Search this site
Click on RED underlined words to navigate to specified page.

Parent Information
 Learning Process

STEPS TO HELP IMPROVE
YOUR CHILD'S READING COMPREHENSION

Develop a broad background
Broaden your background knowledge by reading newspapers, magazines and different genres of books. Become interested in world events.

Know the structure of paragraphs
Good writers construct paragraphs that have a beginning, middle and end. Often, the first sentence will give an overview that helps provide a framework for adding details. Also, look for transitional words, phrases or paragraphs that change the topic.

Identify the type of reasoning
Does the author use cause and effect reasoning, hypothesis, model building, induction or deduction?

Anticipate and predict
Really smart readers try to anticipate the author and predict future ideas and questions. If you're right, this reinforces your understanding. If you're wrong, you make adjustments quicker.

Look for the method of organization
Is the material organized chronologically?

Pay attention to supporting cues
Study pictures, graphs and headings. Read the first and last paragraph in a chapter, or the first sentence in each section.

Highlight, summarize and review
Just reading a book once is not enough. To develop a deeper understanding, you have to highlight, summarize and review important ideas.

Build a good vocabulary
For most educated people, this is a lifetime project. The best way to improve your vocabulary is to use a dictionary regularly. You might carry around a pocket dictionary and use it to look up new words. Or, you can keep a list of words to look up at the end of the day. Concentrate on roots, prefixes and endings.

Use a systematic reading technique like SQR3
Develop a systematic reading style, like the SQR3 method and make adjustments to it, depending on priorities and purpose. The SQR3 steps include Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review.

Monitor effectiveness
Good readers monitor their attention, concentration and effectiveness. They quickly recognize if they've missed an idea and backup to reread it.

Visualize the text
Create pictures in your head of vocabulary and description from the story.

Create motivation and interest
Preview material, ask questions, discuss ideas with classmates. The stronger your interest, the greater your comprehension.

Question Types
Right There- Answer is in the story; simple question

Think and Search- Answer is there, but you have to read the whole text to find it. It's a thinking question that's not as obvious as a Right There Question.

Author and You- These are opinion questions; answers are not in the text.

On My Own- Questions are "conversation starters" about topics in the story; You don't even have to have read the story to answer the questions.


Use Graphic Organizers to keep track of your reading
Stay organized with your reading, and keep track of the important details.

Click here to download "25 Fun Ways to Encourage Reading"