How to Improve Reading Comprehension

Tony Sandoval III American Military University Coll 100 Derrah Q. Cassidy How to Improve Reading Comprehension How to improve one’s reading comprehension? First, one must know what reading compression is, plain and simple it is the act of understanding what is being read. “Learning how to read is probably one of the most important skills that a child will acquire in his/her lifetime” (Pardo, 2011). Though it may sound easy, many people have difficultly remembering and understanding what they read. To become a successful reader, a child must be able to decode the individual words on the page and must be able to comprehend the text” (McNamara, 2007). To read effectively pick a subject that will be interesting, try to figure out what you and the book have in common. Then, concentrate on the material being read and develop a discipline approach to the reading. Preview the material by looking over it and determine what the most important parts of the text are. Pause after each paragraph to reflect on what was just read so the brain can comprehend it.

Next focus on the reading speed one has. Once this is done, test yourself over the material to ensure it is being comprehended. This will get your brain working to paying attention most of the time. When reading, one must be willing to push their self beyond where they are at. “Reading is an extraordinary achievement when one considers the number of levels and components that must be mastered. Consider what it takes to read a simple story. The words contain graphemes, phonemes and morphemes” (McNamara, 2007).

Most people will not even understand half of what was just said or written. Even though the reading material might be hard, little by little the words will make since once they are pieced together in a way that could be understood better. Also, try to think ahead and concentrate on certain parts to get your brain working on paying attention to what is being read. While reading, highlight what might be the most important part of the text. This will help to determine what is being said in the reading. Some readers might want to ask questions while reading.

This will help them when piecing parts of the main point of the article together to make more sense. While reading, stop after each paragraph to help reflect on the meaning of what was just read. “Proficient readers don’t just plow ahead through text when it doesn’t make sense – they stop and use “fix-up” strategies to restore their understanding. One of the most important fix-up tools is rereading, with teachers demonstrating to students a variety of ways to reread text in order to repair meaning” (Zimmerman & Keene, 2007).

This will help gather thoughts about the material and shine some light on the subject. While reading concentrate on what information is being put out in the article. At times readers will have questions come to mind and the reader must find the answers. If they have sticky notes to jot down things, the reader will be able to recall the information. “A reader’s successful comprehension of text material is evidenced by the representation that, at a minimum, is coherent enough to account for all the information explicitly presented in the text” (McNamara, 2007).

The reader should then sort through and prioritizes information from the sea of words that is in the text. This will help indicate that comprehension can be recalled and be understood by the reader. The reader should frequently summarize the reading. This forces the reader to reorganize the information in a way that is sensible to them. Though reading can be fun, it can also be time consuming. The success of reading comprehension depends on the factors of what information is being entered into the brain and what the brain is able to do with it.

It is also important to understand what you are reading to help improve your speed. This skill is acquired through years of learning. If speed reading is not the best, do not worry because there are many tips that can help a reader. One good tip is called the hand trick. The reader should place the palm of their hand flat against the reading surface. Move the hand so that the first line of text being read is above the side of the hand. Slowly move the palm to revile the words of the text at a regular speed so the reader can see the words that are being exposed.

Next, is the finger trick with this method the reader should place the index finger on the first group of words that is about to be read. Move the finger in an irregular manner from the beginning of the sentence to the end. This helps the reader to focus on reading groups of words instead of individually. Another good tip to become a better reader is the card trick. Get an index card and place it over the first sentence. Then slowly begin moving it in a downwards, covering what was just read. This helps the reader to pay attention on what was just read since they will not have the opportunity to revisit the words.

After the reader has finished, determine what was learned. Give the reader a chance to share what they have read in pairs or small groups. Then have them quiz themselves on the main points of the material. Tell a friend about it. By doing this, the reader should try to recall the important information in their own words. This will help them to remember and give a deeper insight into the topic. If both people have read the same material, the friend could give good feedback to ensure that the reader comprehends what was being read.

The goal of having them discuss this is to involve more people so they can all make sure they can comprehend the reading. This process will solidify the knowledge in the mind and give the reader a better recall of the information. Also include any thoughts that might have popped into your mind and discuss the information. The evidence that reading comprehension can be taught and learned is convincing. “Teachers need to make sure that children are familiar with all of the reading strategies and that they are given plenty of opportunities to use them” (Pardo, 2011).

You’ll achieve the best results using the set of strategies in this paper. This will help encourage the reader to anticipate what is to come, pay close attention to whether they are understanding and frequently pause to summarize, going back to fill in gaps in the information. The reader should consider using the methods mentioned above. Reviewing these individual skills of comprehension can quickly help the reader see, that the skills require higher thinking and an ability to view the material that has been read.

Bibliography McNamara, D. S. (2007). Reading Comprehension Strategies : Theories, Interventions, and Technologies. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Pardo, L. (2011). Increasing Reading Comprehension Through The Explicit Teaching Of Reading Strategies: Is There A Difference Among The Genders? Project Innovation, Inc 13. Zimmerman, S. , & Keene, E. (2007). Retrieved September 30, 2011, from Waht Are the Seven Reading Comprehension Strategies? Retrieved from http://www. choiceliteracy. com/public/144. cfm