If readers can read the words but don't understand what they're reading, then they are not really reading. Comprehension is the reason for reading. Text comprehension can be improved when students learn specific strategies to help them make sense of text. Instruction in specific comprehension strategies helps students become purposeful, active readers who are in control of their own comprehension.

Using graphic organizer is a proven comprehension strategy. They can help students focus on text structure as they read, help them see relationships within text, and help them write well-organized summaries.

(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching children to read: an evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Retrieved May 5, 2011, from http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/nrp/smallbook.htm.)

This video was originally part of the multimedia resource Literacy Strategies in Action produced in 2006 by KET in collaboration with the Kentucky Department of Education.

In the video, teacher Claire Batts (Athens Elementary, Fayette Co., Kentucky) guides her first and second grade students in using a graphic organizer to enhance their comprehension of an informational text.

This video was originally part of the multimedia professional development resource Literacy Strategies in Action produced by KET in 2006 in collaboration with the Kentucky Department of Education.

Print Background Essay