Building Knowledge for Comprehension

According to the simple view of reading, reading comprehension is the result of decoding × comprehension (Gough & Tunmer, 1986). Knowledge of vocabulary, syntax, morphology, and pragmatics forms the necessary foundations for comprehension, but is insufficient for comprehension of many texts. Traditionally, teaching of comprehension focused on teaching the underlying language skills and reading comprehension strategies. Hirsch (2007) and Willingham (2014), however, report that what is most critical for comprehension is world knowledge. Willingham explains that whether or not readers understand a text depends far more on how much background knowledge and vocabulary they have relating to the topic than on how much they have practiced comprehension skills. If readers cannot supply the missing information, they have a hard time making sense of the text.

Speech pathologists and educators can promote acquisition of world knowledge by teaching thematically, using meaningful texts that approach topics from a variety of perspectives. For example, when learning about the Civil Rights Movement, students can read narratives such as My Brother Martin (Farris, 2003), Through My Eyes (Bridges, 1999), Harvesting Hope: The Story of Caesar Chavez (Krull, 2003), and If a Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks (Ringgold, 1999) and complete an I-Chart (Inquiry Chart) (Hoffman, 1992). The I-Chart provides students with a framework for asking important questions, comparing answers across multiple texts, and coming to their own conclusions about the questions. The chart includes a row for new questions or interesting information that does not ask the basic questions. Table 1 provides an I-Chart framework for Civil Rights. In the process of completing an I-chart, students build their background knowledge on the topic so that they have the content knowledge to bring more complex and abstract academic texts.

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Table 1.

Civil Rights Inquiry Chart.

	My Brother Martin (Martin Luther King)	If a Bus Could Talk (Rosa Parks)	Harvesting Hope (Cesar Chavez)	Through My Eyes (Ruby Bridges)	Summary/interpretation
What was this person’s early remembered experience with racism?	Not being allowed to play with White friends	Ku Klux Klan riding by home and shooting rifles	Teacher hung sign on him, “I am a clown. I speak Spanish.”	Hearing people shouting bad words when she went to school	Some experiences were scary; some made people feel bad about themselves; some just did not make sense
What was his or her response or the response of others to this event?	Parents had been shielding them; parents explained what Blacks could not do	Family slept in clothes so that they could flee	Liked to learn, but came to hate school	Mother told her to pray for the people. Ruby did not really understand what was happening. She did not question why she was alone in school	Families often affected how the child responded to the events
What childhood experiences contributed to her or her adult goals?	Listening to his dad preach about bigotry; remembering his mother’s words that someday it would be better	Her mother seeing that she got a good education	Torment of working in the fields—spasms in back; wheezing and stinging eyes from chemicals; felt like a slave	For a long time she did not think about goals. When her brother died in 19, she began to think about what she should do to help	You can decide to do important things even when you are a kid; sometimes you do not understand what is happening at the time
Name a major thing he or she did as an adult that had an effect on civil rights	Led a march on Washington, DC. Gave the “I have a dream” speech	Refusing to give up her seat to a White man on a bus	Started the National Farm Workers Association; led a march of farm workers to Sacramento, CA state capitol	She went back to her grade school to help; she travels and talks about her experience	There are many things a person can do. Some led groups of people, and others did something brave by themselves
What was the effect of the person’s actions on civil rights?	He turned the world upside down; many people began to speak against segregation	People organized a boycott of the buses in Birmingham; Court ruled segregation against the law	Better working conditions for farm workers	A lot of people were impressed with her bravery; if she could do it, they could	Many were influenced by what these people did
Other questions/interesting information	How did his sister help him?	Why did she move to Detroit?	What is it like for migrant workers now?	What were Ruby’s experiences with White kids after her first year in school?	Why did all these people use nonviolence to get what they wanted? Do we still have problems with civil rights?