Comprehension Guides for Students

Because comprehension is the key to success in all grades and subject areas, it's something that should be tested and developed throughout your child's academic career. To provide additional practice at home, you can create comprehension guides filled with relevant activities like the examples below.

Find available tutors

Why Should I Create Comprehension Guides for My Child?

As students progress in school, the type and level of required reading increases in difficulty. As a result, your son or daughter may have trouble transitioning away from narratives into more complex textbook passages. To ease your child's experience, you can create at-home comprehension guides that test critical skills and are designed to focus solely on problem areas. Ideally, the guide should include several sections and activities, along with space for your child to add notes, write questions and brainstorm ideas.

Three Comprehension Activities

Tough Vocabulary Review

Sometimes, students struggle to comprehend what they read because they don't understand the vocabulary. On the comprehension guide, you can test your son or daughter's knowledge of these terms by asking for a definition in his or her own words. Although this task might be hard for some students, it can be beneficial because it requires them to think on their own rather than repeat what they read.

Nonfiction Comprehension Passages

Reading nonfiction texts can be very challenging for students as they advance in school. The text in social studies and science textbooks tends to be at a higher reading level than the writing in novels due to the difficult vocabulary.

Since there is no narrative in textbooks, many students have trouble remembering all of the information, but you can create a graphic organizer for your child to fill out while he or she is reading. Additionally, several websites offer free, nonfiction comprehension passages and questions that you can print for your child.

Text Recap

Writing and reading comprehension go hand-in-hand, so you can use this exercise to test your child in both. Once your son or daughter has read a required passage, whether it be a narrative for English class or a chapter for social studies, ask him or her to write a brief summary, highlighting the key points. As a result, your child will be prompted to actively engage in the text from the start.

Did you find this useful? If so, please let others know!

Other Articles You May Be Interested In

  • More Blog Articles
    5 Free and Fun Math Games for Kids

    Looking for a way to get your child engaged with math? There are many free, fun math games online that explore basic concepts such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, as well as more advanced games that offer practice with decimals and fractions. Read on to discover five of our favorite educational - and fun! -...

  • More Blog Articles
    Reading Options for Teenagers

    The teenage years are full of emotional and physical challenges. Parents can help their children through these difficult years by introducing them to books that will give them comfort and advice. Read on to learn more about the reading options available to today's teenagers.

We Found 7 Tutors You Might Be Interested In

Huntington Learning

  • What Huntington Learning offers:
  • Online and in-center tutoring
  • One on one tutoring
  • Every Huntington tutor is certified and trained extensively on the most effective teaching methods
In-Center and Online

K12

  • What K12 offers:
  • Online tutoring
  • Has a strong and effective partnership with public and private schools
  • AdvancED-accredited corporation meeting the highest standards of educational management
Online Only

Kaplan Kids

  • What Kaplan Kids offers:
  • Online tutoring
  • Customized learning plans
  • Real-Time Progress Reports track your child's progress
Online Only

Kumon

  • What Kumon offers:
  • In-center tutoring
  • Individualized programs for your child
  • Helps your child develop the skills and study habits needed to improve their academic performance
In-Center and Online

Sylvan Learning

  • What Sylvan Learning offers:
  • Online and in-center tutoring
  • Sylvan tutors are certified teachers who provide personalized instruction
  • Regular assessment and progress reports
In-Home, In-Center and Online

Tutor Doctor

  • What Tutor Doctor offers:
  • In-Home tutoring
  • One on one attention by the tutor
  • Develops personlized programs by working with your child's existing homework
In-Home Only

TutorVista

  • What TutorVista offers:
  • Online tutoring
  • Student works one-on-one with a professional tutor
  • Using the virtual whiteboard workspace to share problems, solutions and explanations
Online Only

Our Commitment to You

  • Free Help from Teachers

  • Free Learning Materials

  • Helping Disadvantaged Youth