Processing and Comprehension Strategies During Reading

While reading, students have many thoughts going through their minds. As they work through processing the information, students:
1. Decode the structure, organization, and sounds of the letters in a text and then move onto the words in a text.
2. Develop the meanings of vocabulary and words. They move past just recognizing familiar sight words, but really understanding what they mean.
3. Piece together the words into full sentences and then paragraphs to grasp the main idea and concepts of the text.

As they read, they are processing the new information they read while also trying to apply it to information they have already learned. They try to build on what they already know.

While trying to fully comprehend a piece a text, students ask:
1. What is the main purpose of this text? What should I have learned?
2. What is the author trying to say?
3. How is the text organized? How is it easy to follow?
4. What parts am I confused about?
5. What are some new vocabulary terms I should know in order to really understand the text?
6. How does this text relate to my own life, classroom, family, and world?
7. What should I do with this new information?

According to Jennifer Allen's book, "Becoming A Literacy Learner" students should move from simply knowing skills in isolation to learning skills in context. They shouldn't just have lessons about skills without working them into the overall theme or unit of instruction. The skills need to relate to something the students can remember. They also need to move from word recognition (and memorization) to comprehension. Can the students correctly use these words in their own verbal exchanges? If so, then they have taking their comprehension of those words to a deeper level.

Also, Allen suggests that comprehension and processing doesn't just stop with reading and writing, but also speaking. Can they think about what another person has said and offer their own thoughts in an organized manner? Do they communicate well or do they just add thoughts about different issues when it is not quite appropriate for the discussion? Can they talk about other religions, cultures, and aspects of society in a respectful way? Now of course early readers may struggle with this and will not be able to recognize these terms, but they can still talk about the main issues, just with different terminology.