FOR-PD’s Reading Strategy of the Month

A person's schema or knowledge structure can be regarded as the central guidance system in the comprehension process. An individual searches existing schemata to make sense of incoming information from the text. The degree to which this incoming information is consistent with the expectations generated from existing schemata determines the presence or absence of comprehension (Readance, Bean, & Baldwin, 2001, p. 41). Reading also involves the interaction between the reader's knowledge, text variables, reader interest, and the quality of teaching. Additionally, the students ' language facilities play a powerful role in comprehension (Readance, Bean, & Baldwin, 2001). According to Guthrie (2001), engaged reading is a combination of thoughtfulness and motivation. The Put Reading First definition of reading includes the development and maintenance of a motivation to read. Engagement in reading can "compensate for low achievement attributed to low family income and educational background. " Engaged readers can overcome obstacles to achievement and become agents of their own reading growth (Guthrie, 2001, p. 2). Graphic organizers help students construct meaning. The Venn diagram contributes to keeping students actively involved. It is a simple graphic organizer. The Venn diagram allows students to help structure the way they “think ” about the similarities and differences between concepts. They work best when the students complete them, instead of having the teachers do it for them