Non-Fiction Comprehension

The Following links and resources are all identified to help grow your child in "Non-Fiction Comprehension". Use this list from top to bottom for increasing complexity of techniques to help your child!

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"Book Walk"

Point out the title and author. Look at the picture on the cover and ask,-Before reading - This helps your child consider what he already knows about the topic.

By looking closely together at the front and back cover, the index, table of contents, the glossary, and the photographs or other images, readers can start to get a sense about the topic. This scanning and skimming helps set the expectation for the reading. Take the time to walk through the book before starting to read.

"New Vocab"

Identify and talk about new words that the reader doesn’t know the meaning of. Nonfiction is typically full of new words that are not in the childs vocabulary. Discussing and making meaning of those new words, based on the information in the text that is around that new word, will help the child to comprehend what they are reading.

"Background Building"

Build background knowledge so they can wonder about a topic. Talk about what the child or you may already know. Where else have you heard these words or saw these pictures?

"Book Walk (Advanced)"

Look at the table of contents. "What do you think you'll learn about in this book? Why?"

During Walk - Don't forget the captions, headings, sidebars, or any other information on the page. Young readers tend to overlook these, so it's a good idea to show that the author includes lots of information in these "extras".

"Facts"

Does the author try to persuade you in any way? How?

Can you identify the facts? The opinions?

How do statistics and data support the author's perspective?

Do you find the author's evidence convincing? Explain.

What new information did you learn? How can you apply this information to an issue or problem in today's world?

How did this new information change your way of thinking about this subject?

What words, phrases, or statements does the author use that caught your attention? Why? How did they make you feel? What did they make you think?

Did the author weave opinion and fact statements into the piece? Find examples of each.

Were there any photographs, illustrations, charts, graphs, or diagrams that were important? Select two or three and show what you learned from them and explain why you believe each one was important.

Did the reading leave you with unanswered questions? What are these?

How did you connect to the piece? Was it personal? Was it an issue that affects your community and the world? Explain.

"Comparison"

Compare two nonfiction texts that were written on the same topic. What information was the same? What was different? What do you still want to know? Where could you find out more?"

"Make Connections"

Text-to-Self = How does what I just read connect to me?

What does this remind me of in my life? What is this similar to in my life? How is this different from my life? Has something like this ever happened to me? How does this relate to my life? What were my feelings when I read this?

Text-to-Text = How does what I just read connect to another piece of text that I have read?

What does this remind me of in another book I’ve read? How is this text similar to other things I’ve read? How is this different from other books I’ve read? Have I read about something like this before?

Text-to World = How does what I just read connect to things I know about the world?

What does this remind me of in the real world? How is this text similar to things that happen in the real world? How is this different from things that happen in the real world? How did that part relate to the world around me?