Reevaluating and Restructuring Comprehension Strategy Instruction

In the face of arguments that knowledge is the key to reading comprehension, we examined the evidence for comprehension strategies instruction. Since the National Reading Panel Report, a number of researchers have reaffirmed the value of including comprehension strategy instruction in the elementary and middle school curriculum. The latest reviews and meta‐analyses indicate that teaching comprehension strategies improves children's and adolescents’ reading comprehension. We outline what strategies should be taught, when, how, and how much. Differentiation of instruction is vital because students who struggle to comprehend benefit more from comprehension strategy instruction than students who are already expert readers.