Teach Reading Comprehension with Explicit, Whole-Class Instruction

Language arts classrooms often read texts, ask questions about texts, and engage kids in text-based discussions. As important as these experiences are, none of them count as explicit teaching or direct instruction.

Before asking students to dive into discussions about texts, teachers need to do the heavy lifting by delivering focused mini-lessons on specific comprehension skills. This is the first step in gradual release—I do; you watch and listen. The teacher must explain which text details are relevant for a particular comprehension skill. The teacher must model how to put thoughts together via Think Alouds. The teacher must demonstrate the inference process—all without the help of the children.

In this webinar, Kristina Smekens breaks down the architecture of every 15-minute whole-class mini-lesson. She provides practical, ready-to-use strategies for planning and delivering K-12 comprehension instruction daily in four-step mini-lessons.

Duration: 56 minutes | Grades K-12