Reading Comprehension

31 days-- a new idea # 4 : Reading Strategy: Anchor Chart

I mention that we teach comprehension with intention.   I co-taught an entire 3 credit course last spring that focused primarily on how to teach reading comprehension. So I know I will never do it justice in a short blog post! 

But I can send you to my pinboard for a series of resources, ideas, and books to get you going if you'd like to learn what strategies, terms, and concepts are best practice in educational circles.  

I will weave in some of the strategies this month. But I'll start today with the concept that is simple, effective, and trendy: ANCHOR CHARTS

An anchor chart is created often WITH the kids, and then is displayed in the classroom for future reference.  This is an anchor chart I made with our elementary age kids in March when I realized in our quality Sunday School curriculum, AWANA programming, etc. We don't ever intentionally talk about how to read the Bible.  Click on the two links in this paragraph to see both parts of my lesson plan.  

This anchor chart started with the question: 

How do good readers read the BIBLE?  

• a good reader knows the resources/features in their Bible? (a concordance, a list of cross references, vocabulary, pictures, question boxes, etc.) 
• a good reader chooses a Bible that he/she enjoys and can read without a lot of help.  (storybook Bibles with large print/pictures, and with only selected portions of text/retold Bible story is appropriate for an early reader, and then there are translations for different reading levels (ICB is not on this cbd list and it's a 2nd grade level).   
• a good reader tries different Bible types and translations just like any other book. 
• a good reader reads with strategies like any other book. 
•  predicting, clarifying, summarizing, and connecting