Reading Comprehension 101

So, you child's got reading down pat. Right? He can recognize complex words, read sentences fluidly, and, for the most part, he can put it all together. But as texts get more and more complicated, reading for comprehension is the name of the game. And that means learning to decode increasingly figurative language and oblique messages.

But that doesn't mean you should set your young reader on Tolstoy just yet. Text comprehension skills can be practiced by as simple an activity as interpreting illustrations or considering metaphors.

One way that authors influence readers’ perspective is through the use of pictures. A good way to get your child started on reading for comprehension is to have him closely observe the pictures in an illustrated chapter book before reading the text. Ask your child to pay particular attention to the way the illustrator portrays the characters through the drawings. Consider specific features such as:

• facial expression of the characters
• characters’ body language
• proximity of the characters to one another
• use of color

Have your child tell you how she feels as she looks at the pictures. Do the pictures tell a bright, happy story? Or do they paint a grim or sad picture? What do the characters look like they are experiencing? What about time period? Location? Sometimes, a picture can be worth a thousand words, so encourage your child to extract as much information as possible from the illustrations before proceeding to the next step. This is great practice for using the similar evaluations for written text.