Reading Comprehension Resources

With decoding, students break down letter sounds and syllables in words to understand the connection of individual sounds to letters. Making these connections is the first step of sounding out words. A great way to help kids identify letter sounds is to play word games and by reading to them.

Fluency is the speed and ease with which students can read and understand text. As students begin to recognize words instantly, they become more fluent readers. Working on sight words regularly can help students with word recognition. But practicing reading books that are the appropriate reading level is the most effective way to increase fluency.

Building a child’s vocabulary is critical to reading comprehension. The more words they know, the more they understand what they are reading. Simply having regular conversations on a variety of topics is an excellent way to build a child’s vocabulary. Telling jokes and playing word games work as well. Reading aloud together everyday gives you the chance to define new words.

Understanding how to construct a sentence is helpful in writing, but as a reader it can also help grasp the writer’s meaning. Activities like sentence mapping can help students understand how to connect ideas within and between sentences.

When students are able to relate to what they are reading, they generally have a better understanding of the text. Background knowledge enables students to gain meaning from context and read between the lines to draw their own conclusion about what they are reading. Building this knowledge is as easy as exposing students to as much as possible, through reading, conversation, movies, TV, cultural experiences, and life in general. Then, have a conversation with them about the experience.

Part of a group of abilities known as executive function, these skills help readers focus on the material, retain information and use it later. Playing cards or games like Memory or Concentration, which use visual memory, can help develop working memory. Helping increase a child’s focus may be a simple matter of choosing reading material they find interesting.