Strategies for successful reading comprehension uo people (2023)

Our world is filled with a wide variety of people, including all types of readers. Some of us struggle to really extract and understand what we're reading, while other seasoned readers don't think twice about our innate reading comprehension strategies. It is important to understand that the ultimate goal of reading is comprehension and that it cannot be done passively - it is an interactive and strategic process that needs to be internalized and personalized.

Anyone can master this complex skill with patience, and here's how.

Understanding: Why do we read?

Have you ever thought about why we read? While on the surface the obvious answer may be to enjoy, ultimately we read to understand what we read. The more advanced and experienced readers often fail to appreciate their innate abilities, but reading is actually a very strategic and interactive process.

What are some reading comprehension strategies?

Reading comprehension strategies are critical to helping students focus on what they are learning and actively thinking about what they are reading. Here are some of the best reading strategies for success.

Be aware of what you know and what you don't know

When reading, it can be very helpful to use the information that is available to help you understand the text as a whole and to provide a framework for the text. This is a key strategy for reading comprehension.

make predictions

While we've always been told never to judge a book by its cover, making predictions about a text can help with reading comprehension strategies to create expectations for what's to come. These predictions are subject to change as the reader proceeds.

Thinking about thinking and taking notes

While this might sound strange and quite confusing, it's actually pretty simple!

Take control of your thoughts and reflect on your thought process and how and why it works the way it does. Taking notes can seriously help you stay on track and can serve as a useful tool later.

Summarize main ideas – What is the goal?

By summarizing the main ideas of a text and putting it into our own words, it can help us betterunderstand what we read.

ask questions and give answers

Like everything in life, we need to constantly ask ourselves questions. Both questions and answers can help us focus on the meaning of a text.

Visualize the settings and focus on the structure

Illustrations such as pictures, graphs, or charts can be helpful for the reader to make up their own mind while reading, even if there aren't any.

Working together – Cooperative conversation

By engaging in regular discussions, students can share problems and ask questions about what they have read and can support each other, each adding what they learned from the text.

Reading comprehension strategies for narrative texts

Create a Story Map: Break down the structure

A story map that breaks down the structure of a piece of text can be very helpfulconducive to student success, including identification of the setting, characters, plot and theme. This can help give a clearer picture of what the text entails.

use your own words

By retelling a text in your own words, it forces you to draw your own conclusions and in turn really understand what you just read.

Use hints and read between the lines

Readers can use clues such as the story title to make predictions about the text and make sense of what they are reading.

Answering questions

It's important to ask a variety of questions about the text that will force you to answer it in a variety of ways, such as: B. by using existing knowledge to answer.

Reading comprehension strategies for explanatory texts

What is explanatory text?

If you've never heard of this type of text - don't worry. An explanatory text explains both concepts and facts with the aim of explaining and informing the reader.

Generally, such text contains clear visual cues, including headings and subheadings, to mark the structure of the information.

In fact, an example of explanatory text would be this very article you are reading right now - which, as you can see, contains all the explanatory text elements - such as images, headlines, subheadings and overall a clear structure.

Tap on the main ideas

Addressing the main ideas with an abstract that includes the most important details of the text can allow readers to better understand the text without feeling overwhelmed by large amounts of information.

Break it up visually with graphic organizers

Graphic organizers can help convey a visual idea of ​​the key concepts in a piece of text. By presenting them in a graphic, visual form, it can help readers remember them and understand them on a deeper level.

What are some reading comprehension programs?

There are many reading comprehension programs out there to help students improve their skills and practice these important strategies!

Some of these programs include:Read Naturally Liveand Read Naturally Encore, which are mostly independent. There's also Read Naturally GATE, which is primarily teacher-led.

Some of these programs are available as audio programs, others are applications that can be used on your smartphone, and still others are printed books with additional audio support.

How can reading comprehension strategies be effective?

Clear explanations

When teachers explain to students why certain strategies are important and can contribute to comprehension, it can help make those reading comprehension strategies more effective.

Monkey see, monkey do

Monkeys aren't the only creatures to mimic what they see. When a teacher demonstrates how to use a reading strategy correctly, it can help students do the same.

Practice creates masters

It is important that these strategies are practicedtogether in classso that the students can learn to do it themselves eventually.

Why is it important to teach reading strategies?

The ability to thoroughly understand a text is the ultimate goal of reading and is needed to acquire new knowledge and express ideas through writing and discussion.

Reading comprehension is demonstrated by individuals who are able to assess situations, relate new information to what they already know, and adapt that knowledge accordingly.

Those with good reading comprehension are also able to touch on the main points of a text and read between the lines.

What are some other useful reading comprehension tips?

Read actively

There are many ways to improve your reading comprehension, and it's also a never-ending process.

One of the best ways to improve is to actively focus on reading – that is, engaging in reading as much as possible, perhaps taking notes as you read or even highlighting certain parts of text. Even stopping and asking yourself questions as you read can be helpful. Often we read in a passive way, simply reading and re-reading the text without a clearly defined purpose.

Prepare yourself

To successfully ensure you're reading as actively as possible, know your purpose before you start reading. Determine what you know and what you are about to read. Consider how the text relates to other course material and why it was assigned to you.

Monitor yourself as you read

When it comes to reading, you are your own boss and the only one who can control whether it is effective or not.

If you find that your thoughts are starting to drift in other directions - like what you just saw on social media or what you're going to eat for a snack - it might help to have those needs met, such as a set amount of time, until you are ready to give this text your undivided attention.

Your work is never done - dig deeper!

When you're done reading, the chapter will continue! There are many effective reading comprehension strategies that can help you understand a text after you've finished reading it and help you remember the text longer-term.

Some ways to continue the process include writing a summary or outline of the text, discussing the text with a classmate, or even calling a family member with no prior context to the text to tell them everything you just read. Consider asking yourself some key questions about the text, or even creating a concept map that illustrates the text for yourself.