Reading Comprehension Strategies Worth Teaching

Reading Comprehension Strategies 

What are the best reading strategies? Will students actually use or remember the strategies? Can you teach your students REAL reading comprehension strategies to become excellent readers? YES, yes, yes! Bottom line, students will never use reading comprehension strategies if they are not fun or students do not see real value in learning them.
CLOSE READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES on TEST

1. What does the title tell you? Is this a persuasive text, expository text, narrative text, or technical text?
2. Skim the text and label/annotate the headings, titles, subheadings, pictures, diagrams, captions, and any text features
3. Read the text closely and annotate each paragraph seeking the main ideas, themes, mood, tone, points of view...Annotate in the margins and take notes. Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph and find the main ideas.
4. Read the question carefully and circle 1 or 2 keywords/clues in the questions and one keyword/clue in each of the multiple choice questions or distractor choices.
5. Skim the text and find the exact text or passage that supports your first answer choice or conclusion.
6. Investigate and eliminate the 2 or 3 distractors or DECEIVERS with the same close reading strategies. Distractors are designed to fool the passive reader.
7. Annotate and X-OUT the distractors, why are they wrong and what is your proof/evidence?
8. Find and prove your answer using text evidence and circle the correct answer and highlight it!

UNDERSTANDING (Reading)

U – Unpack the Genre, what and why are you reading? • Read the title as you underline it, read the reading comprehension questions, AND read the first and last sentence of each paragraph • Skimming the text will help you know what the reading selection is mainly about. (Numbering each paragraph is optional: NOT an OPTION with online test:)

N – Nexus with the text • Predict the main idea, and or themes of the passage based on your initial skimming • Use prior knowledge from similar passages to make connections • Use the title, heading, subheadings, pictures, graphs, etc. • Ask the text questions as you read • Nexus (“the act of binding together; bonding”)

D – Deduce and detect important ideas, concepts, facts, opinions, claims, and inferred ideas "keywords" • Deduce the important keywords and double underline each “idea” word if possible • This will help you locate the answers later. • It makes it easier to organize your writing and thoughts.

E – Eliminate the unimportant details, distractors, foofaraw, and any obviously wrong answers (Distractors are the multiple choice response options that are not the correct ANSWER)

R – Rank the text • Rank keys ideas in order of importance 1-5, 1-3, Roman numerals, etcetera …

S – Subitize the main ideas and keywords. • Place the main ideas and keywords into groups. • What ideas or keywords keep showing up the most? THAT IS THE MAIN IDEA!

T – Text code it! • Confirm thoughts, Contradicts your thoughts, Raises a new question, Confuses you, Super important, Answers a question, Is new idea, interesting, or surprising An unknown word or a word that gets repeated

A – Answer the Reading Comprehension Questions in your mind and or your notes? • So you think you know what to look for and where to find it in the text • The reading comprehension questions usually explain the main ideas of the whole passage. • Do NOT answer anything yet • Mark where you found the answer

N – Nexus with the reading questions again • Is the question asking you to infer, find the main idea, draw a conclusion. Deduce the author's viewpoint, the main ideas, inferred ideas, themes and or ideas of the passage based on your initial skimming • Use prior knowledge from past close reading to make connections • Use the pictures, graphs, etc. • Ask the text questions as you read

D – Deduce, detect, and delete bogus “distractors” answers • Wrong, phony, false, fake ideas, concepts, facts, opinions, claims, and or inferred ideas must be eliminated! • Cross out any silly extraneous answers

I – Inspect your answer and find the exact answers in your text • Write the NUMBER of the paragraph and line number where you found your answer (or inferred answer) next to the question you selected

N – NEVER SKIP, NEVER RUSH, NEVER DOUBT YOUR ABILITY TO BE A TEXT DETECTIVE!

G – Go for the WIN, answer the question!

1. Excellent readers are active and curious. Readers must read and reread out loud when learning best practice reading comprehension strategies. Reading must be a fun engaging activity, never a passive silent activity when teaching explicit reading comprehension strategies. 
2. Amazing readers have a QUESTION or a goal in mind before they start reading. Students must use outlines, graphic organizers and or two or three column notes to evaluate, summarize, condense, abridge, analyze and interpret their thoughts. Readers develop skills using STEAL characterization charts, illustrated setting storyboards and story outlines when reading narratives. Readers develop skills using text features, question stems and deeper understanding of analytical vocabulary from Blooms and Webb's. 
3. Ferocious readers notice every detail, text feature, word choice, literal and figurative language device the author is using. Students need repeated practice using Socratic seminar questions to engage with the text and learn the elements of reading and writing. 
4. Erudite/adroit readers read for enjoyment and read as a hobby. Students that can vividly imagine and bring literature to life in amazing detail will be a reader for life. Students that get deeply lost in a book will read 10 times as much as aliterate students. 
5. Superb readers use dictionaries, thesaurus, friends, family, and teachers to find out the meaning of unknown, words, phrases, idioms, and figurative language. My special education reading teacher told me, "Stupid people don't ask questions" the message was and is, sitting in your own ignorance is the last thing you want to do when learning to read!
6. Fanatic readers want to be deeply engrossed in a book. 
7. Involved readers can summarize, predict, add to, react and share great ideas, themes with friends, family, and teachers. 
8. Resilient readers look for innovative ways to make new knowledge and make connections with background knowledge. Readers on a mission, driven by curiosity to widen their scope of knowledge will get through vigorous challenging text. 
9. Great readers touch the mind of the author and are forever wiser and smarter from the experience.

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