Reading Comprehension for Middle School Students

Improving Reading Comprehension in Middle School

Reading at Home

One of the most effective ways your child can practice reading comprehension is to read frequently at home, both for school and pleasure. For home reading, you can find lists of middle school books from your child's school, local libraries and many online resources. Let your child browse through these lists and select books that look interesting.

Asking Questions

Discussing what your child has read with him or her can also be helpful. When your child's reading, it's not only important for him or her to understand the ideas and main events of the text, but also how they're being presented, meaning the piece's structure and organization. Ask your child to describe what's happening and think about the characters in a book that he or she is reading. Help your child summarize, analyze and describe the book, as well as make predictions about what may occur in parts he or she hasn't read yet.

Reviewing Vocabulary

Studying vocabulary can help your middle school student improve his or her reading comprehension. Your child can practice recognizing vocabulary by completing the reading comprehension worksheets, lessons and quizzes from a number of websites. Some of these sites are free, while others will require you to pay for the educational materials offered.

In addition to practicing vocabulary online, you can teach your child about common roots, prefixes and suffixes from books you may purchase or check out at a local library. Once your child knows these word parts, he or she will be able to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words. You can also ask your child's teacher for lists of common middle school vocabulary you can help your child practice at home.