Comprehension for all

   It never ceased to amaze me the lack of back round knowledge many of my students exhibited.  The references, saying and comparisons that we take for granted are unfamiliar to many children.  As teachers, we are constantly trying to "fill the holes" left by the lack of certain experiences.  Teachers do this in various ways.  Here are a few of my "tools of the trade".
   Whether you're doing a lesson in ELA, Math or any other area, you students will always need to understand the basic vocabulary.  I'm going to use an ELA lesson for an example but I've used this model in other content areas.  
   The best way of retaining information is to connect it to a memory.  So, if most of the students had no knowledge of the subject matter, I might use another medium to expose them or connect them to it.  Example: if we were talking about a lesson involving an ocean, I might show them a visual about ocean life.  
   Then, we would go over some vocabulary that would help with the basics of the topic.  We may find the meanings of the words and/or make predictions as to their meanings.  I would have everyone record this in a composition book where all of the work would be kept.  When reviewing these words, we might discuss: parts of speech; multiple meanings; and antonyms/synonyms.  
   Next we would read the material, usually together.  Previously, I might have them read it silently.  They may listen to the text, follow along, or have a student reader.  Students were encouraged to visualize a movie of the text in their mind - a great way to internalize the content.  We would stop periodically to refer to the vocabulary or any questions.
   When we were finished, I would display questions dealing with comprehension, recall, inference and predictions.  Sometimes I would have students write in their own questions.  They may answer them or ask them to other students.   Another option was to use a story board approach.  I would give students a series of excerpts from the reading and they would draw pictures to show the content.  Really interesting! It was good to change the evaluation techniques to include some other "intelligences".
   I would accept possible answers depending on the student's functioning level.  Some students could use a word bank and others might be able to draw their answers.  I tried to allow for differentiated methods of answering whenever possible.  If a student could defend their answer with accurate information, I might accept it.  
   I guess what I want to tell you is to use your instincts.  The reading series tells you how to do everything but is it what you know your students need?  Do what your heart and your brain tells you to do.  You know your students and how they learn best.  Share your ideas with other teachers and learn from each other.  You can be your students' best resource!