Comprehension
(Grades K-6)
What is it?
Comprehension is the ability to understand what one is reading. Before reading comprehension skills would include previewing the text, activating background knowledge, understanding a purpose for reading, making predictions and integrating reading strategies. During reading comprehensions skills would include recognizing and using text structures, predicting, confirming and revising during reading, self-monitoring, determining importance, visualizing, questioning, inferring and making connections. After reading comprehension skills would include retelling, summarizing and synthesizing.
Why is it important?
Comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading. A reader must be able to understand what the author is saying and how the words affect the meaning of a given text. Reading comprehension is essential to all academic disciplines and is an integral component of reading engagement.
What can I do at home?
The most instrumental activity to support reading comprehension at home is to read to and with your child.
Ask questions about what your child is reading.
Have your child make predictions based upon what he is reading (i.e., What do you think will happen next? Why do you think that?).