Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension is moving beyond reading ability (reading words accurately and fluently) to engaging with, connecting to and thinking about the text while it is being read.
Essentially, understanding what you read!
Steps To Building Reading Comprehension
1. Decoding Skills
Your child's ability to read words accurately and fluently can strengthen their reading comprehension. If they are focused on figuring out what the words are, rather than thinking about what they are reading, they may forget the content by the end of the sentence.
2. Large Range of Vocabulary
Understanding what you are reading relies heavily on understanding what words mean. "The boy was elated" is drastically different than "The boy was somber". Reading a large variety of text (magazines, books, novels, newspaper, etc), with your child helps to expose them to words not commonly spoken in day-to-day conversations.
3. Word Knowledge
Exposing your child to a large variety of text also helps with their knowledge of words and figuring out their meaning. An example of this are words that sound the same but are spelled differently such as "Mail-Male" or words that are spelled the same but can mean different things such as: "Please close the door" and "The Tiger is close".
4. Reading Comprehension Strategies
Supporting your child while they read is as simple as asking questions! Ask questions before, during and after the reading to help them connect the story all together. Read below for more specific strategies.
Reading Comprehension Strategies
For Your Child:
The following are strategies your child can implement while reading to help with their reading comprehension.
1. PREDICT: Try to figure out what may happen next.
2. VISUALIZE: Picture the people, places and events being described.
3. CONNECT: Connect what your are reading to other texts and the real world.
4. QUESTION: Ask questions about the material you are reading.
5. CLARIFY: Investigate. Identify main points and summarize.
6. EVALUATE: Think about the story and the actions of the characters.
Support Reading Comprehension...
At Home:
Essentially, understanding what you read!
Steps To Building Reading Comprehension
1. Decoding Skills
Your child's ability to read words accurately and fluently can strengthen their reading comprehension. If they are focused on figuring out what the words are, rather than thinking about what they are reading, they may forget the content by the end of the sentence.
2. Large Range of Vocabulary
Understanding what you are reading relies heavily on understanding what words mean. "The boy was elated" is drastically different than "The boy was somber". Reading a large variety of text (magazines, books, novels, newspaper, etc), with your child helps to expose them to words not commonly spoken in day-to-day conversations.
3. Word Knowledge
Exposing your child to a large variety of text also helps with their knowledge of words and figuring out their meaning. An example of this are words that sound the same but are spelled differently such as "Mail-Male" or words that are spelled the same but can mean different things such as: "Please close the door" and "The Tiger is close".
4. Reading Comprehension Strategies
Supporting your child while they read is as simple as asking questions! Ask questions before, during and after the reading to help them connect the story all together. Read below for more specific strategies.
Reading Comprehension Strategies
For Your Child:
The following are strategies your child can implement while reading to help with their reading comprehension.
1. PREDICT: Try to figure out what may happen next.
2. VISUALIZE: Picture the people, places and events being described.
3. CONNECT: Connect what your are reading to other texts and the real world.
4. QUESTION: Ask questions about the material you are reading.
5. CLARIFY: Investigate. Identify main points and summarize.
6. EVALUATE: Think about the story and the actions of the characters.
Support Reading Comprehension...
At Home:
- Predict. What is the reading about? What do you think might happen?
- Scan quickly. Look for any new vocabulary words that your child may not be familiar with and discuss the meaning before they read.
- Purpose of reading. Are you reading with your child to complete a worksheet/answer questions? Read through those and discuss first.
- Read the story. This may mean reading more than once: reading silently first (if your child is at that level) and then out-loud together.
- Ask questions. Ask before, during and after. Depending on your child's reading comprehension level and what they are reading you may want to discuss each page or the whole book.
- Rephrase the questions. If your child is reading to answer questions, ask them to first read the question and then rephrase it in their own words. If you are just reading together, you can ask them questions and instruct them to rephrase yours. This will give you a good indicator of your child's level of understanding of what to look for in their reading.
- Simplify. If your child is unable to answer your questions, pick out the key words in the question and break it down. Support them in figuring out what they are looking for in the reading. This also works for figuring out the content of what a sentence or a paragraph is.