NES 201 Middle Grades English Language Arts course

FREE CHAPTER

Comprehension monitoring

Before teaching, display this challenge without defining the skill: A reader encounters 'condensation' in a science explanation and realizes the next sentence no longer makes sense. Ask: What can we establish from the evidence, and what would be a guess?

Key words

metacognition

awareness and regulation of thinking — e.g. When a science paragraph contradicts a prediction, a reader rereads the causal explanation and revises the prediction.

evidence

details that justify an interpretation — e.g. When a science paragraph contradicts a prediction, a reader rereads the causal explanation and revises the prediction.

context

surrounding information that shapes meaning — e.g. When a science paragraph contradicts a prediction, a reader rereads the causal explanation and revises the prediction.

analysis

explaining how details support an idea — e.g. Explain the clue in: When a science paragraph contradicts a prediction, a reader rereads the causal explanation and revises the prediction.

misconception

a plausible but incorrect understanding — e.g. A student continues reading despite losing the argument; pause and summarize each paragraph.

Remember this

• Look for decisive evidence when applying comprehension monitoring.
• Explain your reasoning using a specific clue or rule: Monitoring means recognizing a breakdown and deliberately repairing it: reread, use nearby diagrams, define the term, and check the revised interpretation.
• Check an alternative interpretation against the text; correct application: Reread the causal evidence, revise the prediction, and verify the explanation; predictions must yield to text.

Clue → Rule → Proof: locate the clue, apply the rule, and explain why it fits.