Theme 2: Why is text selection important in reading comprehension?

From the last theme, we explored the multitude of definitions for reading comprehension. And at the end of it all, it was found that reading comprehension is a personal experience for any individual and is all about strategies. To connect that to theme 2, in order for students to effectively use the vast strategies the text must be suitable for the student.

In Ch. 5 Text Matters: Choice Makes a Difference by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis, they say "interest is essential to comprehension." Comprehension is not about decoding words, but rather it is about teaching thinking. And in order for students to be able to practice all the comprehension skills, the readability of the book must be appropriate. Harvey and Goudvis categorizes the readability of the books into three different parts: easy, challenging, and just right. Just as it sounds, easy books are books that you do not have trouble understanding the author, you can read all the words with no struggle, and the ideas are clear to you. Challenging books are books that may be an interest to you, but you have immense struggle in understanding the concepts and you find yourself struggling with the vocabulary and ideas. Just right books are books that you understand for the most part, but an occasional concept or vocabulary may hiccup you in the process. Harvey and Goudvis refer the selection of readability as eating. They say, "if we only eat ice cream, we won't stay healthy, and if we only choose easy books, we won't get better at reading." I thought this was a really good analogy because even as adults, we tend to take the easy route whether it is in reading, working, writing, etc. But, we must set the example to the students that you have to advocate for yourself and know when to give yourself the challenge and when you deserve to just have an easy read.

While reading through theme's 2 reading selections, I realized I was practicing active literacy for reading comprehension. My reflection aligned with Ch.14 from Harvey and Goudvis titled 'Reading to Understand Textbooks.' I would definitely say this textbook is a considerate text because the content is well organized and understandable and I understand the purpose and intent of this text.   This textbook's readability is 'just right' because I am able to engage, comprehend, and think about the concepts told in the chapters. With this appropriate text selection for this course, I am able to practice specific strategies and track my own thinking, ultimately leading me to retain the information learned.

I also found many enlightened ideas about how to incorporate more non-fiction and picture books in the classroom. Non-fiction texts have always been a challenge of mine because they tend to be 'dry.' But, when I was reading the article "The Power and Potential of Primary Sources" by Denise N. Morgan and Timothy V. Rainski, it occurred to me that students could gain better insight into the topic at hand. As Morgan and Rainski say, "primary sources allow a student to get as close to a moment in time as possible, to have more of the firsthand, lived-through experience." There is nothing dry about that! I think no matter how young the student is, seeing real-life artifacts, letters, diaries, etc. will be eye opening for any student. With picture books, I always used them more for pleasant reading time, rather than an instructional read. I never thought picture books could be so versatile and have depth to teach reading strategies. But, in Ch. 5 "Text Matters: Choice Makes a Difference" by Harvey and Goudvis, they subhead ways to use picture books with different learners such as, older kids, young children, reluctant readers, linguistically diverse learners, and more. Picture books offer a sense of engagement that just regular texted books cannot. As Harvey and Goudvis say, there is a "picture book for every reader and a reader for every picture book." I think because it can connect the readers in different aspects, picture books are good for active literacy.

In summary, text selection is important in reading comprehension because reading comprehension is a skill, not inherent. It is a skill where students must understand the text, find value in the text, and confide in the text; however, in order to get personal with the text, the student must find that personal attachment. It is up to the student to view all sorts of texts with the appropriate strategies, while enjoying the process.And that is a journey in itself.