ERIC Number: EJ1129223
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Mar
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1053-4512
EISSN: N/A
Unraveling Difficult Sentences: Strategies to Support Reading Comprehension
Zipoli, Richard P., Jr.
Intervention in School and Clinic, v52 n4 p218-227 Mar 2017
The ability to understand sentences contributes to students' reading comprehension. However, many reading programs tend to underemphasize explicit instruction aimed at enhancing students' knowledge of sentence structures. Children with language impairments, students with learning disabilities, and English language learners may particularly benefit from instruction that targets potentially challenging sentence structures. This article is designed to help educators and clinicians more effectively identify and teach several sentence structures that can compromise elementary and middle school students' understanding of written text. Four types of sentence structures that may be difficult to process are introduced and systematically explored: (a) sentences with passive verb constructions, (b) adverbial clauses with temporal and causal conjunctions, (c) center-embedded relative clauses, and (d) sentences with three or more clauses. Information is presented on syntactic structures, sources of confusion, developmental considerations, assessment caveats, and instructional strategies.
Descriptors: Sentences, Reading Comprehension, Reading Programs, Sentence Structure, Language Impairments, Learning Disabilities, Form Classes (Languages), Verbs, Reading Instruction, Teaching Methods, Elementary School Students, Middle School Students, English Language Learners
SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A