Reflection On Reading Comprehension

In chapter five, by Cris Tovani, “Why Am I Reading This” explains how educators need to establish a clear reading instructional plan. In order to accomplish understanding students need to concentrate on main ideas from the readings. Tovani explains that it is vital for teachers to model how students should hold their thinking or slow down their reading. Throughout the chapters she gives examples as question strategies, highlighting text, or summarizing key points. As this will benefit students in their reading assignment. Tovani also explains throughout the chapter that teachers should model thinking aloud. This strategy will benefit students on how to negotiate difficult text.

Analyzing is one effective reading strategy a reader can use. This method is most effective by thinking about the writer’s arranged ideas. For example, viewing the developed topics and the structure of the paragraph is a way of analyzing. Annotating is beneficial to the reader who is analyzing the text. When using annotating, a reader

Initially, a writer should do an outline before starting any essay. An outline can help to organize his or her main points in order to build an introduction, body and conclusion. This method of pre writing was something that I had never been exposed to prior to receiving an example outline from Professor Vilceus. By studying the example, I went from zero knowledge about an outline to creating ones that made arranging essay material uncomplicated.

As time goes on the familiarity with reading and writing is essential for an individual to better themselves in life, for the world we live in is a place for competition between every human to succeed. The value of literacy is not only for high-end people but anybody that want to gain knowledge. As one gains knowledge through literacy, it can extend toward one achieving their goals or achievements in life. The strategies when going over a reading assignment is a significant part of what one is trying to comprehend the text.

Reading comprehension may be the most important skill for any student to acquire and is therefore an area of particular interest to educators. Without adequate comprehension skills, students are limited in their reading, analytical and occupational abilities. To many, including the student’s themselves, comprehension or “good reading” skills begin and end with simple decoding. It is thought that if students can ‘read’ and define the vocabulary they are reading, then they also comprehend what is read. True comprehension goes far beyond decoding, however. True comprehension requires visualization of a text, predicting events in the text, making inferences about the text and clarifying what is not

Escaping from the severe reality of life helps a person get through their difficulties within life. Whether they have emotional or physical problems, or a person just needs a good story, reading can help a person explore new worlds through their imagination. I loved reading from a young age, and treasured the moments when my mother read to me. She helped me explore the unique worlds that authors try to portray through their writing.

Student survey responses corresponded with the most expressed concerns of teachers. Of the 45 students surveyed (proficient and deficient learners in reading comprehension), all expressed that the vocabulary within a text is difficult and makes it hard to comprehend a reading. Furthermore, 73% of students said that language (the language used in the text and the format of a text) in historical or English readings were confusing. Finally, 86% of students said that most of what they read in class was boring and they found very little interest in the reading.

When people read a book they normally read them for fun, or for homework. Books sometimes have a good plot and we cannot put it down, or people are just trying to pass the time. After reading “How to Mark a Book,” by Mortimer J. Adler, it changed my way of thinking and my way of fully understanding a book. Adler says, “I want to persuade you to ‘write between the lines.’ Unless you do, you are not likely to do the most efficient of reading” (Adler 1). People normally do not receive everything the author says when they just read a book. If the reader analyzes and writes down their thoughts, they can get more out of the book.

Reading is a wonderful pastime. It allows me to mentally travel to far away lands in the present, the archaic past, or the advanced technological future. Reading allows me to be present during every struggle or joy the protagonist may face. It is a wonderful way to learn about fascinating cultures without physically traveling to other lands. It is a gateway to long, sleepless nights because I can become fully entranced by a story. Favorite books of mine include Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. Both of these stories wonderfully illustrate internal human conflict as well as love, loyalty, and emotional and physical pain. These are just a few of the joys of

Students' comprehension of the text will be the dependent variable in this study. Comprehension will be measured using the student responses to the story questions. The questions and answers are coming from Benchmark Literacy. In this study, the students will not be given the opportunity to look back in the text to respond to any questions.

“To know how to read is to light a lamp in the mind, to release the soul from prison, to open a gate to the universe" Pearl S. Buck once said in her book Pavilion of Women. Many different people read for many different reasons. Some people read to distract themselves from what they are currently dealing with, others as a pastime and a few read to open their minds. Reading books and other forms of literature can not only expand one's vocabulary, but, open one's mind to different concepts or ideas.

There are numerous students that lack the satisfactory reading whether the problem is tactics for conception or using the information presented to students. Those students that have lower satisfactory reading are the students that would benefit from critical thinking and reading but do not receive it. According to Falk-Ross (2002), there has been a 20% at a two-year college and 8% and lower at other colleges/ universities (pg. 48). Many of these students do not do as well has other students that have critical thinking/reading skills. Those students are forced to take remedial English classes or struggle in future English classes. Without critical thinking and reading abilities, students lack the ability to use and understand some of the material. Mary Jane Farley (2016), suggested that there was an association between comprehension and critical thinking abilities (pg. 922).

That being said, comprehension is not just understanding the singular words that are being read, but being able to put them together, along with activating previous knowledge, make sense and develop meaning to the text. Essentially, when a reader is immersed and engaged in text, they are actively developing meaning to the text while formulating questions that may later be answered by the text itself.

Reading is an act of perception, analysis, and interpretation done by the reader to get the message to be conveyed by the author in media writing. According to Farr (in Dalman, 2013: 5) suggests that "Reading is the Heart of Education, the reading of reading comprehension is an essential prerequisite for mastery and enhancement of students' knowledge, so after reading the text the reader should be able to understand the text. First, give information, for example by reading newspapers and magazines, secondly, give entertainment, for example by reading a novel.The third one, most importantly reading can provide new knowledge.The book can provide understanding as well as entertaining and providing information.

In this information–driven age, preparing students to read a variety of texts with complete understanding should likely be one of our educational system’s highest priorities. Understanding is more than just the ability to produce information on demand (knowledge) or the ability to perform learned routines (skills). “Understanding is the ability to think and act flexibly with what one knows.” (Active Learning Practice for Schools, n. d.) A review of the literature in the area of reading comprehension of elementary-age students shows two principle areas of focus. There is a body of literature that examines the development of proficient vs. struggling comprehenders and another body of literature that compares methodologies for teaching