Language Comprehension

Decoding alone does not lead to skilled reading. Proficient readers can also understand what they are reading. Middle school students who have difficulties making meaning out of text will benefit from interventions in language comprehension.

“As important as reading foundational skills are, they cannot produce proficient readers on their own. Students also need instruction to help them build their background knowledge, language comprehension, expand their vocabulary, and deploy comprehension strategies strategically to become proficient readers.”

—Dr. D. Ray Reutzel, Literacy Expert

BY THE NUMBERS

Middle School Students Who Need Intervention in Language Comprehension

i-Ready Assessment data shows that, of all the students who took the i-Ready Diagnostic in fall 2022, 18 percent of students at the Grade 6 level and 32 percent of students at the Grade 8 level who demonstrate proficiency in foundational skills are still three or more grade levels below in their ability to comprehend texts.

For these students, routine-based language comprehension instruction can develop reading habits that enable them to understand what they are reading and make progress toward accessing on-level texts.

Teach the Critical Content for Language Comprehension

What is the critical content? Some key areas where middle school teachers should focus their reading interventions are:

Building Knowledge
Building Vocabulary
Determining Main Idea

In this next section, we'll look at a few high-leverage practices recommended by What Works Clearinghouse (2023) for supporting growth in these areas for older learners. These practices are not meant to be comprehensive, but to serve as examples of high-impact strategies for your work with students.

How can you scaffold grade-level reading and content area instruction while students build skills? Read this whitepaper for tips.

CRITICAL SKILL

Build Knowledge

Why is this critical for middle school learners?

Once our students have mastered decoding, their growth as readers relies heavily on background information. Background knowledge acts as scaffolding, so when a student builds on information they already know, they’re better able to understand and remember the material. By focusing on knowledge building, you not only support students’ ability to comprehend the text in front of them—you open access to additional content to come.

What types of texts are best for building knowledge?
This guide provides a checklist for selecting knowledge-rich reading resources.

CRITICAL SKILL

Build Knowledge

High-Leverage Practices

Choose Content-Rich Texts (Especially Nonfiction)
How does this support learning?

Increases vocabulary and content knowledge
Supports development of critical thinking
Scaffolds learning across subject areas

Build Knowledge Before Reading
How does this support learning?

Builds background knowledge
Improves meaning making
Technique:

Engage students in a three- to five-minute introduction to a topic before students read a passage on that topic.

CRITICAL SKILL

Build Vocabulary

Why is this critical for middle school learners?

Middle school content across subject areas is increasingly sophisticated, and some students need support comprehending a text because they don’t know the meaning of important academic vocabulary. Teaching new words and their meanings can support students in making sense of complex content.

CRITICAL SKILL

Build Vocabulary

High-Leverage Practices

Teach Essential Words
How does this support learning?

Increases students’ ability to comprehend
Technique:

Identify and briefly teach the meaning of a few conceptually critical words before reading and pause intermittently to provide the meaning of other essential words during reading.

Derive Meaning Using Context
How does this support learning?

Provides strategies for attacking unfamiliar words
Improves meaning making
Technique:

Explicitly model how to find context clues to derive meaning from words.

CRITICAL SKILL

Determine Main Idea

Why is this critical for middle school learners?

Determining main idea can both demonstrate and reinforce comprehension by providing an opportunity for students to identify and synthesize the most important ideas from the passage.

For more support in language comprehension, check out this podcast on using vertical planning to support close reading.

CRITICAL SKILL

Determine Main Idea

High-Leverage Practices

Model Using a Routine
How does this support learning?

Provides a strategy for determining gist, or main idea
Offers consistent steps so students can focus on comprehension
Creates gradual release of responsibility

Work Collaboratively
How does this support learning?

Provides opportunities for students to talk through process and challenges
Motivates students to work with peers
Technique:

Group students in small groups or pairs to work on identifying the main idea together