Thursday, January 19, 2017

Say What? Comprehension!




It is amazing to me how much my kindergarten students are capable of learning.  Every time I did a color level check, it seemed they were able to decode more and more words.  But do they really understand what they are reading at such a young level.  I had six students that moved into 1 Red and 2 Red.  Utterly amazing, hard working students!  They are fluent readers and are becominmore expressive as they read!  However, I was unsure if they really understood all the new vocabulary words and could retell what they were reading.  I wanted them to work on the comprehension standard for the color level they were in.  So  I felt for my 1R and 2R readers I had to focus on 2nd Grade standards.  That’s a lot of researching for a kindergarten teacher.  So that is why I collaborated with some teachers and came up with these comprehension packet. I have to admit, they are pretty helpful and I have been loving them during Daily 5!

Day 1-4, start small.  We read one task card per day.  We highlighted major events and responses.  The students then did a verbal retell with a partner!  By day two I was seeing great improvement.  Check out a few of my amazing students.  You will notice that I still have to guide my students into their thought process. 




On day one of week two we began by reading a short passage and answering comprehension questions.





 We then read a picture book that I am in love with.  Back to Front and Upside Down by Claire Alexander.  These fabulous students did an amazing job on their written retell. 





We finished a short retell by answering comprehension questions on the book.  




Once I was confident that they each had a great understanding of major events in a story,  we did a literacy circle using the chapter book Tornado.  Since I'm working with kindergarten students, we talked through the question and answer page rather than write it out.  We had some great discussions!


This resource has been such a time saver for me.  I strive to provide each of my students with differentiated instruction as much as possible and this has helped me truly provide one piece I felt I was missing.