5 Ways of Teaching Comprehension with a Science of Reading Frame of Mind

These days, it would be very hard to find a teacher who teaches reading and has not heard the words Science of Reading. It refers to the body of research and evidence-based practices that inform effective reading instruction. The science of reading emphasizes the importance of understanding how reading develops, how the brain processes written language, and the essential components of reading instruction. Understanding this science is crucial for educators seeking to enhance their comprehension instruction.  

For myself, it means changing my reading instruction to be much more systematic where I am following a scope and sequence and my instruction is now very explicit. Explicit instruction must be clear, precise and thorough.

I feel so grateful for all of the numerous opportunities and professional development classes where I have learned about how to change my instruction to adhere to the principles of the Science of Reading. I have found that this is much easier to do with phonics and phonemic awareness instruction, but actually it is a bit challenging with comprehension instruction. In this blog post, I am going to share with you what I have learned.

Top 5 Ways to Incorporate the Science of Reading into Your Comprehension Instruction

1. Strong phonemic and phonics awareness is the foundation of comprehension.

Begin by ensuring that students develop strong phonemic awareness. This foundational skill allows learners to recognize and manipulate the sounds in spoken words. Activities such as sound matching, segmentation, and blending can be incorporated into daily lessons. Phonics instruction should follow phonemic awareness. Teach students the relationship between letters and sounds, using systematic and explicit methods. For instance, using letter tiles or interactive games like Boom Cards can make learning engaging. It is very important for a reader to self-monitor or listen to themselves read so that they can self-correct and make meaning from the text that they are reading.

2. Build vocabulary to aide reading comprehension through the meaning of words.

Vocabulary development is essential for comprehension! Encourage students to explore new words in context and provide opportunities for them to use these words in their writing and discussions. Implement strategies such as word mapping, where students create visual representations of words, or use graphic organizers to connect new vocabulary to known concepts. This not only enhances their vocabulary but also supports their comprehension skills. Continue reading to the bottom of this post for freebie to help your students strengthen and retain their vocabulary knowledge!

3. Focus on fluency with reader’s theater to improve prosody and understanding.

Fluency is the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression which is also known as prosody. To promote fluency, encourage repeated reading of texts, allowing students to practice until they feel confident. Incorporate partner reading, where students take turns reading aloud to each other. This method not only builds fluency but also fosters collaborative learning and peer support. I love to use readers’ theatre texts to build fluency!

4. Teach various comprehension skills using the same mentor text.

Teach various comprehension skills using the same text-Implement specific comprehension strategies such as predicting, questioning, summarizing, and clarifying and do this with one text. Prior to this science of reading era that we are living in, we would choose books based on one comprehension skill. Today, it is best practice to use the same text to teach and strengthen numerous comprehension skills. You can check out Carla’s book companion sets which include a multiple comprehension skills and writing prompts for ideas.

5. Make your instruction very explicit and model, model, model!

The science of reading demands explicit instruction.  This means that you must have a step by step process to show and model for students.  For example, model how to a make a prediction about a text before reading it so they can see the process and set a purpose. Then, make a list together on chart paper during your mini-lesson of the specific steps that a reader has to take in order to make a prediction.  Model questioning as you do your daily read-aloud. Encourage students to ask and answer questions during group work.  Use a mnemonic like Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then to help students summarize what they have read. These strategies help students to actively engage with the material and enhance their understanding. 

Still wanting for more on how to teach comprehension following the Science of Reading?

The best place that I have found to learn more about science of reading focused comprehension instruction is reading the book “Shifting the Balance” by Katie Egan Cunningham, Jan Burkins and Kari Yates (affiliate link).  Shift 2 focuses solely on ways to strengthen comprehension with their “Strategic Six Thinking Moves” (Cunningham,Burkins & Yates, 2024).

Another fantastic resource is listening to episode #66 of the podcast titled Melissa and Lori Love Literacy (link). This episode contains an interview with Nell Duke who wrote a fantastic article in The Reading Teacher magazine about teaching comprehension that you access by clicking here. 

Support Science of Reading Instruction with Vocabulary

To help you with the vocabulary component, I created this vocabulary journal. You can use it as you are teaching new words for any text. To download, just click the image below.

Are you interested in the other posts in our blog hop? To visit them, click the logo below.

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Thanks so much for the opportunity to share a post on your site, Carla, and I hope that your readers will drop by Making Readers to learn more literacy instructional tips from me. Literacy is my passion, and I continue to practice the Science of Reading methods each day with my students.

Thank you Kim for sharing your expertise, and I look forward to collaborating again soon.