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Research on Adolescent
Comprehension
General Reading Comprehension
- Reading strategies should be taught through explicit instruction of cognitive reading strategies (Johannessen & McCann, 2009; Schoenbach & Greenleaf, 2009).
- Adolescents should be given "voice and choice" in reading topics to increase reading comprehension (Johannessen & McCann, 2009). Check out this link to boost your library: https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/.
- Adolescents who are able to practice reading skills with media are able to transfer those skills to print texts (Bruce, 2009).
- To prepare for the workplace and to comprehend texts, students should have both digital and oral discussions about texts (Burke, 2007).
- Social reading, or Shoptalk, in African American communities cultivates cognitive reading strategies such as inferring figurative meanings, point-of-view, and author's purpose; determining importance; making connections; and synthesizing arguments (Majors, Kim, & Ansari, 2009).
- Reading ebooks increases male reading comprehension (Smith & Wilhelm, 2009).
- Texts are not limited to print texts, but include media, visual arts, digital texts, music, oral language, and video games (Rhodes & Robnolt, 2009; Burke, 2007; Bruce, 2009; Zoss, 2009; Majors, Kim, & Ansari, 2009; & Alvermann, 2007).
- "If we want to teach kids to be the strongest readers, we need to teach them to be the strongest writers" (Rief, 2007).
Monitoring Comprehension
- Teachers should demonstrate their own thinking about their reading process in think alouds for print and digital texts (Schoenbach & Greenleaf, 2009; Rhodes & Robnolt, 2009).
- Discussions about texts leads to comprehensions by making the reading process visible (Johannessen & McCann, 2009; Schoenbach & Greenleaf, 2009). One strategy to consider is Save the Last Word for Me (Burke, 2007).
- Online class discussions helped clarify the text (Rhodes & Robnolt, 2009).
- "Many adolescents who struggle with academic reading have misconceptions of what reading is, seeing it as a magical process in which comprehension just happens for successful readers" (Schoenbach & Greenleaf, 2009, p. 101).
- Metacognitive conversations about the reading process increases helps students better understand their reading process (Schoenbach & Greenleaf, 2009).
- Self-monitoring strategies on digital texts includes navigating pop-ups, hyperlinks, downloading, speed, typing, and search engines; where as print texts include headings, key terms, and graphics (Rhodes & Robnolt, 2009).
- Wikibooks provide annotation tools for students to monitor-comprehension online (Kajder, 2007).
Activating Background Knowledge
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Inferring/ Visualizing/ Predicting
- Interpreting the text leads to making connections, questioning, and deeper reading (Johannessen & McCann, 2009).
- When inferring in digital spaces, adolescents must also consider hyperlinks on the webpage (Rhodes & Robnolt, 2009).
- Writing about literature promotes critical thinking (Johannessen & McCann, 2009).
- Online discussions helped students identify story parts (Rhodes & Robnolt, 2009).
- Using media helps students identify various story, theme, character, and genre features (Bruce, 2009).
- Using strategies like sketch-to-stretch helps adolescents infer or visualize about literature (Zoss, 2009).
- Adolescents who are given the opportunity to visually respond to literature are more likely to connect to the text. This includes drawing in response to to texts (Zoss, 2009).
- Adolescents should analyze pictorial texts with written texts. Adolescents should also analyze written texts with pictorial texts (Zoss, 2009).
- Visual representations (gestures, dramatizations, visual arts, musical, etc) of the texts demonstrate the multiple meanings of the text (Zoss, 2009).
- The ability to close read, analyze, and interpret texts are skills expected of successful writers in the workplace (Beaufort, 2009; Burke, 2007).
- The ability to evaluate, analyze, and scrutinize print and digital sources are crucial skills for college students (Yancey, 2009).
Questioning
- Questioning the text creates engagement with the text (Probst, 2007). Check out this article written by Stephanie Harvey for more about how to implement questioning in your classroom.
- Adolescents who write their own discussion questions become better discussants about the text (Probst, 2007).
- One strategy to help students generate questions about a text is forced-freewriting about the text (Probst, 2007).
- Questioning a text prompts student thinking about the text (Schoenbach & Greenleaf, 2009).
Determining Importance
- Adolescents need to determine the author's purpose and voice to read more critically (Schoenbach & Greenleaf, 2009).
- Using media like news reports, can help students determine main ideas and author's purpose (Bruce, 2009).
- Adolescents should be able to search for information "to solve informational problems" in the workplace (Burke, 2007).
- Book trailers offer adolescents the ability to create timelines and the understanding of what important information to leave out in order to create suspense (Kajder, 2007).
Summary/Synthesis
- Through collaboration (reading aloud and discussion), adolescents are able to analyze complex texts and summarize them (Schoenbach & Greenleaf, 2009).
- PowerPoint is a valuable digital format for students to synthesize in hypertext what they have read (Rhodes & Robnolt, 2009; Burke, 2007).
- Podcasts allow adolescents to synthesize their reading to authentic audiences (Kajder, 2007).
- Semantic maps, also known as mind maps, are valuable print formats for students to synthesize what they have read. Finding relationships between ideas in these mind maps, whether digital or print helps students understanding of the information and comprehend of the text (Rhodes & Robnolt, 2009).
- The ability to synthesize is an expected skill for writers in the workplace and college (Beaufort, 2009; Yancey, 2009). The product may vary in forms: visual, media, digital, or print (Burke, 2007).
- Creating media in response to a text is complementary to the "reading and writing connection." This media would include video games, music videos, videos, and song writing (Bruce, 2009).
- Read a variety of texts, perspectives, and genres before synthesis (Burke, 2007).
Resources
Alvermann, D. E. (2007). Multiliterate youth in the time of scientific reading instruction. Adolescent literacy: Turning promise into
practice. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Beaufort, A. (2009). Preparing adolescents for the literary demands of the 21st-century workplace. Handbook of adolescent literacy
research. New York: Guilford Press.
Bruce, D. L. (2009). Reading and writing video: Media literacy and adolescents. Handbook of adolescent literacy research. New York:
Guilford Press.
Burke, J. (2007). Teaching english langauge arts in a "flat" world. Adolescent literacy: Turning promise into practice. Portsmouth:
Heinemann.
Jackson, Y. & Cooper, E. (2007). Building academic success with underachieving adolescents. Adolescent literacy: Turning promise into
practice. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Johannessen, L. R. & McCann, T. M. (2009). Adolescents who struggle with literacy. Handbook of adolescent literacy research. New
York: Guilford Press.
Kajder, S. (2007). Unleashing potential with emerging technologies. Adolescent literacy: Turning promise into practice. Portsmouth:
Heinemann.
Majors, Y. J., Kim, J., & Ansari, S. (2009). Beyond hip-hop: Cultural context view of literacy. Handbook of adolescent literacy
research. New York: Guilford Press.
Reif, L. (2007). Writing: Commonsense matters. Adolescent literacy: Turning promise into practice. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Rhodes, J. A. & Robnolt, J. V. (2009). Digital literacies in the classroom. Handbook of adolescent literacy research. New York:
Guilford Press.
Probst, R. (2007). Tom sawyer, teaching, and talking. Adolescent literacy: Turning promise into practice. Portsmouth:
Heinemann.
Schoenbach, R. & Greenleaf, C. (2009). Fostering adolescents' engaged academic literacy. Handbook of adolescent literacy
research. New York: Guilford Press.
Smith, M. W. & Wilhelm J. D. (2009). Boys and literacy: Complexity and multiplicity. Handbook of adolescent literacy research. New
York: Guilford Press.
Yancey, K. B. (2009). The literacy demands of entering the university. Handbook of adolescent literacy research. New York:
Guilford Press.
Zoss, M. (2009). Visual arts and literacy. Handbook of adolescent literacy research. New York: Guilford Press.
practice. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Beaufort, A. (2009). Preparing adolescents for the literary demands of the 21st-century workplace. Handbook of adolescent literacy
research. New York: Guilford Press.
Bruce, D. L. (2009). Reading and writing video: Media literacy and adolescents. Handbook of adolescent literacy research. New York:
Guilford Press.
Burke, J. (2007). Teaching english langauge arts in a "flat" world. Adolescent literacy: Turning promise into practice. Portsmouth:
Heinemann.
Jackson, Y. & Cooper, E. (2007). Building academic success with underachieving adolescents. Adolescent literacy: Turning promise into
practice. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Johannessen, L. R. & McCann, T. M. (2009). Adolescents who struggle with literacy. Handbook of adolescent literacy research. New
York: Guilford Press.
Kajder, S. (2007). Unleashing potential with emerging technologies. Adolescent literacy: Turning promise into practice. Portsmouth:
Heinemann.
Majors, Y. J., Kim, J., & Ansari, S. (2009). Beyond hip-hop: Cultural context view of literacy. Handbook of adolescent literacy
research. New York: Guilford Press.
Reif, L. (2007). Writing: Commonsense matters. Adolescent literacy: Turning promise into practice. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Rhodes, J. A. & Robnolt, J. V. (2009). Digital literacies in the classroom. Handbook of adolescent literacy research. New York:
Guilford Press.
Probst, R. (2007). Tom sawyer, teaching, and talking. Adolescent literacy: Turning promise into practice. Portsmouth:
Heinemann.
Schoenbach, R. & Greenleaf, C. (2009). Fostering adolescents' engaged academic literacy. Handbook of adolescent literacy
research. New York: Guilford Press.
Smith, M. W. & Wilhelm J. D. (2009). Boys and literacy: Complexity and multiplicity. Handbook of adolescent literacy research. New
York: Guilford Press.
Yancey, K. B. (2009). The literacy demands of entering the university. Handbook of adolescent literacy research. New York:
Guilford Press.
Zoss, M. (2009). Visual arts and literacy. Handbook of adolescent literacy research. New York: Guilford Press.
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