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.

One option for assessing this SE is through anecdotal notes and observation during whole group read-alouds or small-group reading instruction. Prompt students by asking questions. Students should be able to state the most important details from a passage and explain why.

Examples:

  • What is the most important detail on this page/part? What makes you think that?
  • Do you notice any patterns that might help you determine what is most important?
  • Do you think that is an essential piece of information?

A teacher can assess student responses by using a rubric.

Sample Rubric:

1) The student does not distinguish between important and non-important details even with adult assistance.
2) The student occasionally evaluates details to determine what is most important with adult assistance.
3) The student often evaluates details to determine what is most important with adult assistance.
4) The student consistently evaluates details to determine what is most important and sometimes requires adult assistance.

to judge, determine, or form an opinion about the significance, quality, or value of something in relation to its intended purpose
Details are specifics, ideas, facts, and points included by authors that contribute to their purpose and message. In kindergarten, students must evaluate details by determining if a sentence supports the key ideas or central idea of a text. They must be able to identify a detail and evaluate it to determine which key idea it supports or decide if it is not a significant detail. Typically, a kindergarten text will only have one central idea so students will be asked to identify details that support that central idea and explain how they know.

Research

What Works Clearinghouse. (2010). Improving reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade: practice guide summary. Washington, DC: Institute of Education Science. Retrieved from https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/14#tab-summary

Summary: The goal of this practice guide is to offer educators specific evidence-based recommendations that address the challenge of teaching reading comprehension to students in kindergarten through 3rd grade. The guide provides practical, clear information on critical topics related to teaching reading comprehension and is based on the best available evidence as judged by the authors.