983),

“failure to activate an appropriate schema during reading results in various degrees of non-
comprehension.” This process can be aided during the pre-reading stage where clues and guidance
are given for readers to be able to activate the intended schema.

Pre-reading activities serve to prepare students for the text that they are going to read. This
is where students’ interest towards the text is developed and the purpose of reading established.
The purposes of pre-reading activities are:

 To establish the purpose of reading.

 To develop the students’ interest in the reading material.
 To preview the text.
 To reflect on what they already know.
 To invoke the appropriate network of schemata.

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  To provide the necessary background knowledge.

The following are examples of pre-reading activities.

a. Build students’ anticipation the theme
b. Build students’ anticipation of the text
c. Solving riddles related to the text
d. Brainstorming the title of the text
e. Visual aid explaining
f. Pre-true or False Statements
g. Pre-questions
h. Vocabulary preview
i. Using KWL

2. While-reading. At this stage, the lesson should focus on interpretation or negotiation of meaning.
Students work on the content and the language in order to comprehend the text. They will find out
the main ideas of the text, monitor, their comprehension, and adjust their reading strategies so that
comprehension occurs at the sentence, paragraph and discourse level.

At this stage, readers are engaged in both top-down and bottom-up processes in which
answers to the predictions or questions asked during pre-reading will be answered. If the
predictions are correct, the reader will continue reading. Otherwise, readers may want to change
their predictions, adjust their reading strategies, or investigate their source of reading difficulties so
that misinterpretations can be avoided. Activities should be designed to help students respond not
just cognitively, but also personally, emotionally and imaginatively. The
purposes of while-reading activities are:

 Understand the language and content of the text.

 Understand the function of the text (giving information, direction, instruction, etc.)
 Understand the function within the text (request, agreement, apology, greetings, etc.)
 Understand the organization of the text.
 Develop readers who are reflective and flexible.

The following are examples of while-reading activities.

a. Self-questioning
b. Retelling and paraphrasing

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c. Drawing a plot progression
d. Distinguishing main ideas from supporting details
e. Describing characters and settings
f. Summarizing the text
g. Sequencing
h. Expanding information
i. Following instructions
j. Changing the beginning, middle, or ending
k. Selecting appropriate summary
l. Matching information
m. Catching the mistake
n. Role play
o. Compare and contrast

3. Post-reading. After reading the text, a review of what has been read needs to be carried out. At
this stage, moral values learned and other implications are discussed. At this stage, extension work
like projects, role-play and dramatization can be carried out. Personal responses to the text and
evaluation of both the text and the author are also carried out.

The purpose of post-reading activities are:

 Recall, apply and consolidate what was read.
 Gain the overall understanding of the text.
 Make a global evaluation of the text.
 Evaluate the author’s effectiveness in writing.
 Compare and contrast writer’s values to the values of the reader.
 Detect the author’s biases or prejudice.

The following are examples of post-reading activities:

a. Recognizing implications.
b. Drawing inferences and conclusions.
c. Making moral judgments.
d. Reassessment and reinterpretations of key issues, events, themes etc.
e. Writing dialogues, plays or reports.
f. Summarizing overall events in visual and written form.
g. Analyzing author’s intention and attitude.

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h. Recognizing author’s prejudice and biases.
i. Reviewing and consolidate what was read.
j. Reflection writing

LEARNING ACTIVITY

Practice Test

Name: ______________________________ Course/Year/Section: ___________ Date: _________

A. Identify what is being asked on the following questions. Choose your answers on the box.
Write your answer in the space provided.

Predicting Graphic Reading Previewing While-reading

Organizer

Retelling Pre-reading Visualizing Comprehension Summarizing

__________ 1. Is a receptive skill. Through it, we receive information.

__________ 2. When students make predictions about the text they are about to read, it sets up
expectations based on their prior knowledge about similar topics.
__________ 3. A summary briefly captures the main idea of the text and the key details that support
the main idea.
__________ 4. Asking students to retell a story in their own words forces them to analyze the
content to determine what is important.
__________ 5. It provides visual representations of the concepts in expository text.
__________ 6. Build students’ anticipation the theme is an example of?
__________ 7. Studies have shown that students who visualize while reading have better recall
than those who do not.
__________ 8. When students preview text, they tap into what they already know that will help them

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to understand the text they are about to read.

_________ 9. At this stage, the lesson should focus on interpretation or negotiation of meaning.
Students work on the content and the language in order to comprehend the text.
_________ 10. is the result of the interaction of BOTTOM – UP and TOP – DOWN approaches.

B. Essay. Answer the following questions below briefly but precisely.

1.

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

RUBRICS

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 C. Direction: Read a story (click the link)
https://archive.org/stream/carloorkindnessr23528gut/pg23528.txt and answer the following
questions.

1. What did Ida see when she was crossing the bridge?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

2. Why did the boys drown the little dog in the stream?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Did the boys give the dog to Ida?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

4. What did Ida’s mother say when she heard the story?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

5. How many of you have dogs in your home?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

LEARNING CONTENTS (Concepts, Theories and Principles of Vocabulary and Reading

Comprehension)

The two most important aspects of reading are vocabulary and comprehension. Vocabulary
relates to the words that a person knows and understands, whereas comprehension refers to a
person's capacity to grasp and make sense of written content.

Word knowledge is a vocabulary-related notion. This is a person's ability to recognize and

understand words in a variety of circumstances. Phonological awareness (the ability to recognize
and manipulate the sounds in words), phonics (the relationship between letters and sounds), and
semantics are all components of word knowledge (the meaning of words).

Depth of knowledge is another essential vocabulary notion. This refers to how well a person

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knows and understands a specific word. A person, for example, may understand the basic definition
of a term but not its nuances or connotations.
Background information is an important topic in terms of comprehension. This relates to a
person's prior knowledge and experiences, which can influence their ability to comprehend and
interpret written content. A person who has never gone to a beach, for example, may struggle to
grasp a book that depicts a day at the beach.

Metacognition is another essential idea in comprehension. This refers to an individual's ability

to reflect on their own thinking and learning processes. Metacognition can assist students in
monitoring their comprehension of a book and making corrections as needed.

To explain vocabulary and comprehension, several hypotheses have been established.

According to constructivist theory, learning happens through the active production of meaning
based on prior knowledge and experiences. According to the connectionist hypothesis, learning
happens in the brain through the creation of links between concepts.

The scaffolding approach is also significant in vocabulary and understanding. This theory says
that students should be given assistance and guidance while they learn new concepts and skills,
and that this assistance should be gradually reduced as they gain proficiency.

The Importance of Vocabulary Development

According to Steven Stahl (2005), ―Vocabulary knowledge is knowledge; the knowledge of

a word not only implies a definition, but also implies how that word fits into the world ‖. We continue
to develop vocabulary throughout our lives. Words are powerful. Words open possibilities, and of
course, that’s what we want for all of our students.
Differences in Early Vocabulary Development

We know that young children acquire vocabulary indirectly, first by listening when others
speak or read to them, and then by using words to talk to others. As children begin to read and
write, they acquire more words through understanding what they are reading and then incorporate
those words into their speaking and writing.

Vocabulary knowledge varies greatly among learners. The word knowledge gap between
groups of children begins before they enter school. Why do some students have a richer, fuller
vocabulary than some of their classmates?

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  Language rich home with lots of verbal stimulation.
 Wide background experiences.
 Read to at home and at school.
 Read a lot independently.
 Early development of word consciousness.

Why do some students have a limited, inadequate vocabulary compared to

most of their classmates?

 Speaking/vocabulary not encouraged at home Limited experiences outside of home

 Limited exposure to books

 Reluctant reader
 Second language—English language learners

Children who have been encouraged by their parents to ask questions and to learn about things
and ideas come to school with oral vocabularies many times larger than children from
disadvantaged homes. Without intervention, this gap grows ever larger as students proceed through
school (Hart and Risley, 1995).

Effective vocabulary teaching has five key principles.

1. Focus on rich meanings, not just dictionary definitions.

Too often vocabulary instruction is no more than kids copying definitions from the dictionary. But
researchers have identified several instructional approaches that outdo any learning that may
accrue from copying definitions.

One of those key principles is that students work with more extensive or complex definitions or
explanations of word meanings. Encourage the encyclopedia explanation over the dictionary
meanings.

When I teach vocabulary, I often have the kids engage in trying to provide several different versions
of a word’s definition.

1. Dictionary definition

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 2. Synonyms for the word
3. Antonyms (if there are any)
4. Part of speech
5. Classification (what semantic group does it belong to, like tools or ways of talking)
6. Comparison (it is like____, but different because______)
7. Real-life examples
8. Graphic version (drawings, pictures, representations)
9. Acting it out

By the time you’ve come up with nine different explanations of a word you are more likely to
remember it (and, of course, we can do more than just these nine if we want to get into analogies,
part-whole relationships, and the like).

2. Emphasize the connections among words.

Many vocabulary programs introduce words by category, such as focusing on words from health
and medicine or about transportation, including some that have research showing that they can be
effective. However, direct research specifically on this aspect of teaching, suggest that word
learning goes slower and without evident later advantage from the extra work that mastering these
words entails needed to master these sets of words.

And, yet, evidence reveals that the lexicons in our heads are organized in various networks, not like
dictionaries. When you remember a word, you draw from memory a plethora of related ideas—
attributes, functions, and synonyms related to that word.

Start thinking diesel trucks and words like wheel, tire, dump truck, gasoline, and highway will not be
far behind.

There are circumstances in which it is necessary to simultaneously introduce collections of closely

related words that may require fine or subtle distinctions, such as when kids are learning about the
structure of cells or atoms. I’ll give that a pass, since such introductions are likely to be
accompanied by a much deeper dive into the underlying concepts in such cases.

I also think it is quite reasonable when teaching words to get kids thinking about words about that
concept that they may already have mastered. Linking a new word to a concept, is very different
than trying to learn and link a whole collection of words.

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I would avoid introducing together plethora, dearth, scarcity, cornucopia, shortage, plenty, sufficient,
abundant, and liberal as some programs do. Collect such words over time as they are learned and
then later you can have kids comparing the ideas or fitting them into continuum or network.

One teacher I know has her students classifying the vocabulary each week in bulletin board folders,
and when a folder accumulates several related words, they revisit them as a set.

3. Promote usage of the words.

It is not enough that kids study word meanings, but they have to learn to use these words in their
reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Instruction should create opportunities for kids to use
words in all of these ways.

For instance, that rich vocabulary assignment that was described earlier can be done by groups of
kids working together to come up with those multiple definitions. That kind of cooperation requires
that kids talk with each other about the words. Additionally, I often assign small numbers of words to
each group and then have them get together to teach each other the words that their groups
studied… more speaking and listening.

One might reward kids for using the studied vocabulary in their writing — or that can be required in
various ways.

Isabel Beck and Moddy McKeown came up with the idea of “word wizards,” which gave kids extra
points in vocabulary if they could bring in evidence that they had confronted or used the words of
interest. Kids get very turned on if they run across some of the vocabulary when watching television
or playing their favorite computer game.

4. Review is important.
It can be hard to retain vocabulary if you don’t get a lot of opportunity to use it. We may teach
vocabulary because certain words were prominent in the texts, we were reading this week, but then
kids might not see them for a long time.

There are many ways to deal with vocabulary, such as having one day a week when you only work
with words that have been taught (and supposedly learned) in the past — or perhaps entire weeks
might be devoted to this throughout the year.

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I’m a fan of including words from past weeks on vocabulary quizzes and for the use of vocabulary
notebooks to help punch up kids’ writing during revision.

Another way of ensuring the words stick, is to see how many additional words students can
construct morphologically, adding prefixes or suffixes or altering parts of speech and so on. I’ve
written about some of the important work being done on morphology by Peter and Jeffrey Bowers
before (and you can search for that on my site or on Google).

5. Involve students in identifying some of the words to be studied.

I noted earlier that much vocabulary learning is incidental and, therefore, largely out of the province
of schools. However, not all kids are equally good at such learning and even for those who it is
easier, it can still be a tough slog requiring many experiences with a word to get it to stick.

One thing that we can do to help develop a “word consciousness” among our students is to involve
them in identifying unknown words from their own reading — and to include these in your classroom
curriculum. When readers get used to noticing their lack of knowledge of particular words, they will
be more likely to try to resolve those gaps when reading. Kids will also be more motivated if they
have some say so over the curriculum as well.

How Vocabulary Affects Reading Development

From the research, we know that vocabulary supports reading development and increases
comprehension. Students with low vocabulary scores tend to have low comprehension and students
with satisfactory or high vocabulary scores tend to have satisfactory or high comprehension scores.

The report of the National Reading Panel states that the complex process of comprehension
is critical to the development of children’s reading skills and cannot be understood without a clear
understanding of the role that vocabulary development and instruction play in understanding what is
read (NRP, 2000).

Chall’s classic 1990 study showed that students with low vocabulary development were able
to maintain their overall reading test scores at expected levels through grade four, but their mean
scores for word recognition and word meaning began to slip as words became more abstract,

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technical, and literary. Declines in word recognition and word meaning continued, and by grade
seven, word meaning scores had fallen to almost three years below grade level, and mean reading
comprehension was almost a year below. Jeanne Chall coined the term ―the fourth-grade slump‖
to describe this pattern in developing readers (Chall, Jacobs, and Baldwin, 1990).

Incidental and Intentional Vocabulary Learning

How do we close the gap for students who have limited or inadequate vocabularies? The
National Reading Panel (2000) concluded that there is no single research-based method for
developing vocabulary and closing the gap. From its analysis, the panel recommended using
a variety of indirect (incidental) and direct (intentional) methods of vocabulary
instruction.

Incidental Vocabulary Learning

Most students acquire vocabulary incidentally through indirect exposure to words at

home and at school—by listening and talking, by listening to books read aloud to them, and
by reading widely on their own.

The amount of reading is important to long-term vocabulary development (Cunningham and

Stanovich, 1998). Extensive reading provides students with repeated vocabulary in rich
contexts (Kamil and Hiebert, 2005).

Intentional Vocabulary Learning

Students need to be explicitly taught methods for intentional vocabulary learning. According to
Michael Graves (2000), effective intentional vocabulary instruction includes:

 Teaching specific words (rich, robust instruction) to support understanding of texts

containing those words.
 Teaching word-learning strategies that students can use independently.
 Promoting the development of word consciousness and using wordplay activities to
motivate and engage students in learning new words.

Research-Supported Vocabulary-Learning Strategies

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 Students need a wide range of independent word-learning strategies. Vocabulary
instruction should aim to engage students in actively thinking about word meanings, the
relationships among words, and how we can use words in different situations. This type of rich,
deep instruction is most likely to influence comprehension (Graves, 2006; McKeown and Beck,
2004).

Student-Friendly Definitions

The meaning of a new word should be explained to students rather than just providing a
dictionary definition for the word—which may be difficult for students to understand. According to
Isabel Beck, two basic principles should be followed in developing student-friendly explanations or
definitions (Beck et al., 2013):

 Characterize the word and how it is typically used.

 Explain the meaning using everyday language—language that is accessible and meaningful
to the student.
Sometimes a word’s natural context (in text or literature) is
not informative or helpful for deriving word meanings (Beck et al.,
2013). It is useful to intentionally create and develop instructional
contexts that provide strong clues to a word’s meaning. These
are usually created by teachers, but they can sometimes be
found in commercial reading programs.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 2
Practice Test

A. Directions: Use your knowledge of the vocabulary words below to fill in the blanks.
burglar suspect resorted flee downtown
deceased contradict detain seize accuse
commotion prowling curb ornaments nab

1) A robber can also be called a ___________.

2) If something or someone has died, then they are ___________.
3) When the sirens were heard, the robber began to run away or ____________.
4) The police officer reached out to grab or the criminal that was running away __________.

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 5) All the noise and yelling were causing a __________.
6) We never want to blame or ___________ the wrong person.
7) Once they found a connection between him and the crime scene, he became a _________.
8) I do not want to argue or __________ you, but I do not agree.
9) The man in a dark hoodie was sneaking around ___________ the neighborhood.
10) The warning signs were put up to try to ___________ crime.
11) When all other options failed, we ___________ to pushing the car on our own.
12) Can you grab me a doughnut, ___________ chocolate if possible.

B. Essay: Answer the following questions below briefly but precisely.

1. What are the key principles that should guide vocabulary activities in language learning?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

2. How can vocabulary activities be designed to promote active engagement and meaningful interaction
among learners?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

3. What role does context play in vocabulary activities? How can activities be structured to facilitate the
understanding and use of vocabulary within different contexts?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

LEARNING CONTENTS (Factors that Affect the Acquisition of Reading Ability)

There are several important factors that can influence a child's capacity to learn to read. Among
these are:

 Young children who are exposed to books and reading are more likely to become proficient
readers. This entails having access to a large selection of books and regularly being read to.
 Phonological awareness is the capacity to recognize and manipulate the sounds in words.
Children with phonological awareness issues may have difficulty reading and spelling.
 A strong vocabulary is essential for understanding what you read. Children with limited
vocabulary may find it challenging to comprehend the meaning of the text's words and
phrases.

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  Background knowledge: Children who are unfamiliar with a topic may have trouble
understanding the text. For instance, a child who has never visited a zoo would find it difficult
to comprehend a text on zoo animals.
 Children who have problems concentrating and paying attention could find it difficult to stay
interested in the material and remember what they have read.
 Motivation and engagement: Children who are not interested in reading may find it difficult to
advance their reading abilities. It is imperative for educators to find strategies for engaging
all students in reading.
 A child's reading abilities may be significantly impacted by their household environment.
Reading is respected and promoted in families, therefore kids who grow up in those
environments are more likely to succeed academically.
 Instructional strategies: Different instructional strategies may be more advantageous for
students. The needs of all students must be met, so educators must use a variety of
educational methods.
 Children who are raised in families where English is not their first language may have a lot of
trouble learning to read. In order for these students to succeed, teachers must offer enough
assistance and materials.

The acquisition of reading ability is influenced by various factors. Here are some key factors
that can impact a person's development of reading skills:
Language Exposure: The amount and quality of language exposure a child receives during their
early years play a crucial role in developing reading skills. Frequent exposure to spoken language,
rich vocabulary, and meaningful conversations at home and in their environment can provide a
strong foundation for reading.

Phonological Awareness: Phonological awareness refers to the ability to recognize and manipulate
the sounds in spoken language. It involves skills such as recognizing individual sounds (phonemes),
rhyming, blending sounds together, and segmenting words into syllables or sounds. Proficient
phonological awareness is a critical precursor to reading.

Letter and Print Knowledge: Understanding that letters represent sounds and that they can be
combined to form words is an essential component of reading. Children need to learn letter names,
shapes, and the sounds associated with them. Print awareness, including recognizing words,
understanding word boundaries, and comprehending the left-to-right directionality of reading, is also
important.

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Vocabulary Development: A strong vocabulary helps with reading comprehension and word
recognition. Children with a wider range of words at their disposal find it easier to decode and
understand text. Vocabulary development can be enhanced through exposure to a diverse range of
words, reading books, engaging in conversations, and explicit vocabulary instruction.

Reading Aloud and Shared Reading: Reading aloud to children and engaging in shared reading
experiences can foster a love for reading, improve language skills, and expose children to the
mechanics and patterns of written language. It helps develop an understanding of narrative
structure, story comprehension, and phonics.
Reading Instruction: The quality and effectiveness of reading instruction provided in schools
significantly influence reading development. Research-based instructional approaches, such as
phonics instruction, guided reading, comprehension strategies, and explicit teaching of reading
skills, can enhance reading acquisition.
Individual Differences: Each child has unique characteristics that can impact their reading abilities.
Factors such as cognitive abilities, attention skills, working memory, motivation, and self-regulation
play a role in how well a child acquires reading skills.
Home Environment: A supportive home environment that values reading, provides access to books
and reading materials, and encourages reading for pleasure can positively influence reading ability.
The presence of literacy-rich resources and opportunities for discussions about books can foster a
reading culture.
Socioeconomic Factors: Socioeconomic status can influence reading acquisition. Children from
disadvantaged backgrounds may have limited access to resources, experiences, and literacy-rich
environments, which can impact their reading development.
Reading Engagement: A positive attitude towards reading, intrinsic motivation, and regular reading
practice can contribute to the acquisition of reading ability. Children who enjoy reading and engage
in independent reading outside of school tend to develop stronger reading skills.

It's important to note that these factors interact with each other, and their influence may vary across
individuals. Additionally, the age and stage of reading development also play a role in how these
factors impact reading ability.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 3

Practice Test
Name: ______________________________ Course/Year/Section: ___________ Date: _________

26
 1. What is the relationship between socioeconomic factors and reading ability?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
2. How does reading engagement and independent reading practice contribute to the acquisition of
reading skills?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
3. What strategies can be used to enhance vocabulary development for better reading skills?
____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

LEARNING CONTENTS (Taxonomy of Reading)

Barrett Taxonomy is the guide that helps the teachers in teaching comprehension to the
students. As we all know, for students reading comprehension is not an easy task, particularly for
junior school students. Improvement in reading all depends upon the teacher's technique and how
the teacher guides the students to do it. They must be able to interpret the meaning of the words,
expressions, and sentences. However, with effective use of Barret's taxonomy will improve
students’ reading comprehension. Interpreting the text without understanding the purpose of the
text, the students cannot get the purpose of the text. There is a need that students to be able to
comprehend the test correctly from what they have read. However, the students are still confused
and find it difficult to comprehend the text because of many factors that affect students’ reading
comprehension such as low vocabulary, word meaning and cannot read the text. These variables
make them difficult to comprehend the text. They need proper guidance and concentration to
understand the real meaning of comprehension properly. The Barret Taxonomy manuals focus is to
guiding students’ understanding of comprehension questions in the reading part.
The Barrett Taxonomy

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 There are five levels altogether and each level explains on how we as readers should follow and
understand. The first level is literal comprehension. Two ideas are brought up here which is recognition and
also recall. This level identifies the clear part of reading comprehension. Recognition is a bit direct while recall
requires detailed information.
As for reorganization, which is the second level of Barret Taxonomy, it deals with the organization of
ideas. As the root word is organized, the sequence of order is very essential. As a student, they have to
analyze and classify the information they get. Students must be familiar with classifying, outlining,
summarizing and synthesizing.
Inferential comprehension will be in the third level of Barret’s Taxonomy. Students must make
inferences based on their prior knowledge. This is because the students have to make hypothesis. This can
be used to support the main idea and supporting details.
The fourth one is evaluation. In making an evaluation, we have to come up with a decision. There are
items to follow so that we are on the right track. We can check on reality or fantasy, facts or opinion and judge
based on that. Usually, this is where students have to make a decision.
The last one is appreciation. Students are expected to be emotionally sensitive to the text given. We
can express our thoughts and feelings on what the passage discussed in class

LEARNING ACTIVITY 4
Practice Test

A. Answer the following questions.

1. What are the different levels or categories in the taxonomy of reading comprehension?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

29
 2. How does the taxonomy of reading comprehension help in understanding the cognitive demands of
reading?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Can you provide examples of activities or tasks that align with each level of the taxonomy?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

4. How does the taxonomy of reading comprehension relate to Bloom's Taxonomy?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

SUMMARY

Reading is a receptive skill. It requires the skill of speaking. Reading is a multifaceted

process involving word recognition, comprehension, fluency, and motivation.
These reading strategies can be implemented in elementary classrooms to enhance
students' reading comprehension skills. Each strategy has its own benefits and can be used in
combination to provide a well-rounded approach to teaching summarizing and comprehension. It is
important for teachers to select appropriate texts, provide scaffolding, and create a supportive
learning environment to maximize the effectiveness of these strategies.

REFERENCES

scribd.vdownloaders.com_part-3-topic-3-concepts-theories-and-principles-of-vocabulary-and-reading-
comprehension (1).pdf

scribd.vdownloaders.com_nature-of-reading (1).pdf

scribd.vdownloaders.com_three-models-of-reading-strategies.pdf

https://www.letsshareknowledge.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/grade-7-vocabulary-week-15-printable-
worksheet-1.pdf

https://www.google.com/search?
q=carlo+or+kindness+rewarded+story&sxsrf=APwXEde4AU_GMdv2BBG1amtDh2IzLeqOcA
%3A1684559654478&ei=JldoZMDpHI6E-
QbAiafIBA&oq=CALRO+O+KINDNESS+REWARDED&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQARgBMgoIIxCwAhC
wAxAnMgoIABANEIAEELADMgsIABCKBRCGAxCwAzILCAAQigUQhgMQsAMyCwgAEIoFEIYDELADSgQIQ
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