Did you know that reading comprehension gives kids a head start in their learning journey? Do you dream of them breezing through books, comprehending complex passages, and coming up with creative questions about the texts they read? Shut out of a gifted and talented program and wondering what you can do to set your child up for success?
Reading comprehension is one of those skills that sets your little one apart from their peers. They’ll benefit not just now but long-term if they master this essential skill early on. To get started, this guide covers all things about true comprehension.
What is reading comprehension anyway?
If readers can read the words but do not understand or connect to what they are reading, they are not really reading. Here’s what good readers do:
- Draw on prior knowledge – Good readers leverage their prior knowledge to understand new concepts and ideas presented in the text. This knowledge may stem from previous readings, personal experiences, or world events. By doing so, they create a mental map, connecting the dots between what they already know and the new information.
- Make Inferences – Adept readers have a knack for drawing inferences. They not only comprehend the explicit information presented in the text but also read between the lines to grasp implied meanings. This ability to infer deepens their understanding, enabling them to anticipate potential outcomes, interpret characters’ motivations, or identify underlying themes.
- Pay attention to sentences & text cohesion – Proficient readers pay careful attention to how sentences are structured and how the text flows. They recognize the importance of cohesion in text, understanding how ideas and arguments are linked together both within and between sentences. This skill allows them to follow and understand the writer’s line of thought, improving their overall comprehension of the reading material.
- Form mental images – Good readers possess the ability to form mental images as they process the text, escalating their level of understanding. This visualization technique breathes life into the written words, making the narrative more tangible and relatable. It helps in not only grasping the plot but also in connecting deeply with the characters and their experiences, thereby enhancing overall reading comprehension.
- Master the art of summarizing and retelling the content – This involves
- Articulating and expressing main ideas orally or in written form.
- Establishing connections between central ideas through oral or written communication.
- Developing the ability to filter out irrelevant information.
- Retaining comprehension of the material read.
- Identifying key information in the text and rephrasing it in one’s own words, either verbally or in writing.
Essential Components of Reading
Phonemic awareness and phonics are the first step in a child’s reading journey, followed by fluency. Our comprehensive phonics guide gives you a grounding in the strategies and background knowledge you need to build your child’s literacy foundation.
The next big step is fluency. You can get your personal cheatsheet on how to unlock this skill in this guide to fluency in reading, after which your child will just have these final steps on their reading journey:
• Vocabulary
• Comprehension (woot – what we’re covering today)
• Spelling
Reading for Meaning
As parents, understanding comprehension strategies can help you transform your child’s education. Reading is not just about stringing words together, but about deriving meaning and building knowledge from the text. Encourage your child to interact with the text, asking questions before, during, and after reading. Build their capacity to summarize what they’ve read, and encourage them to visualize the story or information. Comprehension, in essence, is the heart of reading. It’s the tool that unlocks the rich world of literature and information, paving the way for lifelong learning and success.
Reading and Writing: the link between Vocabulary and Comprehension
Vocabulary and comprehension are intimately connected, each one paving the way for mastery over the other. A robust vocabulary not only enhances a reader’s ability to understand the text, but also enables them to infer the meaning of new words from the context, thereby deepening their comprehension. Effective comprehension provides a foundation for vocabulary growth, as understanding the context in which words are used allows readers to deduce their meanings and incorporate them into their personal lexicon. This interplay between vocabulary and comprehension forms a critical component of literacy development, driving both academic achievement and a lifelong love for reading.
Many of you know that I am a huge fan of “The Knowledge Gap” by Natalie Wexler. Her work is crucial exploration of the education system and its shortcomings in fostering comprehensive literacy development. Wexler argues that most schools focus too much on reading strategies while neglecting knowledge, leading to a significant knowledge gap, especially for economically disadvantaged students.
The book stresses that comprehension is intrinsically linked to background knowledge, touching on the idea that reading is not merely about decoding words but understanding their context. Wexler advocates for a shift in educational focus towards building a strong foundation of knowledge across a broad range of subjects, suggesting that this will not only improve reading comprehension but also level the playing field for all students. Additionally, the book highlights the significant interplay between vocabulary and comprehension, reinforcing the idea that a robust vocabulary can enhance a reader’s understanding and vice versa.
Closing the knowledge gap then for me is crucial for ensuring equitable access to education and opportunities. In an increasingly information-driven society, those with strong comprehension skills have a significant advantage in accessing, understanding, and utilizing information effectively. Conversely, those who struggle often find themselves at a disadvantage, both acadically and professionally. I truly believe that addressing the knowledge gap is not just a matter of improving individual skills, but also a crucial step towards creating a fair and inclusive society.
*off my soapbox, back to reading comprehension*
Strategies for building reading comprehension
The following section gives an overview of the different strategies your child might encounter in the classroom. This is helpful for you to have when you’re at parent teacher conferences and want to know how reading is taught in your child’s classroom. I have a separate section in this guide as well on how parents can support reading comprehension at home.
- Concept sort is an educational practice that aligns with Wexler’s advocacy for building strong foundational knowledge. This activity encourages students to categorize terms or concepts into predefined or student-created groups, fostering the development of vocabulary, comprehension, and cognitive skills. Concept sort nurtures in-depth knowledge of subjects, allowing students to explore connections, differences, and hierarchies within a topic. By engaging in this practice, students can bolster their comprehension capabilities, not only through new vocabulary acquisition but by deepening their understanding of the context in which words are used.
- The practice of inference is a crucial element in enhancing reading comprehension. Inference refers to the ability to deduce or interpret information that is not explicitly stated in the text. It requires readers to connect the dots by using their existing knowledge and understanding of the world, along with clues provided within the text. This skill enables readers to grasp the underlying themes, messages, and emotions embedded in the text, thereby enriching their overall understanding. It also aids in predicting future events in the narrative, understanding complex character dynamics, and appreciating the subtleties of language use.
- The jigsaw technique is another active learning strategy that promotes reading comprehension. This strategy hinges on the principle of interdependence; students are divided into groups, with each group tasked with understanding and mastering a specific portion of a larger text. Once each group becomes proficient in their respective section, students from different sections come together to form new groups. Each student acts as an “expert” on their piece, teaching it to their group members. This allows students to gain a comprehensive understanding of the entire text despite only studying a piece of it in detail. The jigsaw method not only encourages cooperative learning and peer teaching but also enhances reading comprehension by promoting a deeper understanding of the text.
- Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) is yet another effective technique to enhance reading comprehension. This strategy teaches students to categorize questions based on where the answer can be found. QAR divides questions into four types:
- ‘Right There’ questions where answers are directly stated in the text,
- ‘Think and Search’ questions which require students to glean information from different parts of the text,
- ‘Author and You’ questions that need students to use their prior knowledge along with the text to form an answer, and
- ‘On My Own’ questions which are answered based on the reader’s personal experience and feelings, independent of the text.
- By understanding these categories, students can better locate and interpret information in the text, thereby improving their comprehension. Furthermore, QAR encourages students to think critically about information and how it’s presented, contributing to a knowledge-rich learning environment.
- Think-Pair-Share is another engaging strategy that fosters reading comprehension. This interactive model begins with students individually contemplating a question or a problem (Think). They then pair up with a peer to discuss and exchange ideas (Pair). Lastly, pairs share their insights with the larger class group (Share). This method promotes active participation and peer learning. As students express their understanding, they get an opportunity to articulate their thoughts, thereby reinforcing comprehension of the text. This technique fits well within a knowledge-rich framework, encouraging knowledge integration, application and intellectual dialogue.
- K-W-L – this involves the following approach:
- What I Know: Before students read the text, ask them as a group to identify what they already know about the topic. Students write this list in the “K” column of their K-W-L forms.
- What I Want to Know: Ask students to write questions about what they want to learn from reading the text in the “W” column of their K-W-L forms. For example, students may wonder if some of the “facts” offered in the “K” column are true.
- What I Learned: As they read the text, students should look for answers to the questions listed in the “W” column and write their answers in the “L” column along with anything else they learn.
A Framework for How Parents Can Develop Reading Comprehension At Home
The process of comprehending text begins before children can read, when someone reads a picture book to them. Building from that baseline, here is a flexible framework of proven steps to develop reading comprehension for when you’re reading with your child.
Using Prior Knowledge/Previewing
Previewing is an essential strategy in the process of reading comprehension, especially in a knowledge-rich environment. Before reading a new book, readers are encouraged to tap into their existing knowledge base to make predictions or form an initial understanding of the content. This could involve examining the title, subtitles, pictures, and other text features.
Previewing serves as a contextual anchor, aiding readers in anticipating the subject matter and setting a purpose for reading. By doing this with your child, you foster active engagement with the text, where children are not merely passive receivers of information, but active participants in the learning process.
Predicting
Predicting involves making an educated guess about what will happen next in the text, based on one’s existing knowledge and the information presented in the text so far. This practice enriches the reading experience by promoting active engagement with the text. As readers formulate and then confirm or adjust their predictions, they are continually processing the text, which deepens understanding and promotes retention of the material. Moreover, this strategy encourages readers to think ahead and create a mental framework for the information that follows, which is particularly useful in a knowledge-rich curriculum where the integration and application of knowledge are key.
Identifying the main idea and summarization
Identifying the main idea and summarization are two crucial practices that greatly enhance reading comprehension. The practice of identifying the main idea involves discerning the central point or concept that the author wants to convey in the text. It requires readers to sift through the text’s details and understand its overall theme or message, thus improving their ability to extract essential information from the reading material.
On the other hand, summarization requires readers to condense the text, retaining only key points and relevant details, and express them in a concise manner. This activity not only checks their understanding of the text but also aids in memorization and recall of information. Both these strategies foster critical thinking and a deeper engagement with the text, making children active participants in their learning process.
Questioning
Questioning is a strategy that bolsters reading comprehension. As annoying as this may be for parents exhausted at the end of a long day, it has benefits and can be modified to diminishing energy reserves by focusing on just 1-2 questions per stage of reading.
This practice involves readers actively posing queries before, during, and after reading a text. Prior to reading, questions can help set a purpose and generate curiosity. During reading, questioning can aid in identifying connections, contradictions, or ambiguities in the text, enhancing understanding and promoting critical thinking. Post-reading questioning enables reflection and consolidation of gained knowledge.
Retelling
Retelling improves reading comprehension by encouraging readers to restate the main ideas and supporting details of a text in their own words. In this process, your child reorganizes and integrates the text information, strengthening their understanding and memory of the content. Retelling is not merely regurgitating the exact words of the text, but instead involves synthesizing the information, reflecting understanding, and showcasing the ability to communicate effectively.
Summing up
Enhancing reading comprehension is paramount for students to excel in their academic journey and beyond. From questioning, making connections, visualizing, inferencing, determining importance, to retelling and K-W-L, there are numerous effective strategies that can be employed to bolster comprehension skills. These strategies not only improve the understanding and retention of text but also foster a love for reading in students, making learning an enjoyable and enriching experience. Remember, the goal isn’t just to teach students to read but to help them understand the joy and power that reading can bring to their lives.
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