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Teaching First Graders to Comprehend Complex Texts Through Read‐Alouds
Author(s) -
Witte Priscilla G.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the reading teacher
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.642
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1936-2714
pISSN - 0034-0561
DOI - 10.1002/trtr.1467
Subject(s) - vocabulary , psychology , dialogic , comprehension , class (philosophy) , mathematics education , selection (genetic algorithm) , formative assessment , teaching method , protocol analysis , reading comprehension , think aloud protocol , vocabulary development , pedagogy , linguistics , reading (process) , computer science , artificial intelligence , philosophy , cognitive science , usability , human–computer interaction
This formative and design study examined how the Complex Text Analysis ( CTA ) instructional approach provided support for first‐grade students to increase their comprehension of texts of increasing complexity. The students in the diverse class participated in weekly lessons during which fictional texts were read aloud and analyzed in terms of key events, characters' actions and/or feelings, and central message. The responsibility for analyzing the text was gradually released to the students. Analysis of the data indicated that all students made significant progress in the ability to analyze texts of increasing complexity. The CTA approach was enhanced by intentional book selection, extensive scaffolding, and students' use of dialogic discussions. Additional positive effects produced by the CTA approach included increased vocabulary knowledge and improved ability to write stories with clear central messages.