Rationale
Reading comprehension is a skill that lower elementary school kids struggle to master. It is an even bigger skill to master for students classified as "struggling, or at-risk readers". For the purposes of this curriculum based unit, reading comprehension can be defined as a process in which readers access prior knowledge and put it together with information found within a text to construct meaning. In order for students to be able to comprehend a text successfully, they are required to make connections, visualize what is said, infer meaning, and ask questions that will lead to understanding. 1 Many factors can prevent students from mastering reading comprehension, such as; low academic achievement, being held back a grade, poor behavior and attendance, and low socioeconomic status. 2
This research-based curriculum unit will be designed to highlight the best practices used to teach reading comprehension skills and strategies to lower elementary school students and at-risk students.
Demographics
George Washington Carver Elementary School is an inner-city school located in the Jackson Ward area of Richmond, Virginia. Ninety-nine percent of the school's population is Black, and ninety-three percent of the students attending George Washington Carver Elementary School receive free or reduced-price lunch.
At the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, there were 22 students in my class. Two students received speech therapy twice a week, and one was an English as a Second Language (ESL) student. Out of the class of 22 students, 13 were classified as "on track" readers, 3 were classified as "emergent" readers, and 4 were classified as strugglers. The goal for the school year was for each student to make measureable progress in the areas of reading and comprehension.
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