Comprehension Strategies

Good readers think as they read to make sure they comprehend and understand what they are reading. They do this by:

• Monitoring & Clarifying

• Questioning

• Evaluating

• Summarizing

• Predicting & Inferring

Good readers reread a sentence when they don’t understand it. Use this strategy during reading whenever you are confused about what you are reading.

• Ask yourself if what you’re reading makes sense or if you are learning what you need to learn.

• If you don’t understand something, reread, look at the illustrations, or read ahead.

Good readers read and think on every page. They are always asking questions. Use this strategy during and after reading to ask questions about important ideas in the story.

• Ask yourself questions about important ideas in the story.

• Ask yourself if you can answer these questions.

• If you can’t answer these questions, reread and look for answers in the text. Thinking about what you already know and what you’ve read in the story may help you.

Good readers think about what they like and don’t like about what they read. Use this strategy during and after reading to help you form an opinion about what you read.

• Think about how the author makes the story come alive and makes you want to read it.

• Think about what was entertaining, informative, or useful about the selection.

• Think about how well you understood the selection and whether you enjoyed reading it.

Good readers think about what they have read in their own words. Use this strategy after reading to summarize what you read.

• Think about

• the characters

• where the story takes place

• about the problem in the story and how the characters solve it

• what happens in the beginning, middle, and end of the story.

• Tell in your own words the important things you have read.

Good readers figure out what is going to happen next. They figure out things that aren’t there. Use this strategy before and during reading to help make predictions about what happens next or what you are going to learn.

• Think about the title, the illustrations, and what you have read so far.

• Tell what you think will happen next or what you think you will learn.

• Try to figure out things the author does not say directly.