Autobiography
Word Study and Reading Comprehension: Implications for Instruction
Reading comprehension is a complex undertaking that involves many levels of processing. One of the most fundamental aspects of comprehension is the ability to deal with unfamiliar words encountered in text. Readers who struggle with word-level tasks use up valuable cognitive space that could be allotted to deeper levels of text analysis. It is not enough to rely on context cues to predict the meaning of new words, since this strategy often results in erroneous or superficial understandings of key terms, especially in content-area reading (Paynter, Bodrova, & Doty, 2005). Mature readers need to possess a basic knowledge of “how words work” and a set of strategies for approaching new words encountered throughout the day.
This paper examines the interrelationships of spelling and vocabulary as they impact reading comprehension, and focuses on instructional approaches that foster word- level knowledge. Most of the examples and research cited will be geared to the junior and intermediate divisions, although the same general conclusions can be applied to all grade levels. How word knowledge affects reading comprehension
Vocabulary knowledge is one of the best predictors of reading achievement
(Richek, 2005). Bromley (2004), in a comprehensive review of research on vocabulary development, concludes that vocabulary knowledge promotes reading fluency, boosts reading comprehension, improves academic achievement, and enhances thinking and communication. Spelling is also an important consideration in reading comprehension. The concepts about sound patterns that children learn in the early years through invented spelling and direct spelling instruction help them to decode new words in their reading.
As they mature and begin to spell longer and more complex words, children apply the concepts of base words, prefixes, and suffixes to their spelling. This knowledge of
Reading comprehension is a complex undertaking that involves many levels of processing. One of the most fundamental aspects of comprehension is the ability to deal with unfamiliar words encountered in text. Readers who struggle with word-level tasks use up valuable cognitive space that could be allotted to deeper levels of text analysis. It is not enough to rely on context cues to predict the meaning of new words, since this strategy often results in erroneous or superficial understandings of key terms, especially in content-area reading (Paynter, Bodrova, & Doty, 2005). Mature readers need to possess a basic knowledge of “how words work” and a set of strategies for approaching new words encountered throughout the day.
This paper examines the interrelationships of spelling and vocabulary as they impact reading comprehension, and focuses on instructional approaches that foster word- level knowledge. Most of the examples and research cited will be geared to the junior and intermediate divisions, although the same general conclusions can be applied to all grade levels. How word knowledge affects reading comprehension
Vocabulary knowledge is one of the best predictors of reading achievement
(Richek, 2005). Bromley (2004), in a comprehensive review of research on vocabulary development, concludes that vocabulary knowledge promotes reading fluency, boosts reading comprehension, improves academic achievement, and enhances thinking and communication. Spelling is also an important consideration in reading comprehension. The concepts about sound patterns that children learn in the early years through invented spelling and direct spelling instruction help them to decode new words in their reading.
As they mature and begin to spell longer and more complex words, children apply the concepts of base words, prefixes, and suffixes to their spelling. This knowledge of