comprehension TEKS talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Comprehension skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts.

Task students with selecting a text for a specified purpose, such as a book report or reading for pleasure. Ask students to explain the why they chose the text they selected using questions such as What do you want to learn from your reading experience with this text?

Note:
Based on student responses, the teacher can reinforce the purpose for different varieties of texts such as informative texts, literary texts, digital texts, and multi-modal texts. 
 

Further Explanation

For this assessment, students should be able to independently select a text to read and appropriately describe the purpose for the selection. Students should be able to answer the question Why am I reading this text? Students’ understanding will evolve through experience with choosing varied texts that tell a story, provide facts, explain a concept, and describe an experience.

When students establish purpose, they set their goals or intentions for reading. They answer the question “Why am I reading this text?” For example, the purpose for reading a text might be to learn a new recipe, be entertained, or learn about a historical event. In assigned texts, the purpose is usually established by the teacher or other adult. However, in self-selected texts, students must define by themselves the specific reason(s) to read a given text.

Research

1. Weih, T. G. (2014). Student-described engagement with text: Insights are discovered from fourth graders. Internal Electronic Journal of Elementary Education. 6(3), 395–414. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1053588.pdf

Summary: The author posits that for a variety of factors affecting reading instruction, students are at risk of reading for skills instruction alone, so they may begin to see reading as a chore and may develop a lifelong aversion to reading. The author conducts an interview of four questions that elicit students' response to reading and conclude that there is increased opportunity for students and teachers to engage in a more authentic and less-scripted approach to reading through self-selected texts.

2. Scharlach, T. D. (2008). START comprehending: students and teachers actively reading text: the START framework can improve students' reading-comprehension achievement and instruction through the modeling and scaffolding of eight comprehension strategies during teacher read-aloud. The Reading Teacher, 62(1), 20+. Retrieved from https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A185544333/PROF?u=tea&sid=PROF&xid=3a16e02a

Summary: This study of five third grade classrooms examines instruction designed to use scaffolder reading comprehension strategies. The study gives students the opportunity to select texts and emphasizes the importance of self-selected texts for greater gains in reading comprehension.

3. Daniels, E., & Steres, M. (2011). Examining the effects of a school-wide reading culture on the engagement of middle school students. Research in Middle Level Education, 35(2), 1–13. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ951779.pdf

Summary: In this study, middle school educational leadership identifies reading as a priority. Students were given choice over what they read and time to read on their own. Student engagement increased because reading was a school priority, but creating time and space to read was meaningless for students who didn't have easy access to books at home. In response, teachers amassed books and created a reading network for students. The results were increased student engagement and the belief, among students, that reading mattered.