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Improve My Child’s Reading Comprehension (Part 1 – Making Connections) TutorGiant.com When we refer to reading comprehension strategies, we are referring to the way that a reader understands beyond the literal meaning of a story or text. A reader, who understands the message in a fairy tale, develops a new opinion from a report, gains a deeper understanding of a written opinion, or understands a character’s motivation, changes his or her thinking. We can both gain knowledge and gain insight by reading. Knowledge comes from consistent reading and can be more easily acquired. Insight, on the other hand, is something that comes from the ‘skill’ of reading. By teaching students the reading process, we are teaching them how to learn. In order for a student to improve his/her comprehension, he/she must learn how to ‘make connections’ when reading. The following tips will help you teach your child to make connections thus improving overall reading comprehension. 1. Text to Self Connections During reading, ask your child how he/she is similar to the character (or how he/she has had a similar experience). When your child has a similar experience to that of a character in a book, your child is more likely to understand the character’s motivation, behaviors, and thoughts. 2. Text to Text Connections With a non-fiction text, ask your child before, during, and after reading what he/she already knows about the topic. When your child has some background knowledge about a specific subject, he/she will understand the new information more effectively. Have your child make connections between the book he/she has read in past books, poems, magazines, websites, and any other written text. 3. Text to World Connections When reading, have your child connect ideas from the book to societal events and issues in the world. Discuss with your child how the content of the book he/she is reading is related to something that is happening outside of his/her life. Connections make reading more engaging and interesting. Your child will gain more confidence, develop a greater interest in his/her readings, and improve reading comprehension skills. ©Tutorgiant.com
Tutorgiant.com provides complete Reading Comprehension lessons with worksheets. See some of the lessons in our video library. |
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