Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension Leads to Academic Success

We've all had the experience of reading a page two or three times before we understand it. We have to really work to get that information we want or to comprehend the story. This often happens when the style, type of material, or the vocabulary used is unfamiliar.

For both adults and children, reading comprehension involves not just understanding what we read but also adjusting to different kinds of reading material. As she progresses, your child will be able to read increasingly complex stories, understand much of what she reads in newspapers, and adjust to different types of textbooks, from language arts to math.

A key to increasing reading comprehension is learning reading strategies. Encourage you child to:

• Use context clues
  
• Re-tell and summarize
  
• Employ prior knowledge
  
• Make predictions about "what happens next"
  
• Take notes or highlight important information
  
• Ask questions about content and vocabulary
  
• Discuss a book in class or at home
  
• Draw pictures, maps, and charts to illustrate what is read

Another key to reading comprehension is being invested in the reading material. Writers keep a young reader interested in a reading passage or book by sustaining "eustress," which is good stress. It's the thrill your child gets from riding the roller coaster or seeing an exciting movie. That stress can be extended to reading - from fiction (will the hero find his cat?) to non-fiction (what did Teddy Roosevelt do when he was president?).

Teachers and parents, of course, can also make reading exciting by sharing their enthusiasm for books and for seeking answers in the text. They can offer anecdotes from their own reading and personal experiences to enrich a discussion. Teachers have to prepare well for classroom reading and discussion so that they can provide context and background for a reading assignment.

Vocabulary is yet another component of reading comprehension. Learning new words makes every reading assignment that much easier, while every new reading experience provides new vocabulary.

Reading comprehension is probably the most important skill that your child will learn. It is the skill that leads to success in school and to the enriched life of the avid reader.