Being placed in 6th grade has been great, but I was in a math class so I only observed a handful of English classes and none of them talked about comprehension. However, the English teacher was willing to talk with me about comprehension and the SPED teacher was also there. However, they did not have a lot to say about the topic of increasing independent comprehension.
How do you keep notes about what you are seeing in class?
“I don’t really take notes. If I see something is really off, I will go talk to that student individually or talk to them at some point. Other than that, I don’t really take notes. They silent read every morning, so they should have an understanding of comprehension.”
What are your thoughts around that topic?
“This is 6th grade, this is a skill that they should know by now. Once they get into 7th, 8th, and beyond, they are expected to know how to read and understand what they read.”
How do you encourage comprehension in your classroom?
“I ask some guiding questions. A big thing for us is the 5 finger model; the who, what, why, when, and where. From there, the questions and answers just kind of ping off of each other in order to have a deep understanding.”
Do you have any books or articles you would suggest I read?
“I do not have any books or articles to recommend.”
Is there another special I should watch or teacher/administrator I should talk with to deepen my knowledge of the topic?
“I would just say watch what kind of questions Mrs. H (SPED) and I ask in class. Discussion can go anywhere, so that helps with comprehension, too.”