Transitioning from Kindergarten to 3 grade has been difficult for me. My kids are doing incredibly poor in the Comprehension part of the Treasures Unit theme tests. Can you give me any tips on how I can help my class improve their comprehension? I started having them find the topic sentence in each paragraph and underlining it as well as using the QAR-question answer relationships for each question. I feel as though the underlining of the topic sentence has thrown them off, because they did worse this time around than the 1st test (before I got into the classroom). I'm scared of getting fired.
QAR- The "on my own," "author and me," Think and search" and the "right there" strategies. Which do you suggest I start to teach?
I don't know those strategies. Check these:http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/literacy/comprehension_strategies.html
I do those strategies on the link too, but I think they get confused on the reading part. It's too much reading for them & by the time they go and answer the question they get confused on what the right answer is. I don't like the Treasures unit tests.
You need to model taking one of these tests with the students, have them practice with a partner, etc. I would show them how you read the questions before reading the story. Then, as you read the story, you make notes on the passage to guide you for later. Then show them how you read a question and find the answer in the passage (right there and think and search). Finally, talk with them about inferences (author and me) and how they need to use background knowledge and text information.
