This book is about designing instruction that makes comprehension the priority in reading and in content area study. The comprehension model described responds to calls from literacy experts and professional organizations for inquiry-based instruction that prepares readers to be active meaning makers who are adept at both critical and creative thinking. Comprehension First introduces a before, during, after Comprehension Problem Solving (CPS) process that helps readers ask key questions so they arrive at a substantial comprehension product-"big ideas" based on themes and conclusions drawn from literary works and expository texts. The book further describes how to orchestrate research-based best practices to build lessons and units around big ideas and important questions. In this age of multiple literacies, all of us must learn to be more nimble users of Literacy 2.0 communication tools. Mastering problem solving is at the core of this challenge. Comprehension First embraces this challenge by inviting present and future teachers to examine WHY and HOW these tools can be used more purposefully to achieve the pre-eminent literacy goal of deep comprehension.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.