Mrs. Danielle Frady's

Fifth Grade Class

Comprehension Skills

Here are skills/strategies we are learning to improve upon our reading comprehension:

  • Reflect upon the Essential Question as we read the weekly story selections. The Essential Question builds the necessary background. Do a "Close Read" as we stop and relate the information back to the question. Good readers ask questions before, during, and after they read to make sure they understand informational texts.
  • Reread parts of the story that seems confusing. We might be missing or overlooking information that can help our understanding. Reflect on why characters are reacting in a certain way and why events are occurring.
  • Find text evidence. Underline, highlight, or make notes beside this evidence. Note the paragraphs and page numbers to prove the evidence. We may also include quotations in our responses.
  • Understand character, setting, and plot: the sequence of the story. The most important events take place at the beginning, middle, and ending. The events usually take place in order. Sequencing, or time order, is one way an author organizes and presents information. Readers can identify and remember key events.
  • Relate the story events to our everyday lives. Make text-to-world connections.
  • Use context clues to infer word meanings, based on the words and events located around the word you are defining. Context clues also help us make assumptions, inferences, and predictions about the characters and events.
  • Use illustrations as clues to what events are taking place.
  • Take notes as tangible evidence as you read to answer the questions at the end of selections.
  • Compare and contrast stories to one another, or stories to real-life applications.
  • Use sentence clues to help determine the correct meaning and pronunciation of homographs.
  • Use Greek Roots to figure out the meaning of some unfamiliar words. For example, in the word telescope, tele means "at a distance," while scop means "see." A telescope is therefore a tool that helps people see things that are far away.
  • Summarize parts or entire stories to note the key events that take place.


The mission of Saint Bartholomew School is to love, educate, and inspire our children to live the teachings of Jesus Christ.