Chapter pupils’ reading skills

CHAPTER. Pupils’ reading skills

1. 
   Ways to help pupils’ improve reading skills
   

“Developed reading skills allow students to get the most from their education—one of the many reasons why it’s part of the curriculum, no matter the grade level. Teachers in primary grade levels focus on helping students develop a strong foundation, while teachers in higher grades reinforce that foundation and show how reading is necessary for the real world. Regardless which grade you focus on, if you’re looking for assistance in helping your students develop stronger reading skills, here are five approaches to test out.”¹
Utilize various reading materials
Be creative by teaching reading through different formats. Books, magazines, books on tape, CDs, and other recorded reading can give students multiple ways to connect with the material. Have students practice reading along with a book on tape. They will gain experience seeing the words on the printed page while hearing them on the recording. Other technologies, such as text-to-speech software, can refocus a reading exercise into one where students can pay attention to the sentence structure and words without getting discouraged by their own comprehension.
Relate reading to other areas of the student’s life
Encourage your students to read selected material and then discuss it in relation to other books, movies, news items, or TV shows. Have your students make the comparison: What did they like about how each format portrayed the topic? How would they have changed a format to better match the topic? What was the message the writers intended the reader/observer to get from the material? Being able to connect what has been read to something else in their lives helps students think abstractly about the material.
Have fun with words
As students work on their reading assignments, ask them to write words or phrases down that they don’t understand and bring them to class on an index card. You can then conduct a classroom discussion on the words until everyone understands the various meanings and uses. Additionally, students can then put their cards up on a wall creating a record of challenging language they have mastered. Depending on the type and format of the classroom, these cards could be used for subsequent writing classes to help students further develop their vocabulary.
Create a record of progress
“Help students create a journal of their reading work. Have them list the reading they have done and a brief summary of the material. Make a section of challenging words or phrases; another section can be used for passages they don’t readily understand. Finish with the students’ opinion of the material, likes, dislikes, and whether they would read more from this author. Review these journals with the students regularly and celebrate their progress with them. Use the journals at parent-teacher conferences so the parents can also see the progress.”²
Make reading about communication—not just a tool
Prepare several lessons where students read a number of different written materials: grocery store ads; instructions on how to put together a bookcase; a recipe; a newspaper article; part of your state’s driver education handbook—all great examples. Start a discussion on how important it is to be able to read these items accurately and understand them. In each case, ask: what is the important information being conveyed? Where might students encounter the material currently in their lives? These real-world examples help students understand the long-term importance of quality reading skills and comprehension.
As you well know, your role as a teacher cannot end with a simple reading assignment. Part of your charge is to help ingrain a passion for reading so all students can achieve. And if it just so happens that you’re looking to take on more of a reading interventionist role, we can help with that.
How can you ensure your students understand classroom coursework? Build reading skills. Teachers love to share their favorite stories and the subjects they are passionate about, but helping a child develop the same interest requires foundational reading skills to comprehend and enjoy the curriculum.
Many children see reading as a chore, especially if it’s tied to lesson plans and learning complex information. Teachers, parents and mentors can help ignite a child’s passion to read by incorporating activities focused on building reading skills to improve comprehension and engagement.
Here are some simple and effective ways to help students build reading skills to better understand classroom curriculum.
1. Annotate and highlight text
Teach your students to highlight and underline valuable information as they read. Have students write notes on the pages they are reading to help them stay focused and improve comprehension. Students can also write down questions as they read to receive more explanation on a new concept or to define a new word.
2. Personalize the content
Students can increase their understanding by seeing how the material connects with their life. Have your students make personal connections with the text by writing it down on the page. You can also help students comprehend the text by helping them see an association with current events.
3. Practice problem solving skills
Blend real-world problem solving skills into your curriculum. Have your students write out solutions to the problem and discuss their ideas as a class or in small groups.
4. Incorporate more senses
Add in activities that reinforce learning and comprehension by using more senses as they read. Remind students to read with a pen or pencil to annotate the text. Have your students take turns reading out loud. Use projectors to guide your lesson and write down questions for those who are visual learners.
5. Understand common themes
Ask your students to look for examples of a certain theme throughout the chapter to increase engagement. Have students share their findings with the class to help students learn a specific theme more in-depth.
6. Set reading goals
Have each student set their own reading goals. This can help them take action in building reading skills and students will be more mindful of how they are improving.
7. Read in portions
Long, complex reading can be more digestible by breaking it up into pieces. Shorter segments will help students retain the information as the class discusses the materials. It can also help students build confidence in understanding a complex subject.
8. Let students guide their reading
Your students process reading material and curriculum in very different ways. As you implement reading activities to help your class learn complex materials, you will learn what works best for each student individually.
As teachers implement more reading activities into classroom coursework, students will find improvement in vocabulary, writing skills, problem solving, concentration, and cognitive development to help build a solid foundation for future learning.
Cookbooks, social media, instruction manuals — no matter where you look, we live our lives surrounded by words. That’s why reading comprehension is one of the most valuable skills a student can master. 
But it’s not automatic. Reading comprehension needs to be taught in the classroom to have a lasting impact, whether you’re teaching kindergarten or high school English. 
Many students struggle with reading comprehension and understanding for a variety of reasons:
They prefer a different learning style
They’re not interested in reading or writing
They don’t have the necessary prior knowledge to understand the text
They have trouble focusing on one word at a time and skip important ideas
They’re working with a learning need like dyslexia that makes understanding written materials difficult
“Every student deserves the chance to build critical comprehension skills. Keep reading for eleven strategies you can use in your classroom to help students love reading!
What is reading comprehension and why is it important?
Reading comprehension is a reader’s ability to understand the explicit and implicit meaning of a text, or piece of writing. 
It moves beyond vocabulary knowledge and word recognition to add meaning. When students use reading comprehension skills, they’re turning words into thoughts and ideas. “³
Reading is one of the most important ways students and adults learn new information. Reading comprehension can also help struggling readers build enjoyment of reading and participate more fully in lessons. 
And it’s not just for the classroom, either — reading comprehension has real-life applications for readers of all ages. It can:
Equip readers to make good day-to-day decisions with available information
Give readers the ability to think critically about what they read online and in the news
Help readers decipher meaning in recipes, directions or other step-by-step instructions
Help students move past word recognition into understanding and remembering the text
Improving reading comprehension can help your students become successful readers in and out of the classroom for the rest of their lives.
Two core components of comprehension

The two main components of reading comprehension are vocabulary knowledge and text comprehension. Both of these skills combine to help students get the most out of a text. 
Vocabulary knowledge
Vocabulary knowledge is where reading comprehension starts. Students with good vocabulary strategies understand what words mean and have the background knowledge to understand a given text. 
It also includes strategies for using context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. The reading comprehension process is over before it begins if students don’t have solid vocabulary knowledge or the ability to learn new words.
“Text comprehension
Text comprehension is a big-picture look at what, exactly, a text means. It helps students interact with a text to understand what’s being said and what they need to learn from it.
When students have good text comprehension skills, they can answer questions about what the author is saying, summarize the passage and connect information between texts or prior knowledge. 
In short, it helps them move beyond literal comprehension and into higher levels of thinking.”⁴
Whether you’re teaching high school or elementary school, it’s never too late to use reading comprehension strategies to improve understanding, boost retention and make connections. Every student is different, so adjust your teaching methods accordingly!
Some of the most effective reading comprehension strategies include:
1. Build on existing knowledge
One of the biggest barriers to reading comprehension is a lack of background knowledge. 
If you’re reading a text about astronomy, for example, ask students to record or explain what they already know about the solar system. For easy insights, have students answer quick questions or fill out a KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learned) chart and share the results. 
Make sure all students understand key terms and ideas before you read the text, so everyone starts on the same page (literally). This helps students draw inferences and make connections between the text and things they already know, leveling the playing field when it comes to prior knowledge. 
2. Identify and summarize key ideas
After students read, summarizing a text can help them pull out main points and absorb more information. 
As you introduce summarization, guide students through with leading questions and a specific structure — length, key points, etc. Use the “I do, we do, you do” format to model good summarization techniques. 
As you model the practice, teach students how to:
Separate facts from opinions
Find key ideas amid extra information
Identify important words and phrases
Look up vocabulary they don’t understand
Teaching students how to do this consciously helps train their brains to start summarizing automatically, leading to better reading comprehension overall.
3. Use online resources
Thanks to the internet, reading doesn't just happen IRL — it's online, too! There are lots of resources you can use in your classroom to engage kids with different interests as they practice their reading comprehension.
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To help students build a picture in their minds of what they’re reading, use visual aids and visualization techniques. 
Start by reading aloud and asking students to try and picture what’s happening in their heads. After, use writing prompts like:
What colors did you see the most?
What do you think the setting looked like?
How would you describe the main character?
What sounds do you think you would hear in the world of the story?
Have students draw out a scene, character or story for even more understanding. They can make a family tree of the characters or fun notes to help them remember the key points in the story!
Anchor charts, word walls or picture books can also help reinforce key concepts for your students. When they’re able to visualize the story or information they’re reading, they’re more likely to retain key information.
5. Develop vocabulary skills
Vocabulary is an important part of understanding a text and is vital for reading ease and fluency. Vocabulary teaching strategies can help students build the tools to understand new words on their own. 
To help students learn and remember new words, try:
Making a word wall in your classroom
Pairing new words with physical actions
Creating graphic organizers that help relate known words to new ones
Read-aloud strategies can also help you model the process of learning new words for students. Show them how to use context clues to find meaning, and have them make a vocabulary list of all the new words they know or want to learn. 
6. Implement thinking strategies
To encourage students to engage critically with a text, ask questions about:
Where they can spot bias in the material
Why the author chose a particular genre or style
What they think happened before or after the story
Why characters responded to situations the way they did
These questions get students thinking about the deeper meaning in a text and help them use critical thinking skills as they look for key points. Encourage students to ask clarifying questions when they don’t know what the text is saying, or build mind maps to draw connections between ideas and prior knowledge.
7. Create question and answer scenarios
uestioning students on different aspects of the text helps them examine it with fresh eyes and find new ways of interpreting it. 
Use questions that challenge students to find the answers:
In several different parts of the text
On their own, using background knowledge
In their own opinions and responses to the text
Ask students questions to clarify meaning, help them understand characters better, make predictions or help them understand the author’s intent. 
Whether you’re answering these questions in a group or individually, they’ll help students make a habit of asking questions and using critical thinking skills. After all, the magic happens when students start thinking beyond the page!
8. Encourage reciprocal teaching
Reciprocal teaching gives students four strategies for reading comprehension and uses specific techniques to get them involved in interrogating a text. 
Using the “I do, we do, you do” method, follow the four building blocks of reciprocal teaching:
Predicting — Asking questions about what’s going to happen in the story and after it’s done.
Questioning — Asking questions about the who, what, when, where, how and why of a story.
Clarifying — Helping students recognize their confusion, identify what’s confusing them and taking steps towards understanding.
Summarizing — Condensing a reading to its most important facts and ideas.
Use summarizing techniques
Although it might seem tedious for students at first, summarizing techniques help them learn how to find and bring together key ideas. It trains them to automatically synthesize information as they read, and can benefit learners of all levels.
When students first encounter a text, have them write a summary and encourage them to refine it until it only includes the essential information. Ask clarifying questions to guide their writing, including:
What is the main idea of this passage?
What details support the main idea in the story?
What unnecessary information did the author include?
This helps them see how parts of a story are connected and emphasizes the importance of providing textual support to their argument and summaries.
10. Ask students to make predictions
Predictions happen when students use the evidence from the beginning of a text to guess:
What will happen next
What they think the text will be about
What details an author will use to support their argument
“At the beginning of a reading, have students record their predictions. Once the reading is over, have a discussion about what they got right and what they got wrong. What made them think of their prediction? Did the author follow their expectations, or subvert them?
Model predictions with a think-aloud or give students blank statements that guide their thinking. 
Not only does this build reading comprehension, but it encourages students to engage with the material critically and teaches them how to build solid, text-based arguments. “⁵