Comprehension Tools

The majority of people believe that ‘comprehending’ is just reading. If you are good at reading, you are good at comprehending, and vice versa. However, this is not the case at all.

To be able to comprehend means to understand what you are reading. Some people read a text; you ask them a question like ‘what’s the main characters name?’ and they will not have a clue. This signifies lack of comprehension.

The ability to comprehend is one of the most important skills in life. But some parents are faced with the situation of their child struggling with the idea. So, here are some comprehension tools for you. Work with them step by step, and comprehending will become as easy as pie!

Step 1: Read the text for the first time. Take everything in. Unless the situation is a timed test, their is no reason to hurry. In fact, rushing can be most peoples’ weak point when it comes to comprehending.

Step 2: If you have been assigned questions, read over them. This way, you know what you are looking for in the text. This step works very well with the NAPLAN testing for years 3,5,7 and 9.

Step 3: Knowing what to look for, read over the text again, seeing if you can decipher any key points.

PONT: Inferencing- One of the hardest parts of comprehension is inferencing. This means that what you are looking for is not directly said. For example, if the statement was ‘Maddie’s jumper flapped in the breeze as she walked along the sidewalk’, and the question was ‘what was the weather like’? the answer would be cold, as she was wearing a jumper. To become a better at comprehending, practice inferencing.

Step 4: This time, focus on the questions, and look for the exact sentence you are looking for. Repeat this with all questions. However, if you are having trouble with this, go back and read the text again. There is no point reading little bits of different sentences- you are just wasting your time.

If you follow all these steps, you will not only become better at comprehending, but also at reading. Remember, extend and challenge yourself with texts you don’t enjoy reading- you will become EVEN BETTER at comprehending!

If you have any questions, thought, comments concerns, feel free to write a comment.

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