Reading Comprehension Strategies
Author: Simone Mary
Comprehension should always be the chief concern when teaching
reading. What good is reading if the child has no understanding
of what is read? In this article I will outline key reading
comprehension strategies and show how they should be used.
Before reading you should allow children to make predictions
about what they think the book will be about based on either the
title or the picture on the front cover of the book. Children
can also make predictions about what they think will happen
based on what they read on the back cover of a book. Discuss
with them their predictions and ask them to justify why their
predictions are reasonable based on what they have read. Create
a prediction chart that shows titles such as: WHAT WE
PREDICT/WHAT HAPPENED IN THE STORY. List everything students
predict will happen under the "WHAT WE PREDICT" column. Once the
story has been read you can write what actually happened in the
story in the "WHAT HAPPENED IN THE STORY" column. Students
should be allowed to adjust predictions so the "WHAT WE PREDICT"
column can be changed as the story is read. Older readers must
be taught that while they are reading they should be looking out
for the setting of the story, that is, the time and place the
story takes place. The characters and plot are also essential
elements they should be focused on as understanding of these
story elements is at the heart of comprehending any story that
is read.
Allowing children to do research on a topic before it is
presented in a story format is highly effective for improving
reading comprehension. This strategy however, works better with
older readers. Children will feel more in tune with the content
of the text if they are allowed to develop previous knowledge.
Another reading comprehension strategy that I have found to be
highly effective is to do vocabulary work before hand. You can
introduce children to new words. Have them break them up into
syllables. Put the new words on flashcards. You can also have
children find out the meaning of these words in the dictionary,
with all this groundwork, once you get to the text it will be
smooth sailing.
After reading, children can do written and oral retelling of
the story. Engage children in answering questions. These may be
in the form of traditional written comprehension questions or
oral comprehension questioning. I mentioned using research as a
pre-reading strategy but this can also be done after reading.
Encourage children to act out stories in groups with each child
taking turns playing characters from the book.
Completing a story map is a good activity for students to do
after reading as they get a chance to summarize and to zero in
on what happened at different points in the story. A good story
map is one that asks students to tell what happened at the
beginning, middle and the end of the story.
Make an art-literature connection by having students draw and
paint or color their favorite scenes. They can also write
something about what they have drawn so that a writing
connection is also made.
About The Author: Simone Mary is a teacher, writer and artist.
She is the author of the eBook TEACHING READING AND WRITING, for
more reading strategies and for a free copy of the eBook GET ON
THE HONOR ROLL-TEST AND EXAM TAKING TIPS THAT WORK visit
http://www.thereadingandwritin
