Reading

Comprehension
Strategies

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 Table of Contents

Why Teach Reading Comprehension Strategies?………………………….. 3

Strategies for Decoding Words………………………………………………………… 4

Making Predictions………………………………………………………………………………… 5

Making Connections……………………………………………………………………………….. 8

Asking Questions……………………………………………………………………………………11

Story Elements………………………………………………………………………………………14

Sequencing and Summarizing………………………………………………………………16

Determining the Importance in Text……………………………………………….18

Recommended books for reading comprehension strategies:

Mosiac of Thought, by Ellin Oliver Keen and Susan Zimmermann
Strategies that Work, by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis

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 Why Teach Reading Comprehension Strategies?

More than twenty years ago, Dolores Durkin’s (1978-1979) study of

reading instruction found that teachers taught comprehension less than one

percent of the time. Reading comprehension instruction was a “mentioning”

of the strategies than actual direct instruction. This resulted in an increase

in research and development in reading comprehension. The National

Reading Panel reviewed over 200 studies on reading comprehension and

concluded that students in the elementary, middle school, and high school

benefit from direct instruction of reading comprehension. Teachers of all

levels must teach reading comprehension strategies.

Students learn in different ways. In order to meet these needs,

teachers must teach a variety of strategies to give students the opportunity

to increase their reading comprehension. Different readers rely on

different strategies to help them gain better understanding. Teachers must

encourage their students to think about which strategies they are using and

to choose strategies that best enable them to gain meaning from reading.

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 Strategies for Decoding Words

Decoding words is the process of determining what a word is.

The following are strategies that help children decode words.

™ Use phonics skills to sound out words.

™ Look for smaller words within the word.
™ Look for “chunks” or “word families” within the word.
™ Think about words that rhyme with the unknown word.
™ Look at pictures for clues.
™ When pictures are unavailable, think about what is
happening in the story.
™ Use the meanings of other words to help figure out unknown
words.
™ Skip the word, read to the end of the sentence and go back
to the unknown word to determine what word would make
sense.

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 Making Predictions is a reading comprehension strategy that
is used before text is read. It actively engages students by
allowing them to share their thoughts about events, actions or
outcomes that are confirmed or contradicted within a story.
Students make predictions before and during reading. Their
predictions may be based on titles, picture clues, written text,
and/or by activating prior knowledge. Activating prior knowledge
is one of the most effective ways of improving reading
comprehension and should be used in every reading comprehension
strategy.
When using the Prediction Strategy with your child, begin
by looking at the pictures on the cover of the story. Have your
child discuss what he/she thinks the story is about by looking at
the pictures and describing what is happening. Questions to
discuss may include, “Tell me what you think is happening on the
front cover.” “Who are the characters in the story?” “How do
you think the characters are feeling?” “Why do you think they
are feeling this way?” “Where do you think the story takes
place?” “Describe the setting.” “When do you think the story
takes place?” These are just a few of many questions that can be
discussed.
You can also activate prior knowledge by asking the children
to use what they already know to make predictions. For example,
if a child sees a story cover where there is a picture of a bare
tree with dead leaves on the ground, the child will activate prior
knowledge by predicting that the story takes place in the fall
because the child knows what trees look like in the fall. This
really gets the children thinking.
Once you have discussed the cover of the book, begin
reading to see if the predictions are accurate or need to be
changed. Read a few pages, then stop and reflect on the

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predictions and continue to make new predictions based on the
pictures, text, and prior knowledge. Continue this process until
the end of the story. Story predictions may be verbally
discussed or written down. Post-it notes, index cards, or any
paper can be used to write down predictions.
Included is an organizer that you may choose to use when
using the Prediction reading comprehension strategy with your
child.

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Page Prediction Outcome was different

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 Children love to share stories about their own life
experiences. Reading comprehension improves when children are
able to make connections from unfamiliar text to their personal
experiences and/or background knowledge. When children
understand how to connect what they have read to their own
lives, they make connections between what they have read and
the world around them. These connections are in three forms:

Text to self- (t-s) Students relate what they have read to

their own lives, thoughts, or experiences. For example, during
the story The Button with Frog and Toad, Toad lost a button.
Does this remind you of a time when you lost something? This is
the connection that young children find the easiest to relate to.
Can you make a connection?

Text to text-(t-t) Students relate what they have read to text

that they have previously read. While reading a story, do certain
events remind you of something similar that happened in another
story? For example, while reading about a child who is deaf,
does this remind you of the story you read about Helen Keller?
Can you make a connection?

Text to world-(t-w) Students relate what they have read to

issues, events or concerns of the world. While reading the text,
do certain events remind you of something in the world from the
past or present? For example, while reading a story about a boy
and girl who participate in a marathon, you can relate this to the
marathon in Chicago. Can you make a connection?

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 While reading, practice this strategy by pausing every few
pages (or more depending on how long the text is) and identify
and write down connections. Post-it notes, index cards, or any
paper can be used. Included is an organizer that may be used.

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 Making Connections
The text I can connect to is…….. Circle the My connection is…………………………
Connection

T-T
T-S
T-W

Circle the
Connection

T-T
T-S
T-W

Circle the
Connection

T-T
T-S
T-W

Circle the
Connection

T-T
T-S
T-W

Circle the
Connection

T-T
T-S
T-W

Circle the
Connection

T-T
T-S
T-W

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 Asking questions is a reading comprehension strategy that
encourages children to become interactive with their reading. An
inference is a thought that is produced when prior knowledge
(schema) is applied to what a child has read or seen in pictures in
the story. When a reader infers, they create a meaning or idea
that is not stated in the text. Inferring involves drawing
conclusions from the text, making connections, interpreting what
has been read in the text or seen in pictures, and making critical
or analytical judgments. When readers infer, they are better able
to remember and learn from what they have read.

Asking Questions Activity

1. Hand the children some index cards, post it notes, or the

graphic organizer included.
2. Have the children read a few pages (2-4 depending on the
amount of text).
3. Ask them to write down some questions that they are
thinking about as they read. These questions may include
those that begin with: Why, I wonder, When, Where, How
come, Does, etc. The questions may be related to the text
or the pictures. For example: “I wonder if Frog will find his
lost button?”
4. Have the child read a few more pages and write down more
questions.
5. Reflect on previous questions to see if any can be answered
in the following ways:

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 The answers are found:
• In the text
• By using inference skills (taking what we
already know and applying it to what we
have read to come up with the answer).
• Not found at all (sometimes we ask
questions that we will not find or be able
to infer the answers).

6. Continue this process until the story is read.

The following organizer can also be used. While reading, the

student writes down the question in the question area. When and
if the answer is found, write down the answer. In the final
column, circle either “Text” if the answer was found in the text,
“Inference” if the answer was determined through inferencing, or
circle “Not Found” if the answer cannot be determined.

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 Question Answer Answer was found
In the Text

Through Inference

Not Found

Answer was found

In Text

Through Inference

Not Found

Answer was found

In Text

Through Inference

Not Found

Answer was found

In Text

Through Inference

Not Found

Answer was found

In Text

Through Inference

Not Found

Answer was found

In Text

Through Inference

Not Found

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 Another reading comprehension strategy is “Story
Elements.” It is very important that children be aware of certain
components of a story in order to understand what they are
reading. Included in the discussion of “Story Elements” are: the
title, author and illustrator, setting, characters, plot, problem,
solution, a critique of the story, and questions that begin with,
“If you.”
One way to use this strategy is to create “Story Element”
folders. Take a manila folder and four large envelopes. Seal the
envelopes then cut them in half to create pockets. On each
envelope, write one of the following: Title, Author and Illustrator,
Setting, Characters, Problem, Solution, If You……, and Critique.
Glue each pocket to the inside of the folder. There will be four
going across with two rows. Then, cut up paper so that one piece
fits into each pocket or index cards may be used.
After the children have read the story, they are to write
complete sentences to answer the topic of each pocket on the cut
up paper or index cards. For example: The setting took place…..
The main characters in the story are…. When they have
completed a sentence or two for each pocket, they slip that
information into the correct pocket. The “If You…” Question is
to promote higher level thinking questions. For example: If you
were Johnny, would you have helped his sister? Why?
Next, share the answers and “What if” question.
You can create your own folders and have the children
decorate the front.
Another way to use this strategy is by completing the
organizer included in place of the Story Element folder.

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 Title Author/Illustrator
______________________________________ ______________________________________
______________________________________ ______________________________________
______________________________________ ______________________________________
______________________________________ ______________________________________

Setting Main Characters

______________________________________ ______________________________________
______________________________________ ______________________________________
______________________________________ ______________________________________
______________________________________ ______________________________________
______________________________________ ______________________________________

Problem Solution
______________________________________ ______________________________________
______________________________________ ______________________________________
______________________________________ ______________________________________
______________________________________ ______________________________________
______________________________________ ______________________________________

Critique Write a question -What If……

______________________________________ ______________________________________
______________________________________ ______________________________________
______________________________________ ______________________________________
______________________________________ ______________________________________
______________________________________ ______________________________________

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 Sequencing and Summarizing are a part of comprehension
used after a story has been read. Reading comprehension
improves when children are able to discuss events that happened
in a story and retell important parts of a story. The sequencing
part helps with oral comprehension and the summarizing part
helps improve written comprehension. After reading a story with
your child talk about what happened in the beginning, middle, and
end of the story. Pay attention to your child’s answers. Are they
giving every single detail of the story or are they focusing on the
main events of the story? When children understand what
specific events happened in the beginning, middle, and end of a
story you will know that true comprehension is taking place. Below
are some questions to help you work with your child on Sequencing
and Summarizing a story.

I. Sequencing

A. Questions to guide understanding of the beginning of a

story:

1. Who are the main characters of the story?

2. Where does the story take place?
3. What is the problem at the beginning of the
story?

B. Questions to guide understanding of the middle of a

story:

1. What important things happened in the

middle of the story?
2. What two important things happened in the
middle of the story that lead the character to
find a solution to his/her problem?
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 C. Question to guide understanding of the end of a story?

1. How was the problem, mentioned at the

beginning of the story, solved at the end of the
story?

II. Summarizing
Sequencing a story’s events will help your child write a summary
of a story. Once you have finished discussing the beginning,
middle, and end of a story your child will be able to use the
sequencing information to help him/her write a summary. When
you are working with your child on writing a summary, he/she
first needs to complete the story map on the Summarizer
Worksheet. Once the story map is completed your child can take
the information he/she wrote in the story map and create a
summary of the story by describing what happened in the
beginning, middle, and end of the story.

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 Reading nonfiction at the second grade level requires
instruction. Students often have difficulty determining important
ideas and information in nonfiction text. Readers must decide
and remember what is important in the text in order to learn.
Students must be taught how to do this.
To begin with, students must be taught the important
components of nonfiction text. The following are the components
that students must be made aware of during instruction:

¾ Nonfiction provides factual information, key concepts, and

important ideas and/or tells about events that have
happened.
¾ Students must understand the purpose of headings and
subheadings. They define what the reader will be reading.
Often these are skipped over during reading.
¾ Students must be taught how to use a table of contents,
index and a glossary.
¾ Students must be able to identify and learn important
vocabulary words in order to gain meaning. At the early
elementary level, these words are highlighted in the science
text.
¾ The first and last lines of each paragraph often contain
important information. Students should pay close attention
to these sentences.
¾ Students must be taught, through modeling, how to
determine which information is relevant in learning about
the topic.
¾ Pictures, captions, maps, tables, and graphs often contain
important information about the text.

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 ¾ Understanding various text structures is relevant to
increasing reading comprehension. These include: cause and
effect, problem and solution, question and answer,
comparison and contrast, and description and sequence.

Determining Importance in Text Lesson

1. Students are given a topic and asked to activate prior

knowledge. What do they know about the topic? This
knowledge is written down independently then shared
as a class as the teacher writes down this information
for the class to see.
2. Students then are asked to generate questions about
the topic. What would you like to learn about the
topic that will help you better understand it?
Students may be given a sticky note or index card to
write down questions and eventually answers.
Students must keep in mind that questions must be
relevant to students learning, or teaching, about the
topic.
3. Students then begin to read the text. It is
important to teach the importance of headings,
subheadings, vocabulary words, pictures, captions and
the first and last sentences within a paragraph. As
the students find answers to their questions, they
write them down. Students are also encouraged to
write down information that is important that they
may not have written a question for.
4. Additional research is recommended for questions
that were reasonable but the answers were not found
within the text.

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 Once the children have gathered information about the
topic, they may write a report, create a poster, or write a
book to “teach” about their topic by providing factual
information to their readers.
Included is an organizer that may be used during reading.
At this level, students often choose to read fiction rather
than nonfiction. It is highly recommended that children be
encouraged to read nonfiction and practice reading
comprehension strategies to develop these skills at an early
age.

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 This is what I already know about the topic.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

In order for me to better understand the topic; I would like to learn the
answers to the following questions. These questions would help me re-teach
the topic to someone else.

Question ?????? Fact

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Question ?????? Fact
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Question ?????? Fact
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Question ?????? Fact
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Other important information _______________________________

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