by Matt Lipford

Created on: March 16, 2011

In the fast-paced environment of the modern-day classroom, many students – and even educators – forget the main goal of reading: to comprehend. What’s more, given the proper reading strategies, many students can even learn to enjoy what they read. In order to fully and accurately assess a student’s literacy with an emphasis on balanced reading and comprehension, a number of strategies and techniques can be used. As long as a teacher understands that every student has different learning styles, they can develop accurate and powerful reading comprehension lessons that meet all or their student’s needs.

 The first strategy is known as “authentic assessment”.  In this technique, the word “authentic” is used to describe instructional activities inside the classroom as they are reflected out in the real world.  This is such a powerful way to teach reading, since many middle and high-school students have no motivation to read.  By bringing in real-world situations, many students will start to relate to a particular reading.

Some specific examples of authentic assessment, which also contribute to a balanced reading and writing curriculum, include observations, think-alouds, and anecdotal accounts.  For example, by simply prefacing a particular reading with the question, “has anyone in this classroom ever felt cheated?” will instantly pique the interest of many in the class.  You can then promote a “think-aloud” where students can give individual accounts of their personal situations, thereby promoting a lively discussion   

Another stand-out method is a technique called “retelling”.  Here, the student recaps a selection of literature that has either been read to them or that the students themselves have read.  Then they either orally retell the story themselves and in their own words, or execute a written retelling.  Another option, especially for the more “active” (difficult) students, may be to perform the reading as a play. This is a great example of evaluation because it not only demonstrates comprehension, but it also meets the oral conventions of the California State Standards.  With permission, the performances can then be videotaped for later analysis and evaluation, or scored numerically based on the student’s main idea retention.

 For the artistic-minded student, assembling and evaluating a portfolio is a way to both stimulate the student visually, and to ensure that the reading is being understood.  Many high-school literature classes demand that the student read a number of short stories and poems.  These forms of media, since they are typically read in one sitting, offer the perfect environment for portfolio creation.  All the teacher need is a variety of magazines at their disposal.  After the poem or story is read, the student then simply creates a collage of images and concepts that pertain to the reading.  Of course, a written portion should also be included, but the emphasis can still be on the portfolio, which is something the student will be able to walk away with.

 As many teachers know, reading is primarily an audible skill.  However, by differentiating the classroom with as many visual, tactile, kinesthetic, and personal lessons as possible, almost any student will gain an interest in reading.  Many will walk away with a more positive attitude toward reading. 

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