Having a toolkit of elementary reading comprehension strategies is such an important part of understanding and interpreting what we read. As a result, it’s important that we explicitly teach reading comprehension strategies to our students and provide them with a wealth of practice opportunities. Learn all about teaching elementary reading comprehension strategies below!
What are Reading Comprehension Strategies?
Reading comprehension strategies are tools students use to make sense of texts as they read. It helps students become more strategic and active readers and be able to take on more challenging texts.
Why is it Important to Teach Reading Comprehension Strategies?
It is important to teach reading comprehension strategies because it helps students become stronger, more independent readers. It equips them with the tools they need to tackle more complex texts.
How Reading Strategies Help with Comprehension
Reading strategies help readers with comprehension by giving them ways to make sense of the text they are reading. It gives them different ways to look at and think about a text.
List of Reading Comprehension Strategies
Below is a list of 15 reading comprehension strategies.
- Sequencing
- Analyzing Illustrations
- Identifying Author’s Purpose
- Asking and Answering Questions
- Identifying Cause and Effect
- Identifying Character Traits
- Comparing and Contrasting
- Making Connections
- Making Inferences
- Making Predictions
- Identifying Point of View
- Identifying the Setting
- Summarizing
- Identifying Theme, Message, and Moral
- Visualizing
How do you Teach Reading Comprehension Strategies?
Below are 5 suggestions for how to teach reading comprehension strategies.
1. Play Videos
Playing a video that teaches students about the reading comprehension strategy is a great way to introduce a new strategy. You can find them online for free through Youtube and BrainPop.
2. Read Aloud Picture Books and Model the Strategies
Reading aloud picture books is another great teaching strategy. It provides students with the opportunity to observe the strategy being used in practice. When you are reading aloud a book, think aloud so students can see and mimic your thought process.
3. Create Anchor Charts
As the name implies, it “anchors” the learning for students, which means it is something that students can refer back to throughout the time you are working on a reading strategy. It’s an interactive tool that you can create with the support and contributions of your students. By posting it, students will be reminded of their learning, which will support them when they are independently practicing the reading strategy. This reading comprehension strategies bundle includes printables to help you create your own anchor chart.
4. Align the Purpose of Independent Reading Time
Give your students the opportunity to practice the reading comprehension strategy independently during quiet reading time. At the start of your reading time, set an intention for how students will utilize the time. For example, if you are practicing asking questions or wondering, then you can have students write down a question that pops in their head while reading quietly for 10-15 minutes.
5. Assign Practice Activities
During your reading block, have students complete an activity based on the reading strategy. My reading comprehension strategies bundle includes activities you can choose from. The activities guide students through practicing the strategy by having them reflect and respond to prompts.
Reading Comprehension Strategies Bundle
This reading comprehension strategies bundle covers all 15 reading comprehension strategies listed above. It includes printable and digital resources that make curriculum and lesson planning quick and easy. This comprehensive resource includes teacher, parent, and student resources, so you’ll have everything you need to deliver meaningful research-based instruction rooted in current best practices.
What It Includes
- teacher resources (teacher notes about the strategy, teaching ideas, planning pages with question prompts, and lists of mentor texts) so you have all of the information you need to plan a research and standards-based reading unit based on this reading comprehension strategy
- parent resources (parent letters and reading logs with suggested question prompts) so parents can confidently support and reinforce the strategy you are teaching with their children at home
- instructional resources (printables to create reference charts and large anchor charts) that save you lots of time searching for anchor chart ideas and supplemental teaching tools
- student resources (printables and activities) that provide meaningful opportunities to practice and make sense of the reading strategy in a fun and engaging way
- digital resources so students can access them in school or at home using a technology device of their choice
Why Teachers Love It
- This collection of resources is versatile in that it can be used on it’s own or can be used to supplement any reading curriculum, so you will be able to continue to use these resources if your school adopts a new reading program or you switch school districts.
- This large collection provides a consistent instructional approach that your students quickly learn and understand the expectations and routines for.
- It’s a huge time saver! Instead of hunting for background information on reading strategies and then searching for resources to teach the strategies, this comprehensive resource includes all of the information and resources you need to teach well-designed reading units.
- The student activities are a lot of fun for students, which helps create a productive learning environment where students are engaged and learning!
- It includes resources that provide a great way to create a home-school connection with students’ families and support parents/guardians in continuing student learning at home.
What Order Should I Teach Reading Comprehension Strategies?
There is no one right answer as to what the best order is for teaching reading comprehension strategies. A great place to start is looking at your grade level, school, or district’s curriculum map to see when specific standards need to be taught. You’ll also want to look at your reading curriculum program if your school has one. When you sit down to plan out your instruction, think about your grade level, your students’ needs, and the complexity of the reading strategies. An example of analyzing the complexity of the strategies is teaching the setting of the story before practicing visualizing. Understanding the setting will help them with visualizing. Another example is teaching character analysis before compare and contrast.
In closing, we hope you found this information about elementary reading comprehension strategies helpful! If you did, then you may also be interested in these posts:
