Helping struggling readers, as a general rule, include building vocabulary, improving fluency, teaching comprehension strategies, encouraging active reading, providing practice opportunities, making reading fun, monitoring progress, and seeking additional support.
Reading comprehension is one of the most important skills a child can develop. It is the ability to understand what is being read, interpret its meaning, and remember the information for future use. Poor reading comprehension can impact a child’s academic performance, self-esteem, and success. In addition, we can help support struggling children by understanding reading comprehension.
First, it is important to understand the root causes of poor reading comprehension. Several factors can contribute to poor reading comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, attention, and prior knowledge.
- Vocabulary: A child needs a strong vocabulary to understand the words in the text they are reading. This can make it difficult for them to comprehend the overall meaning of the passage.
- Fluency: Fluency refers to the ability to read smoothly and accurately. If a child struggles with fluency, they may have difficulty keeping up with the pace of the text and comprehending what they are reading.
- Attention: If a child has difficulty focusing or paying attention, they may have trouble comprehending what they are reading. This can lead to them missing important details or needing to fully understand the meaning of the text.
- Prior knowledge: A child needs to learn about the topic they are reading to comprehend the text. This is because they may need more background information to understand the content.
Now that we have a handle on some of the root causes of poor reading comprehension let’s discuss strategies to help students improve in these areas.
Build Vocabulary
Building vocabulary is one of the most effective ways to improve reading comprehension. This can be done through regular reading, flashcards, and word games. Encourage your children to look up unfamiliar words in the dictionary and discuss their meanings. This will help them better understand the text and expand their vocabulary.
Research has shown that building vocabulary skills is one of the most effective ways to improve reading comprehension. For example, a study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology shows a strong correlation between a student’s vocabulary size and reading comprehension and ability. In addition, the study found that students with a more extensive vocabulary were more likely to understand the meaning of the text they were reading.
As parents, we can support vocabulary development by reading aloud to our children, discussing new words and their meanings, and providing opportunities for them to use these new words in conversation. We can also encourage our children to keep a personal dictionary to keep track of new words they come across.
Helping Struggling Readers Improve Fluency
Improving fluency is another crucial step in improving reading comprehension. This can be done through regular reading practice. We can encourage our children to read aloud and listen to them as they read. Provide feedback on their pronunciation, intonation, and pace. This will help them develop the skills to read fluently and understand the text more easily.
Fluent reading is essential to comprehension; it allows students to read and understand the text more quickly and accurately. According to a study published in the Journal of Reading Education, students who are fluent readers have higher levels of reading comprehension than those who struggle with fluency.
As parents, we can help our child improve their fluency by providing opportunities to read aloud, such as reading to a pet or family member or participating in a reading buddy program. We can also encourage our children to read silently for short periods each day to help them build their reading speed.
Teach Comprehension Strategies
Teaching our child comprehension strategies is another effective way to improve reading comprehension. Some examples of comprehension strategies include:
- Predicting: Encourage your child to predict what they think will happen next in the text. This will help them engage with the content and anticipate what is coming next.
- Visualizing: Encourage your child to visualize what they are reading. This will help them create mental images that will aid in their understanding of the text.
- Summarizing: Teach your child how to summarize what they have read. This will help them identify the text’s central idea and key details.
- Asking questions: Encourage your child to ask questions about what they are reading. This will help them engage with the text and better understand the content.
Teaching comprehension strategies effectively improves a child’s ability to understand what they are reading. According to a study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, teaching children comprehension strategies such as predicting, summarizing, and questioning can significantly improve their reading comprehension abilities.
We can support comprehension strategy development by modeling these strategies during reading time and discussing them with our child. We can also encourage our children to use these strategies independently while reading.
Encourage Active Reading
Encouraging your child to read actively is another effective way to improve reading comprehension. This means encouraging them to engage with the text, ask questions, and make connections to their own experiences. This will help them better understand the content and improve their overall comprehension.
Active reading involves engaging with the text to promote understanding and retention. According to a study published in the Journal of Literacy Research, active reading effectively improves reading comprehension, as it helps students connect new information to prior knowledge.
Parents can encourage active reading by asking their children questions about what they are reading, having them make connections to their own experiences, and facilitating them to visualize the text in their minds.
Provide Opportunities for Practice
Finally, providing opportunities for your child to practice their reading comprehension skills is essential. This can be done through regular reading practice, working on comprehension strategies, and participating in discussions about the text. Encourage your child to read various texts, including fiction and nonfiction, and provide opportunities to practice their skills in different contexts.
Practice is essential for improving reading comprehension. According to a study published in the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, students who engage in daily reading practice have higher reading comprehension levels than those who do not.
Parents can provide opportunities for their child to practice their reading comprehension skills by encouraging them to read for pleasure, participating in reading challenges, and providing them with various reading materials.
In addition to the strategies mentioned above, parents can do a few more things to help their child improve their reading comprehension. These include:
Helping Struggling Readers Make Reading Fun
Reading should be enjoyable and engaging. If your child sees reading as a chore or a task, they may need more motivation to improve their comprehension skills. Encourage your child to read books they are interested in and let them choose their reading material. This will help them develop a love of reading and make it more likely that they will continue to practice their skills.
Making reading enjoyable is an effective way to encourage children to read and improve their comprehension skills. Studies show students who enjoy reading are more likely to engage in reading activities and have higher reading comprehension levels.
Parents can make reading fun by allowing their child to choose their reading materials, participating in book clubs or reading challenges with friends, and creating a comfortable and inviting reading environment at home.
Monitor Progress
Regularly monitoring your child’s progress is vital to ensure they progress and identify areas where they may need additional support. This can be done through informal assessments, such as asking them questions about what they are reading, or through formal assessments administered by their teacher.
Regularly monitoring your child’s progress is important to ensure they progress and identify areas where they may need additional support. According to a study published in the Journal of Educational Research, monitoring progress effectively supports student learning and achievement.
Parents can monitor their child’s progress by reviewing their reading assignments, discussing what they are reading, and communicating regularly with their teachers.
Helping Struggling Readers Seek Additional Support
If your child is struggling with reading comprehension, it may be necessary to seek additional support. This can be done through tutoring, after-school programs, or working with their teacher to develop a plan to support their learning needs. It is important to remember that every child learns differently, and it may take some trial and error to find the right approach to support your child’s learning.
It may be necessary to seek additional support. According to a study published in the Journal of Reading Education, individualized instruction and support is the most effective way to help struggling readers improve their reading comprehension skills.
Parents can seek additional support by speaking with their child’s teacher or school reading specialist. They can also explore options like tutoring, after-school, and summer reading programs.
Improving reading comprehension is a process that takes time and effort, and it requires consistent effort and practice. “Fixing” reading comprehension is essential to a child’s academic success. By understanding the root causes of poor reading comprehension and implementing effective strategies, parents can help their children develop this important skill. Remember to be patient and encouraging, and celebrate their progress. Your child can become a confident and skilled reader with strong comprehension abilities with your support and guidance.
