Improving Reading Comprehension for Academic Success Summary of the Research [1] [1] [1] National Council of Teachers of English, 2008 International Reading Association, 2008 Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2008 Identify two interesting and/or questionable points for discussion.

What kinds of reading materials (genres) are expected? ScienceHistoryLiteratureMath

Qualitative: Not Measurable: Subtle qualities of text Underlying themes Symbolism Obscurity (rareness) of vocabulary Pre-20C writing style Figurative language Intentional ambiguity; intentionally misleading information Allusions: Literary, Biblical, etc. Long paragraphs Small print; lack of visuals in text Mixing of time frames Having multiple narrators The Text Complexity Triad Background Knowledge of Reader Quantitative/Measurable: Sentence length Word length

What does the careful reader notice?

Elements of Text Complexity ScienceHistoryLiteratureMath subtle meanings underlying themes pre-20C language charts, graphs, tables words having more than 4 syllables obscure/rare words used only once in text figurative language allusions small print, lack of visuals long paragraphs mixing of time frames multiple narration high degree of background knowledge assumed intentional ambiguity intentionally misleading information

3 Types of Reading Problems: I.Lack of cognitive abilities: comprehension, vocabulary, word recognition, fluency II. Negative attitudes toward reading III. Lack of flexibility to read different kinds of text; read all texts with the same strategies: pacing, focus, sequence

Teaching students to comprehend complex text: Step 1: Lots of free reading time Step 2: Vocabulary instruction: implicit (immersion) explicit (analytical) Top Step: Test prep: Developing familiarity with the kinds of text and questions Step 3: Specific practice in identifying features of text complexity: metaphor, tone, subtleties, allusion, rare vocab, figurative language, pre 20C, long sentences, long paragraphs