When meeting with parents at conferences, one of the most common questions asked of Reading Teachers is: How Can I Help My Child Understand What He/She is Reading?

It is very common for students at the Middle School level to "speed read" their way through text and once they are "done" reading, experience difficulty remembering what they read.

Here are some tips and strategies students can use to improve their reading comprehension:

Before Reading

Preview Text: Before beginning to read, have your child "check out" the text. Notice the title, pictures, summary on the back of the book. If there are charts and graphs, study them.

Read the Questions First: If the text is part of a homework assignment, have the student preview the questions. It is helpful if they know what it is they are looking for when they read.

Make Connections: Have your child ask: What do I already know about this topic? What do I think the text will be about? By connecting the text with his or her life, your child will remember more about what he/she has read.

During Reading

Chunking: Instead of reading a whole chapter, break the text down into more manageable pieces. Read a few paragraphs and then stop and think about the text.

Retelling: After reading a few paragraphs of text, have the child summarize in his/her own words what the text was about.

Self-monitor: After reading a few paragraphs of text, have the student ask him/herself: Do I understand what is happening? If not, go back and re-read.

After Reading

Make Connections Again:  Have the child ask him/herself: What does this remind me of? By relating text to his/her life, the ideas in the text become more memorable.

Re-read if necessary:  Don't be afraid to go back and re-read the text as many times as necessary. Many students think that by having to read again they are not being successful. This is a very common myth. Going back to re-read is the secret of What Good Readers Do!

HAPPY READING!