Demonstrating Comprehension Through Journal Writing

Overview

Featured Resources

From Theory to Practice

 

OVERVIEW

This lesson invites students to demonstrate comprehension by responding to open-ended questions based on the 1939 Newbery Honor chapter book Mr. Popper's Penguins. Students draw from the text and their personal experiences to create written journals. Journal writing allows students to be less formal as they incorporate their own thoughts, feelings, and opinions into responses. Involvement with and relation to a story's characters, setting, and plot also enhance comprehension and promote a deeper understanding of the story. This lesson does not need to be completed on consecutive days but may be incorporated as part of a standard read-aloud session used in the classroom.

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FEATURED RESOURCES

Journal Questions: This helpful handout will guide your students to respond to questions related to each chapter of Mr. Popper's Penguins in a personal journal.

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FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

Barton, J. & Sawyer, D.M. (2003). Our students are ready for this: Comprehension instruction in the elementary school. The Reading Teacher, 57(4), 334–347.

• Making personal connections helps with comprehension. Teachers can encourage students to make associations between their lives and the characters, setting, feelings, and ideas presented in what they read.
  
  
• Talking, writing, and drawing provide students with the chance to reflect upon and understand what they read.

 

Bauman, J., Hooten, H., & White, P. (1999). Teaching comprehension through literature: A teacher-research project to develop fifth-graders' reading strategies and motivation. The Reading Teacher, 50, 38–51.

• Trade books can provide a medium for teaching reading comprehension strategies.
  
  
• Teachers can combine comprehension strategy instruction with reading and response activities.
  
  
• The following comprehension strategies may be used by students: self-questioning, retelling, writing, summarizing, predicting and verifying, using a story map, assuming a character role, and responding aesthetically.

 

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