Elements Of Reading Comprehension

Even if a child can use their cue systems to decode printed words, if a word is not in their vocabulary, they will find it difficult to recognise the word (Konza, 2006, p.45). Continuous exposure to new vocabulary is a critical element of learning to read. A child's vocabulary is one of the best predictors of reading accuracy and comprehension. If a child is to learn from what they read, they must be able to use context clues, in addition to having an understanding of the meaning of the words they read (National Educational Psychological Service, 2016, p.51). Although a person acquires their vocabulary mostly indirectly, the NRP (2000) recommends teachers extend their students vocabulary on a daily basis through direct instruction, such as

It is the final key element in a balanced approach to learning to read and focuses on understanding and taking meaning from text. Each of the other elements contributes to reading instruction by acting as the essential prerequisites to strong comprehension (Konza, 2006, p.49). An effective balanced teacher will provide students with a range of comprehension strategies, such as predicting, skimming, scanning and self-correcting and will encourage active participation in the reading process (Farmer, 2018). Strategies such as these will help readers link what they already know with the text to arrive at new knowledge and understanding (Winch, 2016, p.92). Knowing when and how to use comprehension strategies helps students understand more of what they are reading and enables them in becoming self-regulated in their learning. Good readers, as Konza (2016, p.164), suggests, monitor their understanding as they absorb new information. Drawing on existing knowledge, they ask themselves questions and pull from a repertoire of comprehension strategies when they have difficulties understanding what they are reading. For a teacher to be effective in a balanced literacy to teaching these strategies, they must know exactly what a balanced approach is and be highly competent in their

Teachers, as Shaw and Hurst (2016) point out, must have a thorough understanding of the rationale for implementing specific instructional components. Their research suggests many teachers do not often have an appropriate definition of balanced literacy, which results in their inability to execute a balanced instruction successfully to their students. The abilities of teachers vary immensely, and there is a clear relationship between the number of successful readers and the number of excellent literacy teachers. Quality teachers as Pressley and Allington (2014), suggest are a crucial factor in the successful instruction of