Research suggests that kindergartners can enhance their reading comprehension skills and understanding of text when they engage in discussions about books.
When they participate in a conversation about a book, young children learn how to pose ideas about the characters or plot, and they gain the skills needed to support their ideas when opposing viewpoints are offered—both of which are important in developing a deeper understanding of text.
Studies also provide some evidence that when children talk about books independently in student-led groups, they derive greater benefit through a more robust exchange of ideas with their peers than they would experience within a more formal setting controlled by the teacher. This was the finding of a recent study conducted by researchers from George Mason University’s School of Education during which they observed and compared student-led and teacher-led book discussions that took place over a four-week period in a kindergarten class. Their research showed that the children in the independent student-led groups came up with more ideas, made more predictions about the story, and had a richer discussion characterized by more relevant comments compared with students in the teacher-led group.
Mason researchers also concluded that teachers play an important role in encouraging meaningful student-led discussions about text, and that young children can learn from the examples set by educators in teacher-led discussions on how to pose ideas about books.
How can teachers facilitate better reading comprehension?
Provide students with a model of conversation norms they can follow
In order to have a conversation where ideas about text are built upon one another, young children first need to understand the norms of conversation which include how to take turns talking and how to refrain from interrupting while others are speaking. This allows young children to develop the listening skills needed to formulate their own ideas in response to opinions and perspectives raised by others during the conversation. Mason researchers suggest that during teacher-led book discussions, educators can model appropriate conversation skills and moderate turn-taking which can teach young children how to conduct themselves when they participate in student-led book discussions.
Give young learners instruction to help them develop text-based ideas
During the teacher-led conversations observed by Mason researchers, the teacher began the session by showing the children the title and cover of an illustrated book chosen for discussion. The teacher then asked the children to look at the book with an assigned partner and to share predictions about what was going to happen in the story. Mid-way through reading the book aloud to the class, the teacher again prompted the students to share their predictions about what they thought would happen at the end of the story and to explain whether the predictions they had made at the beginning of the session had changed and if so, why. Mason researchers found that by providing this type of explicit instruction and guidance to the students, the teacher was able to offer a model by which the children could learn how to share their ideas about the text. Researchers also concluded that having both this explicit instruction and the opportunity to practice their skills with teacher support allowed for a successful transition of these conversations to independent student-led discussions.
Ask students questions that encourage them to elaborate upon the ideas they express during book discussions
Teachers can prepare questions designed to get students to elaborate on the ideas they share during teacher-led book discussions. For example, if a student makes a prediction about what one of the characters will do in the story, the teacher can ask “Why do you think that?” and follow up by asking the student to reference a part of the text or point to an illustration in the book that supports their response. The questions prepared by the teacher should also be framed in a way that encourages engagement from other students in the discussion group. Existing literacy research suggests that this process will better enable teachers to gauge reading comprehension in young learners.
Work with young children in small groups to give them practice in engaging in student-led book discussions
Literacy experts recommend that teachers should work with kindergartners in small groups to provide them with an opportunity to practice the skills they will need to participate successfully in independent student-led book conversations. Some researchers suggest that teachers could help students develop these skills by assigning specific roles to children in small groups. For example, one student could be responsible for posing a list of questions to the group while another student could make sure the discussion stays focused on the topic at hand. Practice sessions of this type involving kindergartners will at least initially require a significant amount of oversight from the teacher until students become more comfortable with the format.
To learn more about how kindergartners can successfully engage in book discussions, read this article by Mason faculty. The Literacy program in Mason’s School of Education offers graduate programs in how literacy develops across the lifespan and provides instruction on reading comprehension strategies for use in the K-12 classroom.