Comprehension: The Key to Successful Reading
(Grades K-3) / Flex Course
PDI Course Number: 70T02 / UCSD Course Number: EDUC41474
Course Description
Do you have students in K-3 who read all the words correctly and then have no idea what they just read? This online course focuses on improving students’ comprehension skills. The online course for teachers begins by offering four different options for assessing comprehension, including retelling, cloze procedure, maze procedure, and miscue analysis. Then, teachers are introduced to a wealth of strategies that can improve and support a reader’s comprehension. Strategies presented include strengthening pre-reading background knowledge, using anticipation guides to understand students’ current level of understanding of a topic, DRTA to help guide students through an entire reading, and helping students understand question levels. Students will also be taught about text structure to help them better approach and comprehend the type of text they are engaged with. Additionally guided reading and reciprocal teaching techniques will be explored. Teachers will also learn how to effectively formulate comprehension questions across a variety of different levels. Finally, teachers will understand how vocabulary affects comprehension. Of course, suggestions for using literature to engage and inspire young readers will be shared. By the end of this continuing education course, teachers will have gained many strategies to support student comprehension. This online professional development course is worth 3 ⅓ semester units/5 quarter units (50 hours of training) from University of California San Diego (UCSD) Division of Extended Studies. For detailed information on receiving university credit for your PDI professional development course, visit our credit page.
Need help? Kimya Nabavi, PDI Program Coordinator, is ready to assist.
"Content provided valuable information on current practices and strategies utilized for reading comprehension in the lower elementary grades. It could be used immediately in the classroom. The format was easy to follow and understand from beginning to end." - Carolyn Leslie
This course is worth 3 ⅓ semester units or 5 quarter units of graduate-level credit from UCSD.
You have up to one year from the date you are enrolled to complete a flex course.
View the online course syllabus.
Print our customized course approval form to share with your school district.
TOPICAL OUTLINE
UCSD Course Number: EDUC41474
Unit One
- Focus on Comprehension: Putting Research into Action
- Levels of Comprehension
- Introduction to the Common Core Reading Standards
- Assignment #1: Write an autobiography
- Test #1
Unit Two
- Assessment Through Retelling
- Cloze Procedure and Maze Technique
- Miscue Analysis
- Assignment #2: Article reflection
- Test #2
Unit Three
- Pre-Reading Strategies
- Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA)
- Questioning Levels and Techniques
- Assignment #3: Share your expertise
- Test #3
Unit Four
- Anticipation Guides
- Text Structure
- How Vocabulary Affects Comprehension
- Test #4
Unit Five
- Early Readers
- Struggling Readers
- Guided Reading
- Test #5
Unit Six
- Focus on Nonfiction Literature
- Reciprocal Teaching
- Using Literature to Engage and Inspire Young Readers
- Assignment #4: Write two DRTA lessons
- Assignment #5: Course Reflection
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