Reading Comprehension Lessons
Reading Comprehension Lessons
At HCFS, the purpose of a reading comprehension lesson is to teach children the skills needed to gather meaning and connect the ideas that are given to them on a page. Children are shown that the concept of ‘comprehension’ is used within life throughout the day; for example, comprehending how someone is feeling, understanding what someone is inferring when they talk. The main concepts children focus on are: Retrieval, Vocabulary (Word Meaning), Inference, Sequencing, Summarising, Prediction and Authorial Intent.
Reading comprehension lessons are delivered to the children in the following way:
Starter – Focuses on the concept of ‘RIC’ (Retrieve, Interpret, Choice) – 3 different questions are posed to the children on a given text, image or video, and they must use their comprehension skills to answer the question. Here we are focusing on children being fluent in the application of the skills.
Direct Teach – Focuses on the explicit reading skill children are focusing on within the lesson. Gives examples of what the skill is, and the types of questions that will appear as part of these. From KS2 onwards children are introduced to improving their reading skills with the aid of certain characters ‘Cassie Commentator’, ‘Arlo Author’, ‘Inference Iggy’, ‘Predicting Pip’, ‘Rex Retriever’, ‘Summarising Sheba’ and ‘Vocabulary Victor’, who help them remember key skills. Within the direct teach children will complete a whole class example of reading an extract and answering questions about it, with the teacher modelling the reading comprehension skills needed to be successful.
Activity – Children complete an independent activity. This is usually timed, to prepare children for the speed needed within statutory assessments, but also how to pace themselves generally. These activities can also be differentiated to suit the children’s reading ability. Children learn how to keep track of their scores. The text that children read is tailored to the particular reading strand they are focusing on, with the majority of questions relating to that, however there will also be other types of questions to ensure children keep all of their skills sharp.
Plenary – A review of the session or challenge for the children moving forward.