Reading Strategies

The Key to Comprehension - Reading Strategies

As a child progresses in reading, he will learn and employ new reading strategies. These provide him with a structured method of approaching his reading assignment.

Reading strategies can be used before, during, and after reading. Pre-reading strategies include using prior knowledge, which helps a child make a mental leap between what he knows and the new knowledge to come. For instance, before reading a story about the space shuttle, your child might be asked to think about what he already knows about astronauts and outer space. Setting a purpose provides a structure for a reader. Your child may be asked to look for a particular fact or learn steps required in an activity.

During reading, your child can use context clues to aid in comprehension. This means looking at the words around a new word to figure out its meaning -learning new vocabulary is an important part of developing reading skills. Predicting what will happen in a story requires the ability to use logic and make conclusions. Visualizing encourages your child to create mental images to help clarify what is being read. Your child might be asked to draw a picture while listening to someone read a story aloud.

After reading, your child may be encouraged to evaluate the reading passage and form an opinion about it. Restating or summarizing, either orally or in writing, demonstrates the depth of your child’s understanding. Rereading is a reading strategy that helps your child pick up information or explanations that might have been missed.

Different kinds of reading material require different reading strategies. For instance, restating and rereading is useful when reading for content and information. Predicting is useful when reading a fiction passage - it may also make your child more excited about finishing.

At home, you can use reading strategies to help your child get more out of both school assignments and leisure reading. Talk to your child often about books and stories and encourage him to share opinions and ideas. Help your child figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word rather than giving the answer. Listen to your child when he wants to recount the plot from a favorite book or story. Ask questions and offer comments yourself on the reading material. Your enthusiasm for what your child is reading is will be contagious.