Chapter 14: Narrative Reading

Teaching Reading Sourcebook 2nd edition

Narrative Reading

Comprehension instruction typically begins with narrative text because children develop an awareness of narrative text early; connect narrative text elements to their own lives.

Types of Narrative Text include fables, folk tales, fairy tales fantasies, science fiction myths, legends, tall tales plays, poems, short stories, novels

Story Structure

Recognizing story structure is a prerequisite to effective strategy use.

Knowing story structure helps students identify what is relevant for understanding.

Story elements include: setting characters plot theme

A story map is a graphic organizer for narrative text structure.

Strategy Application Asking questions

Initially teachers model the types of questions readers need to ask while reading.

Answering questions Teacher directed questions can encourage

deeper levels of comprehension. Monitoring Comprehension

Teachers model thinking aloud self monitoring questions.

Connecting to World Knowledge Teachers guide students to connect to relevant

prior experiences or to other stories.

Strategy Application Predicting

Teachers guide students to make predictions based on prior knowledge or story structure.

Constructing Mental Images Teachers provide explicit teaching to help

students create mental images as they read. Summarizing

Narrative text summaries often take the form of retelling and focus on story elements.

Transactional Strategies Emphasize collaborative discussion among

learners.

Research on Transactional Theories Meaning is not found in text alone but is constructed

by reader and text. Group interpretation is different from that of any

single reader. Over time, group work helps students internalize the

processes of the group. Reader Response to Literature: This refers to how

readers form personal responses through discussion and writing.

Transactional Strategies Instruction TSI: This emphasizes collaborative discussion, metacognition, motivation and reader response.

When to Teach, Assess, Intervene

Comprehension instruction should begin as soon as students interact with text and continue through high school.

Students learn comprehension strategies in tandem with word-level strategies.

Reliable comprehension assessment should be aligned with instruction and include: ongoing assessments of strategy use; retellings, student think aloud protocols, and other

process-focused measures, which can be used for diagnosing and remediation.