Six Strategies for Mastering Comprehension

Let’s be honest, most children (and even some adults!) groan at the thought of comprehension tasks, as if the passage might leap off the page and start asking questions! Reading comprehension can be challenging, but with the right strategies, it becomes much easier, and even enjoyable. Here are some practical tips to help understand passages and answer questions effectively.

1. Read the Passage Carefully
Take time to read the passage thoroughly, making sure to understand the main ideas and details.

Tip: Summarising each paragraph in your own words helps ensure the meaning is clear.
Fun thought: Pretend you’re a detective searching for clues, every paragraph has a secret waiting to be uncovered!

2. Highlight Key Information
Underline or highlight important points with a pencil. This makes it easier to locate answers quickly.

Tip: Only mark the key facts, names, or dates, highlighting everything can be confusing.
Fun thought: Think of your pencil as a highlighter wand, magically picking out only the treasures in the text!

3. Read the Questions First
Look at the questions before reading the passage again. This helps focus on what information to look for while reading.

Tip: Circling key words in the questions can make it easier to find the answers.
Fun thought: Reading the questions first is like having a treasure map. You know exactly where to hunt!

4. Use Complete Sentences
Answer in full sentences, restating part of the question.

Tip: This ensures the answers are clear, complete, and show understanding.
Fun thought: Think of it as telling a mini-story with your answer. Make it interesting enough to read out loud!

5. Refer Back to the Text
Always go back to the passage to find evidence for answers, rather than relying on memory.

Tip: Quoting or paraphrasing text can strengthen responses.
Fun thought: Treat the passage like a wise old friend, it always has the proof you need!

6. Check Work
After completing the questions, review the answers to make sure they are clear and complete, and that no questions are missed.

Tip: Reading answers again can help spot mistakes or missing information.
Fun thought: Imagine you’re an editor for a magazine. Every answer needs to be perfect before it goes to print!

By consistently following these steps, reading comprehension becomes less daunting and more rewarding. Taking time, staying organised, and checking work helps build confidence and improves understanding of any text.

Tip: Avid readers make comprehension tasks look easy. The more you read, the more these passages will start to feel like old friends!
Fun thought: With a little strategy and a touch of fun, even the trickiest comprehension passage can feel like an adventure waiting to be solved!