Comprehension is a HUGE component of reading. I would go so far as to say if your child is not comprehending what she is reading, she’s not really reading; just “barking” words.
To say it simply: READING=THINKING.
In order to get the students I tutored to think about what they had read, I put together this graphic organizer. It’s called C is for Comprehension (click here or on the picture below to download).
After the student has read a text (fiction or nonfiction; but the text needs to have enough “meat” for this to work), she is asked to fill in as many of the ABC boxes as she can that relate to the text in some way. You want to encourage the student to think through themes, main idea(s), characters, events of the text, important concepts, etc. to fill in the ABC’s.
For example, if the child reads Charlotte’s Web, she might write Fern for F or Friendship for F. (This would also make a great activity to do whole group in a classroom or as a small group, such as a guided reading group.)
The thing I like best about this graphic organizer is it can lead to some rich discussion, especially when students compare their ABC’s with other student’s: “Why did you put ____ for T?” “How is that significant to the text?”, or “If you had to pick one of the letters you filled in, which one would you say is most important to the text?”.
So, enjoy your ABC’s! They’re not just for your preschooler!
~Becky
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