Comprehension
READY REFERENCE GUIDE
Check for understanding; monitor and self-correct
Definition

A comprehension strategy that teaches readers to stop frequently and check, or monitor, whether they understand what they are reading. This typically involves a quick summary of what they've read, starting with who and what.

When to teach this strategy

If you see readers who . . .

  • don't remember what they read.
  • spend all their time decoding words.
  • read quickly without stopping to think about what's going on.
  • don't understand what they read.
Why we teach it

Readers need this strategy because it helps them remember and understand what they're reading and indicates the need to use a fix-up strategy when meaning breaks down.

Secret to success

For this strategy to work, you have to stop frequently and think about what is happening. Have a conversation in your head. Ask who this is about and what is happening.

How we teach it

This vital strategy is not only one of the first we introduce, but also one we model frequently throughout the school year.

  • Modeling during our read-aloud, we stop periodically and say, Let me see if I remember what I just read. I am going to start by thinking of who the story was about and what happened.
  • We continue to stop periodically and talk through the who and what, usually about three or four times during each read-aloud.
  • After two or three times of modeling this for students, we start asking them to answer the who and the what through Listen and Talk, asking one student to do it for the group and then expecting children to do it on their own.

Suggested language:

  • Stop often to check for understanding before you read any further.
  • Who did you just read about and what just happened?
  • How often did you stop to check for understanding? After each sentence? After each paragraph? At the end of each page?
  • Are you finding that you are understanding what you are reading?
  • What do you do if you don't remember?
Instructional Pivots

Possible ways to differentiate instruction:

  • Raise the level of scaffolding and support by having students check for understanding at the end of a sentence by asking, “Who is this about and what just happened?”
  • Give readers a large check mark made out of cardboard. They can hold it as a reminder that they have a job to do while they are reading: They need to check for understanding. It may help to write “Who?” and “What?” on the check mark to serve as a prompt.

    • Reconsider materials, setting, instruction, and cognitive processes.

    Partner Strategies

    These strategies may provide support before, during, and after teaching this strategy:

    • Back Up and Reread
    • Ask Questions Throughout the Reading Process
    • Make and Adjust Predictions; Use Text to Confirm
    • Make and Adjust Mental Images; Use Text to Confirm

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