Reading Comprehension Development and Assessment

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Importance of Pre- and Post-Questioning as Instructional and Assessment Tools

Reading comprehension defines how readers grasp the content and meaning of the materials they study. It is believed that readers build their future knowledge based on their current acquaintance. Consequently, in order for readers to understand the content of the contexts they study, they are supposed to have some basic comprehension of the context. This enables them to easily add details to what they already have. For that reason, teachers are expected to ask questions before and after reading sessions to enhance how the learners comprehend the context of the materials they study (Gunning, 2010).

Pre-questioning assists instructors to assess the current knowledge level of their learners so that they can effectively assist the learners to improve on the knowledge that they already have. Pre-questions refer to the questions that a teacher may ask before the commencement of any lesson in classroom. The learners are expected to answer those questions and if they get all or most of them right, then it is an indication that they already know something concerning the topic being introduced. The teacher or the instructor is then able to know where to start from and how best to enhance what the learners already understand (Gunning, 2010).

On the other hand, post-questioning enables the teachers to verify whether their students have understood all parts of the readings assigned to them. Post-questioning is as important as pre-questioning because it also helps an instructor to assess the understanding of his students. In order to assess whether students have understood the content of the material they are given to study, the instructor asks questions about the topic. The responses of the students help him to know the Bloom’s taxonomy level at which his students are (Gunning, 2010).

For example, the true-life story concerning the 9/11 attacks on American soil has facts as well as propaganda in it. The students might have completely understood the facts in the story, but may be yet to comprehend the propaganda associated with it. It is only by asking post questions that the instructor is able to tell what the students have understood and what they have not. The instructor can then use what the students have comprehended to help them understand what they did not understand during the reading session.

Cognitive Domain of Bloom’s Taxonomy and how it affects Critical Reading Skills

Bloom’s taxonomy contains six levels in the cognitive domain that range from the recognition of context, also the simplest level, to evaluation, which is the most complex level. The first level, knowledge, refers to the ability of learners to remember what they previously learned in the classroom. Knowledge mainly involves the remembrance of important materials that are crucial in recalling the appropriate information. Knowledge is considered as the lowest level of learning outcomes within the Bloom’s taxonomy and is expressed by verbs such as list, define, memorize, and recall among others (Salvin, 2009).

Comprehension, which is considered as the lowest level of understanding, forms the second category in the cognitive domain. It describes the ability of learners to understand the meaning of the context they read. Comprehension affects critical reading skills as it defines how students interpret materials, and how they translate content from one form to another. Some of the common verbs that are used to assess comprehension include discuss, describe, classify, explain, and restate (Salvin, 2009).

Application, which is the second lowest level of understanding after comprehension, is the third level in the taxonomy; it describes the ability of the learners to use what they have learned in actual situations that are mostly different from what they have learned. Since apprehension is more complex than comprehension, its learning outcomes require a stronger understanding. Some of the verbs that are used to describe the learning outcomes in this category include practice, sketch, use, and apply (Salvin, 2009).

The fourth overall level within the taxonomy is analysis; analysis denotes the breakdown of a given context into simpler contents so as to enable other people to understand it in an easier manner. It is a major requirement in critical reading as it enables students to identify different parts of a particular context, analyze the links between the parts, and identify the organizational principles used in it. Since analysis requires an understanding of the content as well as the structure of the context, it is considered superior to comprehension and application. The most common verb used under analysis include demonstrate, compare, criticize, and examine among others (Salvin, 2009).

Synthesis is the fifth level of the cognitive domain according to Bloom. It defines the ability of learners to assemble different parts of what they learn into a different context. Synthesis is equally important in critical reading as it affects how learners develop unique communication skills. It also determines how they enhance their creative behavior in relation to formulation of new contexts. The verbs used under this category include compose, assemble, prepare, and create among others (Salvin, 2009).

The last level, evaluation, is regarded as the highest level in cognitive domain by Bloom. The learning outcomes in evaluation are the highest as they contain the elements that are found in all the other levels. Evaluation contributes to critical learning skills by helping learners to make judgments out of definite criteria. Some of the verbs used to describe evaluation include argue, appraise, predict, and attach among others (Salvin, 2009).

Charlotte Huck’s Children Literature by Keifer, Helper, & Hickman: Children’s Literature

The book Charlotte Children’s Literature is considered as one of the most appropriate children’s literature pieces. The book has stood the test of time and is likely to be used by several generations to come. The stories outlined in the literature piece do not seem to grow old. In fact, the stories that are featured in the work become more appealing as more readers go through them. The book is also written in such a way that it effectively captures the attention of children. It provides the readers with contexts that they can relate to their personal experiences. As a result, the contents of the work allow the readers to become part of the plot from the beginning to the end (Keifer, Helper, & Hickman, 2010).

Summary of the Children’s Literature

The book Charlotte Children’s Literature is a standard literary work given that it is one of the few works that have captured the full attention of K-8 students. The context of the book entails how to learn and understand children’s literature, history of the literature of the children, and other children’s stories such as realistic fiction, poetry, historical fiction and fantasy among others. The literature generally plans, extends and evaluates children’s understanding in relation to critical reading skills (Keifer, Helper, & Hickman, 2010).

Pre- and Post Reading Questions based on the Children’s Literature and Their Levels According to Bloom’s Taxonomy

Pre-Reading Questions

Can you name the animals you can see in the picture?
- The question falls under the level of knowledge under the Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive domain. The question is meant to assess the readers’ ability to keep in mind appropriate information.
Can you describe the pictures that you see?
- The question represents the second level of the Bloom’s taxonomy, which is comprehension. It assesses readers’ ability to interpret context and figures in a particular reading.
Have you ever seen similar diagrams somewhere else?
- The question merely seeks the reader’s prior knowledge of the content of the literature and as a result, it falls under the knowledge level.

Post-Reading Questions based on the Children’s Literature

Can you sketch the diagram as it appears on your text?
Can you re-write the sentence in your books?
- The two questions fall under the application level. Both of them are meant to assess the readers’ ability to use the content they read from the literature to produce new materials.
How many figures are you able to see on this page?
Which one of the stories is the most interesting?
- The two questions fall under analysis. The first one assesses the readers’ ability to understand the organizational structure of the content while the second one tests the ability of the learners to compare and contrast.
Can you arrange these figures beginning with the smallest to the biggest?
- The question denotes the level of synthesis. It tests the readers’ ability to put together the content they have learned.
Can you choose the best story from the entire work of literature?
- The question falls under the level of evaluation. It assesses the readers’ ability to judge what they read.

References

Gunning, T. (2010). Creating literacy instructions for all students (7^th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Keifer, B. Z., Helper, S., & Hickman, J. (2010). Charlotte Huck’s children literature (10^th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Salvin, R. E. (2009). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (9^th ed.). Boston, MA: Perason.

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