Reading for Meaning: Improve Comprehension

Even experienced readers can find themselves drifting along with their eyes roving over the words on the page, but their thoughts on something else entirely.  At the end of the paragraph, the reader doesn’t even know what the reading was about and has to re-read.  This happens to all of us.  For students learning to read, this happens even more frequently due to a lack of vocabulary skills and reading practice.  If you find that your student is having difficulty with reading comprehension, there are ways that you can help.

Setting

One of the easiest fixes for a student struggling with reading comprehension is finding the right setting.  Many students are distracted by noises and activity in the classroom and at home.  Create a homework space in which your child can work without the distraction of the outside world.  This may not work well if there is a T.V. or computer in your child’s workspace.  Your child doesn’t need a computer for reading.  If the reading is online, have him print it out and take it to a quiet space designated specifically for reading.  If your child’s work setting has been the reason that reading comprehension has been difficult, you’ll see a quick improvement with just this slight change.

Vocabulary

While utilizing a dictionary is an important skill for your child to learn, constantly answering your child’s question about a word’s meaning with the phrase “look it up” could discourage your child from asking you.  Instead he may choose to just read over words that he doesn’t understand without taking the time to find out the meaning.  It can turn into a dangerous downward spiral as more and more words just get skipped over in the reading, and his vocabulary base ceases to grow.  Instead, have your child look up the first word he has a question about — that way he gets the practice of using a dictionary — but provide him with an oral definition for other unknown words in that reading session.  Teaching him to use context clues, or clues within the sentence that hint at the meaning of the unknown word, is another useful tool.  Let him make a guess at what the word means based on the context it is used in.  Then provide him with the correct answer if he is wrong.

Note-taking

Note-taking is a skill that your child will have to learn in order to be successful in school.  When your child finishes reading a chapter, or assigned portion of work, have him make an outline of the main points of what he has read.  If he is reading a textbook, this is a fairly straightforward assignment since the topics are usually set apart for him in bold print and he just needs to pull out the most important points in the paragraph.  This also assists him when he studies for tests.  Notes taken while reading turn into very useful study guides.

Pre-read

Have your student look at the book and chapter titles and formulate a hypothesis on what the book will be about.  This “greases the wheels” and helps him to start thinking about the material he is reading before he attempts to read it.

Mapping

Another way to work with your child is to take the main points from a book (if you haven’t read it, you could ask his teacher to provide you with the main points or events) and write them on a separate sheet of paper.  Have him cut out each point or event.  This creates cards that he can manipulate, which is helpful for those who learn kinesthetically.  After he has read, have him arrange the information into the same outline that the story is in and have him tell you about it as he does it.  If he gets stuck, find that spot in the book and re-read it together, then have him continue with the activity.

Fun Reads

Encourage reading just for fun.  If your child struggles daily with making sense of the words on the page, he needs a respite from the work and needs the reminder that reading can be fun as well.  Encourage him to choose his own reading material by taking him to the library.  Consider letting him read at an age-level that is comfortable and easy for him, not necessarily at his grade-level.  If comic books are the only thing that interests him — let him read comic books.  Many kids also enjoy the Choose Your Own Adventure books where the story goes wherever the reader decides to take it.  Allow him to stay up for an extra 15-30 minutes each night as long as he reads during that time.  It is important that if your child is struggling with reading, you help him to see reading in a positive light.

As a concerned parent it is hard to know how to help a struggling child, and the practice for reading comprehension can seem tedious at times.  But as your child gets more used to reading for meaning instead of just reading the words for the sake of reading itself, the process will become more automatic.  And having to work hard now means that when he gets to higher levels of learning and already has note-taking and studying skills under his belt, he’s going to find life much easier.