Designing Comprehension Constructors: Helping Adolescent Learners Develop Reading Strategies (E-GUIDE)
Comprehension instruction has value and lasting impact when teachers know how to design lessons, activities, and materials that match the needs of their students. Prefab worksheets or generic activities and routines often won't work, because students, texts, and tasks are always changing. "Comprehension Constructor" is a term coined by Cris Tovani (Stenhouse, 2001) to describe the graphic organizers she uses to assist adolescent readers as they make sense of texts. Cris tailors these organizers to the needs of students as they emerge, linked to specific reading assignments. At their simplest level, comprehension constructors are designed to help students make their thinking visible as they read. As Donald Schoen explains, reflection is nothing more than a personal conversation you have with a problem. Constructors help students pause when they encounter a problem comprehending a text, and converse with themselves and the text as they work to solve that problem and make meaning. The notes on the comprehension constructor can be used by teachers to assess the comprehension of the student, by the student to reflect on their reading and make sense of it, and by the whole class in small groups and discussions to share strategies and understanding. There are three key questions teachers ask themselves in designing a new constructor: "What aspects of the assigned reading are likely to challenge my students' understanding of the text?" "How could some notes and reflection help them through these challenges?" "How will the students and I use the constructor after it is completed?"
If your students are reading a science textbook and trying to absorb difficult new vocabulary, the constructor you design will likely look quite a bit different than the constructor students complete before participating in literature discussion groups. The constructors in this eGuide are examples, demonstrating how answers to the design focus questions change the look and purpose of the comprehension constructor. They are not meant to be used as templates, but as springboards for thinking about how you might design constructors for your students based on current assignments and needs. You can download the eight-page guide (PDF format) by clicking on this link: http://www.choiceliteracy.com/comprehensionconstructoreguide.pdf
Reference
Tovani, Cris. (2001). I Read It, but I Don't Get It Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
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Jennifer Allen
