Comprehension, or extracting meaning from what

you read, is the ultimate goal of reading. Experienced

readers take this for granted and may not appreciate the
reading comprehension skills required. The process of
comprehension is both interactive and strategic. Rather than
passively reading text, readers must analyze it, internalize
it and make it their own.

Comprehension refers to the ability to understand written

words. It is different from the ability to recognize words.
Recognizing words on a page but not knowing what they mean
does not fulfill the purpose or goal of reading, which is
comprehension. Imagine, for example, that a teacher gives a
child a passage to read. The child can read the entire
passage, but he or she knows nothing when asked to explain
what was read. Comprehension adds meaning to what is read.
Reading comprehension occurs when words on a page are not just
mere words but thoughts and ideas. Comprehension makes reading
enjoyable, fun, and informative. It is needed to succeed in
school, work, and life in general.

Reading comprehension is the ability to process text,

understand its meaning, and to integrate with what the reader
already knows.

Fundamental skills required in efficient reading

comprehension are knowing meaning of words, ability to
understand meaning of a word from discourse context, ability
to follow organization of passage and to identify antecedents
and references in it, ability to draw inferences from a
passage about its contents, ability to identify the main
thought of a passage, ability to answer questions answered in
a passage, ability to recognize the literary devices or
propositional structures used in a passage and determine its
tone.
 Some people think of the act of reading as a
straightforward task that’s easy to master. In reality,
reading is a complex process that draws on many different
skills. Together, these skills lead to the ultimate goal of
reading: reading comprehension, or understanding what’s been
read.

Reading comprehension can be challenging for lots of

reasons. Whatever the cause, knowing the skills involved, and
which ones your child struggles with, can help you get the
right support.

In order to read with comprehension, developing readers

must be able to read with some proficiency and then receive
explicit instruction in reading comprehension strategies.

The process of comprehending text begins before

children can read, when someone reads a picture book to them.
They listen to the words, see the pictures in the book, and
may start to associate the words on the page with the words
they are hearing and the ideas they represent.

In order to learn comprehension strategies,

students need modeling, practice, and feedback.
 Case Study C
Jorge and Angela had the same reading problems in second
year high school. Both were fourteen years old. They had
normal IQ as shown in the intelligence test given by the
guidance counselor.

Both of them were shy and slow readers. Their voices

could hardly be heard whenever they recite or answer
questions. Interviews revealed that they had poor study
habits. They had low scores in comprehension of main ideas,
noting details, seeing cause-and-effect relationships, and in
note taking, summarizing, and organizational skills.

In the Informal Reading Test, Jorge and Angela obtained

reading levels of 4.5 and 4.7, respectively, when they should
have a reading performance of at least 6.5 in order to cope
with academic work in sophomore high school.

Remember:
The information you gain from reading is important. If
you just “do it,” without learning something, you’re wasting a
lot of your time. Train your mind to learn while reading with
SQ3R.

A. SQ3R/PQ3R
Two reading formulas which are similar and which are very
effective are the SQ3R and the PQ3R. S stands for Survey,
while P means Prepare.

SQRRR or SQ3R is a reading comprehension method named for

its five steps:
 survey, question, read, recite and review.
-The method was introduced by Francis P. Robinson, an
American education philosopher in his 1946 book Effective
Study.

According to Irwin L. Joffe, the PQ3R technique helps the

reader study textbook chapters with better understanding and a
better recollection of the information given.

SQ3R is a comprehension strategy that helps students

think about the text they are reading while they’re reading.
Often categorized as a study strategy, SQ3R helps students
“get it” the first time they read a text by teaching students
how to read and think like an effective reader.

This useful strategy aids reading comprehension and is

especially helpful for difficult textbook material. Each part
of the process is helpful by itself, so do not feel that you
must follow all of the steps.

This strategy includes the following five steps:

Survey:
Before you begin a new chapter, skim the material and get
a feel for the main topics and ideas in the text. The process
below should take 5-10 minutes.

Students review the text to gain initial meaning from the

headings, bolded text, and charts.

-Gather the information necessary to focus and formulate

goals

 Read the introduction

Help your mind prepare to receive the subject at hand.

 Look at the headings and subheadings

  Look at the pictures, charts and graphs (anything visual)
 Read the chapter summary
 Look at the study questions at the end of the chapter

In other words, skim the text, but do so with

the purpose of getting a sense of the focus and
general ideas presented in the reading.

Question:
Students begin to generate questions about their reading
from previewing it.

-Use questions to guide your reading.

Help your mind engage and concentrate

 Turn the boldface heading for each section into as many

questions as you think will be answered in that section.
The better the questions, the better your comprehension
is likely to be. You may always add further questions as
you proceed. When your mind is actively searching for
answers to questions it becomes engaged in learning.

Generate questions about the content of the reading. For

example, convert headings and sub-headings into questions, and
then look for answers in the content of the text. Other more
general questions may also be formulated:

What is this chapter about?

What question is this chapter trying to answer?

How does this information help me?

 Take the first heading in the chapter and turn it into a

question before reading the paragraphs in that section.
For instance, if the heading is “A Limited Partnership”,
read it as “What is a limited partnership?” Now you have
 created a purpose for reading because you are looking for
the answer to the question.

If you know what you’re looking for, you can

spot the information as you read.

Read:
As students read, they need to look for answers to the
questions they formulated during their preview of the text.
These questions, based on the structure of the text, help
focus students’ reading.

-Fill in the information around the mental structures

you’ve been building

Read one section at a time with your questions in mind

and look for the answers. Recognize when you need to make up
some new questions.

As you read look for answers to the questions you created. Use
the following tips when reading:

I. Usually the first sentence of each paragraph states the

main idea.
II. Look for transition words such as next, for example, in
contrast, in addition, to help you follow the author’s
point.
III. Make notes in the margin or in a notebook as you read.
Paraphrase main points and ideas; do NOT simply copy
information from the textbook.
IV. Highlight only the most important points. Too much
highlighting can make it difficult to separate the main
point from support details
This one is pretty self-explanatory, but remember,
you’re not just reading the words to read them.
You’re reading with a purpose in mind. You’re
actively seeking information.

As you read, don’t forget to take notes on key

content to help you not only understand the text more
effectively but also help find information when
studying or citing information in a paper.

Recite:

When the students have finished reading the

material, the next step in SQ3R that they have
to do is recite. In this step, students have to
recite the main points of the text with the
book closed.
As students move through the text they should recite or
rehearse the answers to their questions and make notes about
their answer for later studying.

-After reading, look at the questions you created or

those at the end of the chapter.

-The reader should try to recite from memory what was

learned in the same manner as telling someone else about the
information. It is important that the reader use their own
words in order to formulate and conceptualize the material.
Try recalling and identifying major points
(heading/subheadings)
  Can you answer them? If you cannot, go back, reread the
appropriate Sections, and take notes.

-Take the time and recite or recall whatever you can

Remember as soon as you finish reading.

Retrain your mind to concentrate and learn as it reads

-After each section, stop and recall your questions and

see if you can answer them from memory. If not, look back at
the text again (as often as necessary), but don’t move to the
next section until you can recite the answers from the
previous one.

Review:
After reading, students should review the text to answer
lingering questions and recite the questions they previously
answered.

-The last step in using SQ3R as reading technique is

review. When the students finished reading the text, go back
through it section by section to see if they can still
remember the important material

-After you study new material, it is extremely important

to conduct an overall review within 24 hours for maximum
comprehension and memory.

-The final “R” is “Review.” Once you reach the end of the
passage, review the material by repeating back to yourself
what the point of the passage is using your own words. You may
then repeat the process on the second set of questions.

-Refine your mental organization and begin building memory

Once you’ve finished the entire chapter using the

preceding steps, go back over the questions you create for
every heading. See if you can still answer them. If not, look
back and refresh your memory and then continue.

You can lose 80% of what you have learned if you do not review
within the next day.

To conclude, in this step, students are asked to review the

whole text guided by the teacher to see if they can still
remember the main points of the text.

Create and use the strategy

As with its sister strategy Question-Answer Relationship
(QAR), SQ3R requires the teacher to model.

 Explain to students that effective readers do many things

while reading, including surveying, questioning, reading,
reciting and reviewing.
 Choose a content area passage to read and model the five
SQ3R steps.
 During each step, make sure to explain what you’re doing
and why you’re doing it.
 After your modeling session, invite students to
independently read a selection and practice applying the
SQ3R steps. This could be completed as an in-class or
take-home assignment.
 Afterwards ask students to review their notes and reflect
on the process. Were they surprised by how much they
remember by using the SQ3R method?
 Students may not be “sold” on this strategy the first
time they try it. Not all readings will be worth the time
it takes to complete the SQ3R steps, so help students to
understand not just how to apply it, but when to apply
it.
 PQR METHOD

PQR:
PQ3R is an acronym for Preview, Questions, Read,
Recite, and Review.

PQ3R is a streamlined study method that aids the

learner in subject matter mastery, and facilitates
generalization of new-knowledge-gained into real-
world settings. PQ3R

To use this strategy, follow these steps:

Prepare:

Before you begin to read, prepare your reading.

Look at how long the text is. Make note of images and
lists. Think about how a section or text is
organized.

Is all about understanding the big picture of

what the chapter will be covering before diving into
detailed pages. Garner big picture information by
reading in the following order; chapter title,
introduction, subheadings, and the first sentence of
each paragraph. Take time to peruse illustrations.
Finally, read the chapter summary.

QUESTION:

Turn subtitles into questions. Think about the

probable content of the subsections.

Develop questions:

Ask yourself, “What are the key concepts and terms

in this section? What do I already know about this
topic? How do these concepts relate to previous
sections in the text or to the topics I have already
studied?”

As the reader previews the text chapter, she

should be aware of questions generated by major topic
sections and subheadings. Record these questions, and
keep them in mind when engaging in the next step, a
thorough reading of the chapter. A list of custom-
created questions helps the reader to become an
active participant in the learning process.

Read:

Read to find the answers to the questions you asked.

 -Now read the entire chapter. Previewing and
question-gathering should help the reader to find the
detailed information more meaningful and easier to
understand. Pay attention to any highlighted or bold
type in the text. Invest time in taking a second look
at all graphs, charts and illustrations and reading
their captions. Reread any sections that are at first
uunclear

As you read, keep the questions you have generated in

mind and think about your answers.

RECITE:

Look away and tell yourself, from memory, what you

read.

Answer the questions recorded after previewing

the chapter. The reader’s self-check of personal
understanding and absorption of the information
presented in the chapter is revealed in her ability
to correctly and clearly answer not only the
questions generated by the preview of the chapter,
but in any formal chapter review questions, as
provided in the body of the text.

REVIEW:
Look at each subtitle. Tell yourself what the
subsection is all about.

Review: Once you have responded to your reading,

review what you have written and return to the text
to see what details you have forgotten or
misrepresented. Read those sections and try to write
again.

-A day or two after completing the steps,

the reader should try a self-test; can she clearly
summarize the major points of the chapter? Can she
answer both the personally generated questions and
the chapter questions with relative ease? Does the
reader feel confident that she could discuss chapter
content with an instructor or other student and prove
understanding? Yes, yes and yes? Then PQ3R has
worked.

This strategy works better—and is actually less time-

consuming— than re-reading your text. The writing
that you produce can become a record of your studying
to which you can return.

CONCLUSION:
Textbooks are jam-packed with information. Each page
seems to be chock full of pictures, charts, and sidebars. And
then there’s the text! Some words are in color, others in
italics or bold print, not to mention large chunks of plain
text. Surely every little detail on the page doesn’t need to
be memorized, does it?

Strategically approaching textbook assignments can help a

reader not only move through his reading more efficiently but
it can also make him a more effective reader and learner. One
strategy that has been proven to help readers comprehend and
think about texts is SQ3R.

SQ3R is five-step technique that you can use to learn

more effectively, and to increase your retention of written
information. It helps you to focus what you need from a
document, and to create a clear structure for the information
in your mind.

Using SQ3R reading comprehension strategy accomplished

reading activities better than those who did not. This
strategy equips students for more systematic and structured
reading techniques, so they comprehend the text in a better
way. It makes students active and co-operative.

Reading is a very important skill to master. Whether we

realize it or not we read quite a bit every day. We read the
directions on food items, we read the TV guide, and we read
text messages on our cell phones, to name a few instances of
daily reading. The SQ3R method is a way to practice fully
immersing oneself into reading an article or book. The S
represents survey. The Q represents question. The 3R
represents read, recite, and review. We are going to practice
this method while reading an article of your choosing.

SQ3R is five-step technique that you can use to learn

more effectively, and to increase your retention of written
information. It helps you to focus what you need from a
document, and to create a clear structure for the information
in your mind.