How to Read: 5 Ways to Boost Reading Comprehension

To learn, students must read. Reading is essential to academic success because it enhances and improves vocabulary and critical and analytical thinking skills. Reading fosters imagination, helps students become more empathetic, and empowers students to better understand our interconnected, global society, providing them with insights into different cultures and perspectives. Enthusiastic, engaged readers are more engaged students and tend to have stronger social skills. So, while reading is fundamental to learning, students must have strong reading comprehension skills to ensure that they are fully understanding what they read. 

GAMECHANGER Tutoring Connection offers 5 ways to boost students’ reading comprehension.

  1. Read Aloud. By reading aloud, students are strengthening their decoding skills as well as their visual and auditory processing skills. When students read aloud, they are more cognizant of what they are reading and how to read it. They can adjust their tone based on the tone of the text that they are reading, which indicates an understanding of the content and context. Students with strong reading comprehension skills can correctly read passages aloud with appropriate expression and attention to punctuation. Furthermore, by reading aloud, more proficient readers and teachers can point out weaknesses, therefore guiding students as they work to strengthen their comprehension skills. 
  1. Identify Main Ideas and Supporting Details. The first step in understanding what a student is reading is making sure that they can identify the main themes in the article, chapter, or passage they are reading. What or who is the central focus of this text? Identifying the main idea or theme of a reading helps students get a clear understanding of the overall topic. After students identify the main idea, picking out supporting details and information will help students to back up their claims regarding the main idea of a text. By identifying supporting details, students are demonstrating a deeper understanding of the text. 
  1. Take Notes and Use a Graphic Organizer. Start by taking notes while reading. Students can use post-it notes to jot down any questions they have and to identify the “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” and “how” in the story. Taking notes, students can review content to ensure that they are comprehending texts as they go along. After reading text, students should organize themes and details within a graphic organizer. Use colored pencils or markers to highlight different information within the organizer, from themes to key points. Write down what happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the text, adding details based on the notes taken. Students should review everything they write down in their graphic organizer and ensure that it makes sense and that it answers the “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “why,” and “how” of the text. Finally, students should look for connections between the main idea and the details they collected.  
  1. Look Up Unfamiliar Vocabulary Words. A strong vocabulary is essential to reading comprehension. As students read, they should write down any unfamiliar vocabulary words on post-it notes. Additionally, they should jot down what they infer the word to mean based on the context of the text. As soon as students complete the text, they should look up the definitions of unfamiliar words. Once they have a definition, they should go back and re-read the text with an understanding of the vocabulary words. Yes, this means that students should re-read text. However, doing the extra work here, students will develop stronger comprehension skills and find reading more enjoyable going forward. Students should compile lists of unfamiliar words on index cards, practice them, use them in conversations, and make them part of their vernacular. This will also help students strengthen their comprehension skills. 
  1. Contact GAMECHANGER Tutoring Connection. If your student needs more direct, individualized instruction to build reading comprehension and fluency, contact GAMECHANGER Tutoring Connection. GAMECHANGER regularly refers students to general and special education teachers who help build reading fluency and comprehension skills. 

As students become stronger readers, all academic subjects become more interesting and easier to master. Plus, social skills are enhanced. This leads to students becoming more confident and successful. And becoming a well-rounded, confident, successful student is the ultimate goal of education. 

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