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Reading comprehension is very important in a child's learning
process. In order to understand and learn new things, students
must be able to comprehend what they read, so they now how to
obtain information and/or apply concepts to their learning process.
Make reading purposeful with this quick guide to teaching reading
comprehension.
Learn with ABCs
This is an activity where students work in groups to brainstorm
ideas based on a particular topic that you give the entire class.
Each group is assigned letters of the alphabet (e.g., ABCD - group
1, EDFG - group 2, etc.). Each group is to write down something
they believe is associated with the topic that you give them.
For instances, if you give the class the topic of "Ice Age," each
group will come up with a word or phrase using each letter of
the alphabet that you assigned to them. This works really well
with helping students focus on their topic, rather than having
to go through the whole alphabet by themselves.
Going By the Clock
Use this interesting activity to time students on thoughts and ideas about
a story or topic they recently read. The first step is to pair
students as partners. Give each pair 1 minute to write down ideas
they gathered from their reading. When the time is up, the students
have 10 seconds to find a new partner and gather new ideas that
are not already on their paper. You can continue doing this for
10 to 15 minutes. When the class is back in order, go over the
results and have a discussion time with the class.
Concept Maps
Since some students learn best with visual representations, using
concept maps (graphic organizers) will help them grasp ideas much
more proficiently. When students have completed reading a passage
from a book or just learned about a topic in your class, give
them the opportunity to compare plot, setting, characters, etc.
with Venn diagrams, flow charts, or comparison-contrast graph.
You can find many examples of these concept maps on the Internet
that you just need to print.
The K-W-L Chart
This is a popular worksheet used by many teachers to help students
with reading comprehension. The "K" means Know, the "W" means
Want, and the "L" means Learned. The purpose of the chart is to
have students list the things they already know ("K") about a
topic that you present. Then they are to list the things that
they want ("W") to know about the topic. The last step is to list
the new things that they learned ("L") about the topic once you
are done teaching. Teachers use these charts to assess the students'
understanding of the topic, and if enough material was covered
about the topic.
Author on Target
Use this activity to help students answer questions about what
the author wrote. The idea is to have the students think beyond
what they read and try to understand what the author intended
for them to learn. Have students read a paragraph or passage from
a book (not a whole chapter), and then stop to answer these questions:
- What is the author telling me here?
- Why is the author telling me this information?
- Is the author clear about what he telling me?
- What other way could the author have said this passage more
clearly?
- I would have said this instead…
By answering these questions, students will be able to identify
how well they understand what they are reading, as well as think
of ways that the author could have improved on clarity, content,
and organization
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