Publication Date
7-1-1982
Abstract
There has been widespread concern that students in today' s educational system are not comprehending what they read. Reading comprehension can be taught (Durkin, 1978-79; Pearson & Johnson, 1978); however, Durkin reports that almost no comprehension instruction was found in grades three through six. Less than 1% of classroom time was spent on direct instruction in reading comprehension. Durkin further reports that an adequate definition of reading comprehension instruction could not be found in research reports or other educational publications. Lack of comprehension instruction may be due to the fact that teachers have not acquired an adequate understanding of reading comprehension; consequently, do not have a knowledge of the appropriate instructional strategies that develop children's comprehension of text. What can be done to improve classroom instruction in reading comprehension? First, teachers need to acquire some basic concepts about the comprehension process. Second, teachers need to learn instructional strategies that develop children's comprehension. Third, teachers need to implement these strategies so that children's comprehension can be improved. The purpose of this article is to provide the classroom teacher with a good grasp of comprehension as well as suggest specific instructional strategies that enable children to comprehend text.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, B. (1982). Helping Children Construct Meaning: Comprehension Strategies that Work!. Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts, 22 (4). Retrieved from https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizons/vol22/iss4/8
