Imagine being given an article or a book and being asked to provide a summary. You recognize the letters, the words and are actually able to skim most of the text by sounding everything out. Beyond that, you have no idea what you just read. This same frustration is experienced by children across the country every day. The sad fact is that too many children lack the basic fundamentals of reading comprehension.
In fact, according to the Nation’s Report Card, only 36 percent of fourth grade children are proficient in reading. Fourth grade children who lack reading proficiency start falling behind in their knowledge and comprehension across all subjects.
The reality is that children don’t learn reading comprehension on their own. It’s a skill that needs to be taught. Here’s the good news: there are a ton of great ways parents can help their children learn this foundational skill.
Read Aloud. Having your children read aloud encourages them to read slower, which gives them more time to process the words. It also prevents them from skipping words they have difficulty decoding, which happens sometimes with silent reading. Hearing your children read allows you the opportunity to see how they decode sentences. Are they able to determine what the words are and whether they make sense in a sentence?
Interact with the Content. Talk about what your children are reading. You can ask questions before and after the book, but also find places to stop and discuss while your children are reading. For example, ask “what do you think will happen next?” After they are done reading, ask them to summarize the book for you and whether or not they enjoyed it.
Ask an Expert. Never be afraid to seek outside help. Consult with your children’s teachers or consider visiting an after-school program like Kumon. The Kumon Reading Program builds the critical reading skills that help children develop a lifelong love of reading and solid foundation for academic success. It strengthens reading ability by building essential literacy components such as oral reading, vocabulary, grammar, comprehension and summarization. Participating Kumon Centers are offering 50 percent off reading program registration from February 1- March 7.
Find the Right Books. Generally, your children should recognize 90 percent of the words in the books they read in order for them to read confidently. The books may be too difficult for them if they are stopping more than a few times to sound out the words. Interrupting the flow of their reading makes it tough for them to focus on the overall meaning of the story.
Build Fluency. Rereading familiar books gives your children practice at decoding words quickly. With enough practice, your children will begin to read at a smooth, conversational pace—also known as fluency. Developing fluency will help children gain meaning from the text because they don’t have to focus on decoding the words, and instead, focus on what the text actually means.
Improve Vocabulary Skills. Reading comprehension improves when children understand words in context. It’s important for them to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words based on context clues, but part of that is consistently developing vocabulary skills. Help your children understand that learning new words is a lifelong experience. Exposure to a variety of books will help introduce them to an expansive vocabulary.
Without comprehension, reading is simply following words on a page. The text has no meaning. Whether it’s a toddler mesmerized by the pictures of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” or his Grandpa getting lost in the mysteries of a John Grisham novel, a love for books is timeless and shared across all generations. Reading offers countless possibilities of exploring worlds both real imagined.
