Reading Comprehension

      Race and socioeconomic status are definite factors with students not comprehending reading.  I teach at a Title 1 school and face this with many children.  Reading Chapter 7, I came across modifications and strategies that I'm using now to increase reading comprehension for all of my students.  Modifications that fall under direct instruction such as dynamic presentation of info, clear organization and structure of instruction, step-by-step progression of teaching elements, and explanatory instruction are some that I'm using.  With explicit instruction, I'm guiding students during initial practice, providing students with high levels of successful practice from modeling, highlighting, providing feedback, reviewing, and then having the students practice and apply knowledge cooperatively in groups and/or individually.  As for strategies, there is spatial organization with graphic organizers and also mnemonic practice.  There are many opportunities for my students to progress in reading comprehension from questioning, main idea instruction, multicomponent elements, summarization, reciprocal teaching, cooperative learning, and peer tutoring.
       There are strategies and collaboration from the chapter that I haven't yet put into practice in my classroom.  They are having the reading disabled students serve as tutors, students performing self-regulation, and full implementation of a multicomponent strategy program.  Looking at the tables for reading comprehension procedures, when it comes to summarizing and main idea, there are steps I haven't taken to provide higher achievement in these areas. 
      Realizing that reading comprehension is the basis to do well in all subjects, there is always room to apply additional research-based strategies in teaching.  To help boost confidence and self-efficacy in my reading disabled students, I could demonstrate to them how to be a reading tutor in cooperative groups.  With self-regulation, I could model self-instruction such as think-aloud skills, teach for self-monitoring, and provide students with strategies that they can apply independently with confidence.  A multicomponent strategy program that I've heard of and could start with is the SQ3R program (Survey, Question, Read Retell, Review).  We do a lot of this already in my classroom, but to have my struggling students put together these skills into one name and know steps for the process, it would help text information be clearer and more organized.