Reading Comprehension Assistance and Help

Five Tips that Aid Reading Comprehension

Tip One: Establish a Purpose for Reading

It's easier and more engaging to read when you've established a purpose ahead of time. Having a purpose plays a big role in keeping you focused during your reading session. A good way to set a purpose is to preview the material first. Look at the pictures, titles and headings and make predictions on what the story or information is about. You may also want to look for ways you can relate to what you're reading.

Tip Two: Ask Questions

Another good idea is to ask lots of questions as you read through the material. When you ask questions about the choice of setting, character descriptions and dramatic motivations, you become deeply involved. As a result, that involvement can lead to better understanding of what's been read.

Tip Three: Highlight and Take Notes

One of the best ways to follow along with information is to take notes. When you take notes, you tend to focus better on the material, and you have a reference to refer back to when you get confused. Taking notes while you read can also help you notice trends and patterns within the material.

Highlighting is also a great strategy. You can highlight parts that are highly interesting to you and stand out, parts that are challenging and force you to ask questions or both. Either way, when you're highlighting, you're engaged. When you're engaged, you focus better. When you focus better, you give yourself the best opportunity to comprehend the material.

Tip Four: Summarize What You've Read

Every so often, it's also a good idea to stop and practice summarizing what you have read up to that point. When you summarize, you provide a retelling of the important events or facts that have been presented by the author. Summarizing helps you keep up with the information and stay on track with the direction of the story or article.

Tip Five: Build Your Vocabulary

Finally, the more vocabulary you know, the more you grow as a reader. As you continue to engage in reading, you'll often come across unfamiliar and challenging words. Sometimes, such words can cause you to have trouble comprehending the whole text. Therefore, it's a good idea to take the time to learn new words. You can do this on a daily or weekly basis, but you should make it a goal to consistently add new words to your vocabulary. So, pick up a dictionary and get started.