TEACHER GUIDE ASSESSING LEVELS OF COMPREHENSION

Short-Response Reading Questions

FOR

THE

TEACHER
In Assessing Levels of Comprehension, students get practice in answering reading questions at the following four levels of comprehension: Level One: FIND IT Level Two: CONNECT IT Level Three: ADD TO IT Level Four: GO BEYOND IT

What is Assessing Levels of Comprehension?

Assessing Levels of Comprehension is a diagnostic reading series that gives students practice in answering reading questions at four levels of comprehension. In this series, the levels of comprehension relate, in a general way, to the levels of thinking used to attain answer information ranging from the literal to the abstract. Assessing Levels of Comprehension allows students the opportunity for self-assessment, while it allows teachers the opportunity to identify and assess students level of mastery at each of the four levels of comprehension. All students have to take tests; all tests have questions with answers that range from the literal to the abstract. Assessing Levels of Comprehension helps both students and teachers meet the challenge. In Assessing Levels of Comprehension, MultipleChoice Reading Questions, the questions are presented in multiple-choice format. In Assessing Levels of Comprehension, Short-Response Reading Questions, the questions are presented in shortresponse format. Each eight-level series is designed for students in grades 18. The reading passages in each student book reflect a variety of genres and curriculum content areas. The passages progress from low to high along the following reading-level ranges:

What are the four levels of comprehension in Assessing Levels of Comprehension?

The four levels of comprehension in the series represent four levels of understanding, which relate in a general and simplified way to cognitive processes or levels of thinking that range from the concrete and literal to the more abstract and critical.

Levels of Comprehension
Level One: FIND IT The answer is clearly stated all in one place, in one sentence or two sentences together in the reading passage. There may be clue words. Students can find the answer clearly stated in one place in the passage text. Level Two: CONNECT IT The answer is in the text, but it is not located all in one place. And there probably arent clue words. Students find pieces of information that they can put together to answer the question. Level Three: ADD TO IT The answer is not directly stated in the text, but it is hinted at (implied). Students use clues, along with their prior knowledge, to figure out the answer. Level Four: GO BEYOND IT The answer is not directly stated or indirectly stated in the text, but the answer is based on or supported by information in the text. Students apply prior knowledge to information in the text to come up with an answer that goes beyond what is in the text.

Book Book A Book B Book C Book D Book E Book F Book G Book H

Reading Level 1.01.9 2.02.9 3.03.9 4.04.9 5.05.9 6.06.9 7.07.9 8.08.9

Each student book in Assessing Levels of Comprehension contains ten lessons, which include reading passages in a variety of literary genres. Following each reading passage are twelve questions, three questions at each of the four levels of comprehension.

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How do the levels of comprehension relate to cognitive frameworks, such as Blooms taxonomy and Marzanos framework?
The levels of comprehension relate in a general (simplified and more accessible) way to the cognitive processes described in various cognitive frameworks. The chart that follows shows the general correlations between the levels of comprehension and the levels of cognition described by Benjamin Bloom and by Robert Marzano.

Bloom 1. Knowledge 2. Comprehension 3. Application 4. Analysis 5. Synthesis 6. Evaluation

Level(s) of Comprehension FI FI, CI ATI ATI ATI, GBI GBI

Marzano (as adapted by North Carolina) 1. Knowledge (focusing, information gathering, remembering) 2. Organizing 3. (Applying) 4. Analyzing 5. Generating 6. Integrating 7. Evaluating
Key FI = CI = ATI = GBI = FIND IT CONNECT IT ADD TO IT GO BEYOND IT

Level(s) of Comprehension FI, CI CI CI, ATI CI, ATI ATI, GBI ATI, GBI GBI

The chart on page 4 gives more information about the levels of comprehension, with student and teacher information for each level.

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More About the Levels of Comprehension MORE ABOUT THE LEVELS OF COMPREHENSION
Level One: FIND IT Message to the Students: The answer is clearly stated and is all in one place in the passage. You can find the answer in one sentence or two sentences. There may be clue words to help you. Information for the Teacher: Students answer questions at the most concrete/literal level. The answer information is all in one place in the text (in one sentence or in two consecutive sentences), clearly stated, with clue words if appropriate; students merely need to find the answer. FIND ITBloom: Knowledge, Comprehension FIND ITMarzano: Knowledge Level Two: CONNECT IT Message to the Students: The answer information is there in the passage, but it probably isnt all in one place. And there probably arent any clue words. You have to find pieces of information and put them together to answer the question. Information for the Teacher: Students answer questions at a literal/analytical level, which requires finding and organizing related pieces of information. The answer information is in the text, directly stated in language similar to that in the question. But the answer information is not usually located in one place in the text, and there are usually no clue words. Students must find the relevant pieces of information (disregarding any unrelated information) and then put the relevant pieces together to figure out the answer. CONNECT ITBloom: Comprehension CONNECT ITMarzano: Knowledge, Organizing, (Applying), Analyzing Level Three: ADD TO IT Message to the Students: The answer information is there in the passage, but it isnt directly stated. There are hints, though. You have to use clues or other details in the passage, along with what you already know, to figure out the answer. Information for the Teacher: Students answer questions at an inferential level (conclusions, inferences, predictions, unstated main ideas, for example). The answer information is not directly stated in the text, but it is implied. Students must apply prior knowledge to clues in the text to figure out the answer, which expands on what is directly stated in the text. ADD TO ITBloom: Application, Analysis, Synthesis ADD TO ITMarzano: (Applying), Analyzing, Generating, Integrating Level Four: GO BEYOND IT Message to the Students: You wont find the answer information stated directly or indirectly in the passage, but the answer is based on information in the passage. You need to apply what you already know to what youve read in the passage. Then you can come up with an answer that goes beyond what is given in the passage. Information for the Teacher: Students answer questions at a critical/creative level. The answer is not stated directly or indirectly in the text, but the answer is based on or supported by information in the text. Students apply various types of prior knowledge (content, experiential, etc.) to what they have read in the text to come up with an answer that goes beyond, or extends, what appears in the text. GO BEYOND ITBloom: Synthesis, Evaluation GO BEYOND ITMarzano: Generating, Integrating, Evaluating

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How does the reading passage text affect the level of comprehension elicited by a question?
Here is an example of how one question may elicit three different levels of comprehension, depending on how the information appears in, or can be attained from, the reading passage text. Question: What do the words dog groomer mean in the article? It might seem that this question would have a literal, or concrete, answer; but that is not always the case. The passage reads: Mrs. Lacey is a dog groomer. A dog groomer is someone who washes, brushes, and trims the fur of dogs. This answer is, in fact, literal. The answer is right there, directly stated, in two consecutive sentences. Answering the question elicits the FIND IT level of comprehension. The passage reads: Mrs. Lacey is a dog groomer. She has done this work for fifteen years, and she loves it. She washes, brushes, and trims the fur of dogs. The answer is there, but it is not all in one place. The directly stated pieces of information have to be found and put together to figure out the answer. Answering the question elicits the CONNECT IT level of comprehension. The passage reads: Mrs. Lacey is a dog groomer. She has done this kind of work for fifteen years. Almost every dog that she washes, brushes, and trims seems grateful. Mrs. Lacey feels that this is the best job in the world, and she cant imagine doing anything else. The answer is not directly stated, but it is implied. The answer must be inferred by using the clues in the passage text. Answering the question elicits the ADD TO IT level of comprehension. In the example above, the same question can engage three different levels of comprehension, depending on how the answer information is attained from the passage text. As students gain practice in answering questions at the various levels of comprehension, they can become more confident in working at whatever level is necessary to find the answer to a question.

How do the four levels of comprehension relate to reading strategies?

The chart below shows the general relationship of the four levels of comprehension to various reading strategies. In Assessing Levels of Comprehension, the reading strategies reflect the type of question asked, or what the questions ask you to do. The reading strategies are those featured in other Curriculum Associates reading series, as well as additional reading strategies. You will note that some of the reading strategies are listed next to more than one level of comprehension. This is because the level of comprehension elicited depends on how the answer information can be attained from the passage text. A Reading Strategies Chart on page 18 of the teacher guide lists the reading strategy associated with each question.

Level of Comprehension
Level One FIND IT Level Two CONNECT IT

Reading Strategies
Finding Vocabulary Meaning in Context Recalling Details Finding Vocabulary Meaning in Context Finding Main Idea Understanding Sequence Understanding Sequence Recognizing Cause and Effect Comparing and Contrasting Recognizing Cause and Effect Comparing and Contrasting Summarizing (Books CH)

Level Three ADD TO IT

Finding Vocabulary Meaning in Context Distinguishing Between Fact and Finding Main Idea Opinion (Books BH) Interpreting Figurative Language Distinguishing Between Real and Making Predictions Make-believe (Books AC) Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences Identifying Authors Purpose Identifying Text Features Understanding Literary Elements and Features Recognizing Correspondences Understanding Resources

Level Four GO BEYOND IT

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WHAT ARE THE RESEARCH-BASED STRATEGIES AND FEATURES IN ASSESSING LEVELS OF COMPREHENSION? This Series Uses Research Says
Higher-Order Thinking
Example: SB, Multiple-Choice and Short-Response Questions 412 Learning inherently involves components of inference, judgment, and active mental construction. Thus, the traditional view that the basics can be taught as routine skills, with thinking and reasoning to follow later as an optional activity that may or may not take place, can no longer guide the educational practice. Instead, thinking must be applied to all learning and to all learners (Zohar & Dori, 2003). Poor reading ability often involves a lack of proficiency in the higher-order literacy processes of comprehension, planning, monitoring, and evaluation (Wittrock, 1991).

Test-Taking Practice
Example: SB, Multiple-Choice and Short-Response Questions 112

Supon (2004) cites that researchers have determined that Students of all levels of academic achievement and intellectual abilities can be affected by test anxiety (Supon, 2004). Supon and other researchers suggest that one method of alleviating test anxiety is to provide practice with test-question formats. With practice, students become comfortable with the question formats that are connected with high-stakes testing. This is significant because cognitive test anxiety exerts a significant stable and negative impact on academic performance measures (Cassady & Johnson, 2002).

Transferable Comprehension Skills

Example: SB, Multiple Choice and Short Response

A broad, general finding from the research base is that nearly all of the thinking skills programs and practices investigated were found to make a positive difference in the achievement levels of participating students (Cotton, 1991). Many children who can understand what they read at a literal level, find it difficult to understand a writers underlying meaning and intentions. There is a tendency for them to interpret only what the words say, not what they mean (Fisher, 1990).

Differentiated Instruction
Example: SB (Passages and reading strategies in Multiple Choice mirror passages and reading strategies in Short Response)

Because children differ, no single text nor any single task can be appropriate for all children in a classroom (Allington, 2005). Differentiating instruction is doing whats fair and developmentally appropriate for students. Its whatever works to advance the student. Its highly effective teaching (Wormeli, 2005). According to Shelton (2006), students need exposure to multiple genres because they comprehend genres in different ways. The more practice they have, the better fluency and comprehension they will develop. In a literature review, Biancarosa (2005) states Giving students access to and experience with a wide variety of texts is another essential element of effective reading instruction for older students. Students who read more kinds of texts have demonstrated higher reading achievement. Students tended to perform better on NAEP comprehension questions when they had experienced instruction on metacognitive skills... (Wenglinsky, 2004). Good readers use metacognition to self-monitor their reading. Metacognition enables good readers to identify what they understand and what confuses them (Robb, 2000). Successful teachers offer all three formats (whole class, small groups or pairing, and individual) over the course of a week or a unit of study (Wormeli, 2005). Research and common sense confirm that interacting with other people about what we are learning deepens the understanding of everyone involved (Marzano, 1998).

Multiple Literary Genres

Example: Biography (Level C SB, Multiple Choice, p. 16 and Level C SB, Short Response, p. 26)

Metacognition
Example: SB, Student Self-assessments

Cooperative Learning Opportunities

Example: TG, p. 10

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READING STRATEGIES CHART, BOOK H

Lesson 1 1. FI, Det 2. FI, Det 3. FI, Det 4. CI, Sum 5. CI, Seq 6. CI, C/C 7. ATI, M/P 8. ATI, C/I 9. ATI, C/I 10. GBI, Cor 11. GBI, A/P 12. GBI, Lit Lesson 2 1. FI, Det 2. FI, Det 3. FI, Voc 4. CI, Seq 5. CI, C/E 6. CI, Voc 7. ATI, Voc 8. ATI, C/I 9. ATI, M/P 10. GBI, Lit 11. GBI, Cor 12. GBI, A/P Lesson 3 1. FI, Det 2. FI, Det 3. FI, Det 4. CI, M/I 5. CI, C/E 6. CI, Voc 7. ATI, M/P 8. ATI, F/O 9. ATI, M/I 10. GBI, A/P 11. GBI, T/F 12. GBI, Cor Lesson 4 1. FI, Det 2. FI, Voc 3. FI, C/E 4. CI, M/I 5. CI, C/C 6. CI, Sum 7. ATI, M/I 8. ATI, Voc 9. ATI, C/I 10. GBI, Res 11. GBI, A/P 12. GBI, Cor Lesson 5 1. FI, Det 2. FI, Det 3. FI, Det 4. CI, C/E 5. CI, C/E 6. CI, Seq 7. ATI, C/I 8. ATI, M/P 9. ATI, C/I 10. GBI, A/P 11. GBI, T/F 12. GBI, A/P Lesson 6 1. FI, Det 2. FI, Det 3. FI, Voc 4. CI, C/E 5. CI, Sum 6. CI, Seq 7. ATI, F/L 8. ATI, C/I 9. ATI, M/P 10. GBI, Lit 11. GBI, Lit 12. GBI, Lit Lesson 7 1. FI, Det 2. FI, Voc 3. FI, Det 4. CI, C/E 5. CI, Sum 6. CI, Seq 7. ATI, C/I 8. ATI, C/I 9. ATI, F/L 10. GBI, A/P 11. GBI, Lit 12. GBI, Lit Lesson 8 1. FI, Det 2. FI, Det 3. FI, Voc 4. CI, M/I 5. CI, Sum 6. CI, C/E 7. ATI, Voc 8. ATI, C/I 9. ATI, F/O 10. GBI, Lit 11. GBI, Cor 12. GBI, Cor Chart Key
Levels of Comprehension: FI = FIND IT CI = CONNECT IT ATI = ADD TO IT GBI = GO BEYOND IT Understanding Sequence Recognizing Cause and Effect Finding Main Idea Summarizing Interpreting Figurative Language Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion M/P Making Predictions C/I Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences Seq C/E M/I Sum F/L F/O R/M Distinguishing Between Real and Make-believe A/P Identifying Authors Purpose T/F Identifying Text Features Res Understanding Resources Lit Recognizing Literary Elements and Features Cor Making Correspondences

Lesson 9 1. FI, Det 2. FI, Det 3. FI, Det 4. CI, C/E 5. CI, Voc 6. CI, Voc 7. ATI, C/I 8. ATI, C/I 9. ATI, C/I 10. GBI, Cor 11. GBI, T/F 12. GBI, Cor Lesson 10 1. FI, Voc 2. FI, Det 3. FI, Det 4. CI, Seq 5. CI, C/C 6. CI, M/I 7. ATI, C/I 8. ATI, C/I 9. ATI, F/O 10. GBI, A/P 11. GBI, Lit 12. GBI, Res

Reading Strategies: Det Recalling Details Voc Finding Vocabulary Meaning in Context C/C Comparing and Contrasting

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