Garrison Middle School tutor professional development is currently utilizing the 7 Keys to Comprehension: How to Help Your Kids Read It and Get It! by Susan Zimmermann and Chryse Hutchins.  The book targets parents and teachers and provides a better understanding of the process children go through as they are learning to read and comprehend what they are learning.  Marit Nierman, Garrison’s Instructional Coach, shares, “the keys to comprehension offers students truly helpful tools that support deep comprehension.  By teaching and encouraging students to use these strategies, we are helping to build the students’ tool boxes for dealing with difficult text and raise their awareness of when they do and don’t understand something."

7 keys of comprehension is the result of cutting-edge research.  It gives parents and teachers practical, thoughtful advice about the seven simple thinking strategies that proficient readers use:

1. Connecting reading to their background knowledge
2. Creating mental images
3. Asking questions
4. Drawing inferences
5. Determining what’s important
6. Synthesizing ideas
7. Solving problems

Through the seven main concepts, specific strategies are provided.  These strategies include, but are not limited to:  Think-Pair-Share, book-walks, coding text, visualizing, think-a-loud, how to read format, and use of graphic organizers.  Tutors have the opportunity to engage students in one-on-one and small group learning, these teaching moments are ideal for utilizing the strategies.  The goal is to construct a solid learning foundation, also known as a tool box; that enables students to become self-learners and read for the sheer joy of it!