Comprehension

  • Comprehension Strategies

    Your child should be able make predictions about what will happen in the story. They should also be able to retell the story, from beginning to end, using details such as characters names (without having to look back in the story). They should be able to do this without being prompted.

     

    Retelling: This is similar to comprehension because students must “comprehend” the story in order to retell. However, rather than just answering questions about the text, students should be able to read a story, close the book and retell the story in their own words using details like characters names, what happened first, next, last and include all important events

    Tip - Your child needs to learn to concentrate on the words and the story itself. If they have a hard time, have them re-read the story again. For students reading at a high reading level (20 and above), they can begin to practice retelling a story in writing. This is something they will have to do during DRA testing.

    Read a few pages or a chapter of your child’s book (it is good to know what they are reading anyway), then have your child read it. By you reading it first, you will know if their retelling was accurate or if they were missing important details from the story.

     

    Check for Understanding: This is a strategy we teach in class. Students read a few pages and then “check for understand” by asking themselves if they understand what has happened so far. If they can’t, they should go back and reread. If they can, they may continue reading.