Journal Reflection 3

RICA Domain 5: Comprehension

RICA Competency 13 : Comprehension: Instruction and assessment – before children read, while children read and after children read

Grade Level: First Grade

      I observed Mrs. D teach a comprehension strategy after reading a book to the class. The strategy was sharing personal perspectives (page 99). During the read aloud, Mrs. D asked the students to predict what might happen in the story. She also asked the students to think about which part in the story they like best. Mrs. D allowed students to share their favorite parts during a think-pair-share at the end. When the story and discussion were finished, Mrs. D modeled the task she wanted the class to complete. She wrote about her personal favorite part of the story. Then she drew a picture of that part. Since most of her students are English Language Learners, she has worksheets with sentence starters. The students had to say the word while tracing each letter of the word. After writing the complete sentence, they drew a picture of their favorite part of the story. The teacher walked around to check student work and ask why they chose to illustrate and write about that part in the story. If a student needed help, they could get clues from the posters in the reading corner. 

     This “favorite part” activity is a post reading task that falls under the category of sharing personal perspectives in competency 13. I think one of the most important elements of comprehension for first graders is having them make personal connections. It seems like the students can comprehend events in a story if they make personal connections. The visual representation of their favorite part also helps their comprehension. Mrs. D’s room is filled with visual clues for how to comprehend after reading. I took a picture of one of the clues that some students were using during the writing activity.