What is reading comprehension

Reading comprehension is the ability to read text, process it and

understand its meaning. It relies on two, interconnected abilities: word
reading (being able to decode the symbols on the page) and language
comprehension (being able to understand the meaning of the words
and sentences).
Examples of comprehension skills that can be taught and applied to all
reading situations include: Summarizing. Sequencing. Inferencing.

To improve students' reading comprehension, teachers should

introduce the seven cognitive strategies of effective readers: activating,
inferring, monitoring-clarifying, questioning, searching-selecting,
summarizing, and visualizing-organizing.
Main elements of reading comprehension
Decoding, fluency, and vocabulary skills are key to reading
comprehension. Being able to connect ideas within and between
sentences helps learners understand the whole text. Reading aloud and
talking about experiences can help students build reading skills.
4 Different Types of Reading Techniques
1. Skimming. Skimming, sometimes referred to as gist reading,
means going through the text to grasp the main idea.
2. Scanning. Here, the reader quickly scuttles across sentences to get
to a particular piece of information.
3. Intensive Reading.

4. Extensive reading.

Strategies to improve your reading comprehension skills

1. Improve your vocabulary.
2. Come up with questions about the text you are reading. ...
 3. Use context clues.
4. Look for the main idea.
5. Write a summary of what you read.
6. Break up the reading into smaller sections.
7. Pace yourself.
8. Eliminate distractions.

The ability to read fluently is critical to comprehension. Fluency

requires students to recognize words instantly and to be able to read
sentences without stopping to decode each word. A child who can read
with inflection and without pausing demonstrates fluency.

What is reading comprehension

Reading comprehension involves reading the words, but

understanding their meaning. In addition, recognizing the differences
between characters, the timeline of a story, and the intricacies of a
plot are all key elements of reading comprehension

There are various levels of reading comprehension , including literal,

interpretive, creative, and critical.

● Literal: Understanding literal information contained within the

text, such as instructions or directions. Students should be able to
answer basic, fact-based questions about the material after reading.

● Interpretive: Seeking a deeper meaning from the material and

asking questions to determine things such as the main idea of the
story, the author’s purpose, its point-of-view, and the summary of
the plot
● Creative: Using your own judgment or perspective based upon
the author’s writing, or coming up with opinions or solutions based
on the material read.

● Critical: Fact-checking information or questioning the veracity

of a source or statement. Critical comprehension involves reading,
thinking, and drawing your own conclusions on the merit of the
material.

Skills to help reading comprehension

Help your child improve their reading comprehension by working on

the following skills:

Decoding

Decoding is essential to the actual act of reading. Decoding is more

often recognized as “sounding it out” or using phonemic awareness
to hear the individual sounds in words. Rhyming, counting syllables,
or recognizing the first letter in a word based on its sound are all
good practice for decoding.

Fluency

The ability to read fluently is critical to comprehension. Fluency

requires students to recognize words instantly and to be able to read
sentences without stopping to decode each word. A child who can
read with inflection and without pausing demonstrates fluency. The
best way to develop fluency is to practice frequently and work on
memorizing sight words.
Vocabulary

Understanding what you’ve read requires knowing the meaning of

most of the words in a sentence. Strong vocabulary has a positive
impact on reading comprehension. Use a wide variety of words in
conversations with your child so they become familiar with
vocabulary through context, and stop to define words as you read
stories together.

Memory

Retaining and evaluating information involves two executive

functions: working memory and attention. Attention involves their
patience and commitment to the actual act of reading. The best way
to improve a child’s attention is to find reading material that
interests them — experiment with different genres, authors, or even
graphic novels or comic books to discover what they are naturally
drawn to.

Working memory requires storing that information from a text and

deriving meaning from it. Help your child improve their memory
skills by playing games or doing activities that involve remembering
information.

World experience

Familiarity with subject matter makes comprehension easier. Create

awareness around emotions, history, current events, geography, and
the world we live in by explaining topics to your child. Don’t assume
they won’t be interested or don’t have the ability to understand.
Encourage your child’s curiosity and improve their contextual
awareness by exposing them to as much information as possible on
an ongoing basis.

Sentence structure
Although sentence structure is technically a writing skill, reading and
writing are closely connected. Understanding how sentences are
composed facilitates reading comprehension. Children will begin to
learn sentence structure through exposure to a variety of writing
types, and a more formal introduction will happen in school.

Learning to actually enjoy reading is the absolute best way to master

reading comprehension. Being able to recognize words, read
fluently, understand context, and draw your own opinions and
conclusions can lead to a true understanding of the material and a
lifetime love of literacy. Support your child’s reading efforts by
providing an environment that encourages and appreciates the act of
reading.

Reading Practice
Read the passages and choose the correct options according to the
readings.

One of my favorite vacation places is Mexico. I really like the weather

there because it never gets cold. The people are very nice too. They
never laugh at my bad Spanish. The food is really good. Mexico City is a
very interesting place to visit. It has some great museums and lots of
fascinating old buildings. The hotels are too expensive to stay but there
are more affordable options. For example, you can stay at one of the
beach resorts like Acapulco. If you are planning to visit Mexico, you
should definitely see the Mayan temples near Merida.

1. Sam:
a. likes warm weather
 b. doesn’t like warm weather at all
c. hates warm weather
d. likes cold weather
2. His Spanish:
a. very good
b. speaks very well
c. native tongue
d. doesn’t speak very well
3. Things to do in Mexico
a. there’s a lot to see and do
b. there aren’t a lot to see and do
c. it is a dirty place
d. tourist never come to visit
4. The hotels
a. Are very cheap
b. Are not comfortable
c. Are poor and uncomfortable
d. They are pretty expensive

What can you infer from the reading?

a. Visiting Mexico should be the last in your bucket list

b. Mexico is the best tourist destination
c. Mexico offers beautiful sites and historical places to visit
d. Mexico is a beautiful place with friendly beautiful people

Last summer, we decided to spend our vacation at the beach because

the weather was very hot in the mountains. The travel agent said that
traveling by bus was the cheapest way, but we went by plane because it
was faster. We wanted to have more time to spend at the beach. The
weather was beautiful and we had a great time.
5. We decided to go to the beach because ----.
a. It is cheaper than going to the mountains
b. The travel agent said that it was the cheapest
 c. Of the hot weather in the mountains
d. We wanted to spend time at the beach
6. The bus was the ______ way to travel
a. Best
b. Easiest
c. Cheapest
d. Slowest
7. Travelling by plane was _______ than the bus
a. More fun
b. Cheaper
c. Expensive
d. Faster
8. We _____ our vacation
a. Hated
b. Didn’t like
c. Enjoyed
d. Regretted
9. We had very ______weather during our vacation.
a. Good
b. Freezing
c. Terrible
d. Cold
10. It was ______time when we decided to go for holiday.
a. Winter
b. Spring
c. Summer
d. Fall

What can you infer from the reading?

a. It is safer and faster to travel by plane
b. Spending more time in the beach is better than in the mountains
c. The bus is safer and cheaper when travelling
d. Travelling in summer time is the best