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Is it just me or is there lot of confusion out there about reading instruction? Balanced literacy? Science of reading? Structured literacy?
Who’s on each side and what do they have to say? Are we harming kids or helping kids?
It’s a lot.
I’m in the middle of reading Shifting the Balance by Cunningham, Burkins, and Yates (2024) and can already tell that this is a must read for all teachers in grades 3-5.
Find it on Amazon here. You’re going to want a copy. They have an edition for teachers in grades K-2 as well.
The authors succinctly go over what the reading research actually says and effective practices teachers can implement in their classrooms.
On my social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) I’m posting take-aways from each of the shifts presented in the book, but for this blog post I want to hone in on shift two, which is about using reading strategies to help students comprehend the text.
Six Strategies that Work
Not all strategies are as effective as others. Here are the six presented in the book that are supported by wide bodies of research. (Note: they have clever names and wonderful explanations in the book, this is me summarizing, which is one of the strategies. 😄)
- Activate Prior Knowledge
- Notice Text Structures
- Monitor Comprehension
- Ask and Answer Questions
- Make Inferences
- Summarize
Find a PDF that further explains these “Strategic Six Thinking Moves” and other free and wonderful resources from the authors on their website here. (I especially love “The Six Commitments” which would help frame the difficult and often triggering discussions for your PLC or school as we all learn better ways to teach students.)
Strategies allow students to spend time interacting with texts, and should be used in service of another purpose (discussion, writing, transfer to another text, the next activity where they’ll use their newfound comprehension). Don’t let the strategy be the point of the lesson, but rather a necessary tool to better understand the text.
As always, comprehension is the point.
Be mindful about when you choose a strategy to teach. If the students can easily comprehend the text on their own, they don’t need a strategy for it. Pick a harder text, and a strategy that is best suited to guide students to the learning purpose of your lesson.
The text should be rich, relevant, meaningful, and part of a unit where students are able to build background knowledge around a central theme, big idea, or question. Avoid bouncing among disconnected texts. The more meaningful connections you can make across texts, the more likely students are to retain both the content and the skills that you’re teaching.
Teachers often feel like there isn’t enough time to get everything in, but we have to give up the least effective practices and spend time doing what works. These are not the only strategies supported by research but are a great place to start.
Additional Resource
I also recommend listening to a podcast episode by Pedagogy Non-Grata called “Reading Comprehension Round Table” that you can find here. Questions about reading comprehension, including the effectiveness of strategies, are answered by a star-studded cast of literacy experts: Dr. Timothy Shanahan, Dr. Mitchell Brookins, Dr. Nell Duke, Dr. Hugh Catts, and Dr. Jennifer Buckingham.
Towards the end of the podcast Dr. Shanahan points out that with regard to what is known about reading instruction “there’s really strong agreement among the research community” but when it comes to the people who are “trying to guide practice”, that’s not the case.
One thing is certain: we are all going to spend the rest of our professional lives trying to understand and implement the science of learning.
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See other books you should add to your professional TBR list here.
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