Reading Comprehension
Comprehension refers to the ability to understand what a reader has read. This area of reading instruction includes author's purpose, cause and effect, character traits, sequencing, comparison/contrast, making inferences, main idea and details, plot development, problem/solution, and summarizing. Teachers often have students fill out graphic organizers before, during, and after reading a story/book to practice a specific area of comprehension.
For some students, knowing what kind of question is being asked is a skill that requires practice. Students need to understand the difference between a "right there" question which can be answered "right there" in the reading, a "think and search" question which requires reading several different sections of a passage, and an "on my own" question which requires the student to use background knowledge of a topic or infer something in order to answer a question. There are many websites available that allow students to read passages of varied lengths and then answer questions about them. When reading books at home students should be encouraged to stop periodically and think about the "who" and "what" they are reading about. If they are unable to answer these 2 questions, they may need to reread or stop more often to check their understanding. Post-it notes can be placed in a book to remind the reader of when they should be stopping.
Sequencing and summarizing are crucial areas of reading comprehension. Being able to retell a series of events in the correct order is necessary in order to truly comprehend the action of the story. Once a reader can correctly sequence events they can begin to summarize the story. An effective strategy for summarizing is the "Somebody wanted but so then" strategy. The strategy only requires a piece of paper divided into 5 columns. The first column is labeled "Somebody", the second "wanted", etc. After reading a short passage or chapter, the reader writes the main character in the "Somebody" column and what they wanted in the next column. They then think about what is keeping the character from getting what they want and write it in the "but" column. The way the character tries to solve the problem goes in the "so" column and the way the action concludes goes in the "then" column.
Try these links:
http://wvde.state.wv.us/strategybank/Somebody-Wanted-But-So.html This is where you can find the graphic organizer for the Somebody-Wanted-But-So-Then Strategy.
www.beaconlearningcenter.com Provides practice at reading passages and answering comprehension questions; provides immediate feedback as well as instruction with each question answered.
www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/graphic-organizers-reading-comprehension Provides free graphic organizers that can be printed and used at home.
www.studyzone.org/testprep Excellent online practice in the various areas of reading comprehension. Parents can choose a skill area and then have the choice of several tutorials and practice activities in that area.
www.enchantedlearning.com This website is full of printable fiction and non-fiction leveled books, file folder games, and much more.
www.mrnussbaum.com/readingpassageindex.htm Provides stories and questions with immediate feedback.
http://www.readingcomprehensionconnection.com/reading_lesson.php This site contains lessons on reading comprehension, and it provides immediate feedback and support when a student chooses a wrong answer. You choose the type of lesson and level!
Additional activities to try at home:
vHave the child give a summary of a game, tv show, or movie. Then have them make a prediction of what might happen next.
vIf the child likes to write, they could write out their own version of what would happen if a character made a decision differently, create an alternate ending, or make character webs for the main character(s).
vBuild sequencing skills with the child by having them create a comic strip about a story they recently read.
vHave the child create a board game based on a novel they have recently read.
