I enjoy reading about comprehension, and I think I really underestimated the complexity and nuance of the idea before.

One of the ideas that keeps resonating throughout the readings is how important it is to consider the reader when thinking about reading, and how the meaning one constructs is based so much on one’s background knowledge and past experiences. I was thinking about this the other day when I was trying to read something about history on Wikipedia. When I was checking things out about Western history, even though they were things I never knew before, it was easy for me to read and comprehend the text because I could visualize the place, there were some familiar names, and the general context the event took place in (say, during the Reformation or the Renaissance or something). When I tried to read something about Chinese history, however, I was completely lost. I understood the text, and the new words’ relations to each other, but I had no idea what to picture in the Qing versus Ming dynasty, none of the names were familiar to me, etc. That really made me appreciate the importance of pre-reading activities and a reader’s own personal history when thinking about comprehension.

Here are some during reading activities and questions in dice form. Thought it might be cool as a station activity?