ABSTRACT
Comprehension has been defined in a variety of ways, but essentially, it involves the reader making meaning through interaction with a text. It is a highly complex process which involves a range of components working together to assist readers to make meaning as they read. Comprehension strategies include predicting, clarifying, questioning, summarising, connecting, noting text structure, visualising and thinking aloud. Reciprocal teaching allows young readers to develop their own inner thought processes and to develop fluency – an important element in reading comprehension. The use of film and directed activities related to texts (DARTS) provides effective scaffolds for the development of comprehension by means of visualisation and practical, analytical and representational strategies. The targeted use of skimming and scanning techniques is also useful.
