PRIMALS 4-6

Pedagogical Retooling in Mathematics, Languages,

and Science for Grades 4-6 Teachers

Session 13.0
Overview of explicit teaching of
reading comprehension skills

Learning Action Cell Session Guide

English 4-6

Prepared by:

VICTORIA D. MANGASER
Education Program Supervisor I
Zamboanga City Division Office
Department of Education – Region IX
Objectives of the Session

At the end of the session, teachers should be able to:

 1. Differentiate between integrated literacy instruction and the Explicit
Teaching of literacy skills;
2. Explain the principle of scaffolding in explicit skills instruction of reading
comprehension skills;
3. Determine how explicit teaching is used in making students aware of
reading comprehension; and,
4. Determine procedures on teaching students’ reading skills and strategies
that will transfer to independent reading situations.

Key Understanding or Learning Points

1. Whole language approach (WLA) involves the process of constructing

meaning through the use of language for real and meaningful purposes. It is
characterized by the use of a variety of materials covering a broad range of
subjects and themes.
2. Text comprehension can be improved by instruction that helps readers use
specific comprehension strategies.
3. Successful comprehension instruction involves four components: large
amounts of time for actual reading; teacher-directed instruction in
comprehension strategies; opportunities for peer and collaborative learning;
and occasions for students to talk to a teacher and one another about their
responses to reading (Fielding & Pearson, 1994).
4. Explicit teaching can be done in pre-, during, or post reading parts of the
lesson.
5. Explicit Teaching or Direct Instruction is a generic plan for developing a
wide range of strategies.
6. There are 6 essential reading skills children need to learn namely: retell and
summarize; determine main idea, visualize ideas; ask questions; make
connections; and synthesize ideas.
7. Thinking stems can be used in modeling reading strategies and can help
students understand better.
8. Explicit teaching seeks to develop reading skills and strategies that can be
applied to other reading situations without teacher support.
9. It can be used for other skills such as vocabulary, language structure, word
recognition, and study skills.

Materials Needed Approximate Duration

 Segment 1 of the video on 1.5 hours / 90 minutes

Explicit Teaching of Reading
Comprehension
 PowerPoint presentation (slides
1-18)
 Metacards
 Manila paper
 Permanent markers
 Masking tape/ paper tape
References

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PRIMALS English Chief Trainers’ Session Guide
BEST Teacher Resource Package in Grades 4-6 English
Hermosa, Nemah (2017). Explicit Instruction in Reading Comprehension.

Introduce the session

“Good ________ I am __________ of ___________________. Welcome to

LAC Session No. ____. In this session, we are going to talk about Explicit
Teaching of Reading Comprehension. The first of 2 segments where we will look
closer at Explicit Teaching and how we can effectively use it in developing the
reading comprehension skills of our students.”

“The resource speaker for this session is Dr. Alice B. Orosa, a reading specialist of
the Dela Salle University who will share her expertise on Explicit Teaching.”

Priming Activity (5 minutes)

Directions: Tell if the statement is TRUE or FALSE.

1. Exposure to more text increases comprehension.

2. The read, read, read approach leads to active meaning construction during
reading.
3. Text comprehension can be improved by instruction that helps readers use
specific comprehension strategies.
4. Explicit teaching is when teachers explain and model rather than just
mention and assign.
5. Explicit teaching makes students aware of reading comprehension and
teaches them skills that will transfer to independent reading situations.

Note to the facilitator: Checking of answers will be done before the end of the
session as post assessment.

ACTIVITY (15 minutes)

Note to the facilitator: Divide the big group into three (3) small groups (3-5
participants per group is ideal for LAC sessions).

Directions:

1. Individually, list down what you think is the least learned reading
comprehension skills of the students in your classes.
2. Compare your list with that of your group mates. Rank the least learned
skills. Choose the most common least learned reading comprehension skill
identified in the group.
3. Once the group has agreed on the number 1 or the most common least
learned reading comprehension skill, as a group, discuss and do the
following:
a. Remember the time you tried to develop the reading skill in your

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 class.
b. List down the steps/procedure you followed in developing the skill
among your students. Describe and explain each step.
c. Write some questions you would ask your students to check whether
the skill/s was developed or being developed in each of the step.
d. Cite specific activities that you think would best check if pupils
learned the particular reading comprehension skill.
4. Present your output to the big group.

ANALYSIS (15 minutes)

1. Are there commonalities in the approaches/steps/procedures that you use

in developing the identified reading comprehension skills?
2. What are the common activities teachers engage their students to develop
reading comprehension skills?
3. How effective are they in the development of reading comprehension skills
of the students? Why do you think so?

ABSTRACTION (30 minutes)

Note to the facilitator: Before the viewing of the video, present to the participants
the following guide questions.

Guide Questions:
1. What is the difference between the Whole Language Approach from explicit
teaching?
2. How can teachers improve the reading comprehension of their students?
3. How can teachers make students aware of their reading comprehension
skills?
4. What does it mean “to model and/or to scaffold” in the development of
reading comprehension skills of the learners?

Viewing: Explicit Teaching of Reading Comprehension Skills

Resource Person: Maria Alicia Bustos-Orosa, PRIMALS 4-6 National
Training of Trainers

Note to the facilitator: After viewing of the video, answer and discuss the guide
questions presented earlier. Ask the following additional questions after.
(10 minutes)

1. Why was there a need to shift from the whole language approach to explicit
teaching of reading?
2. What is meant by modeling and scaffolding instruction?
3. How does a teacher model and scaffold instruction?
4. How can explicit teaching of reading comprehension skills be more effective
with thinking stems?

APPLICATION (25 minutes)

Buzz Group Discussion (10 minutes)

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 1. How can you apply the principles of explicit teaching in the development of
the basic reading comprehension skills? Cite specific examples.
2. Look back on your answers in Activity 1. What instructional practices will
you maintain/change/modify/adapt when using explicit teaching methods to
develop the reading comprehension skills of your learners?
3. Are there any realizations / insights from the session that you feel will
influence your classroom practices?

Answer Key to the Priming Activity: (1-True; 2-False; 3-True; 4-True; 5-True)

Closure

“Good teaching is far more about the process than it is about the content.”