Strong comprehension relies on a whole host of underlying skills, which is why it can seem so hard to improve. There are a few simple strategies you can use, however, to deepen your child’s understanding of comprehension texts and to make homework a little less arduous. Get these steps right and your child will also begin to master vital exam techniques that they can use in the 11+, SATs and beyond.
Skim read the comprehension passage and pick out words your child may have difficulty with.
Look up the meanings in a children’s dictionary, add them to a word bank and discuss them with your child.
Why this helps:
Your child’s reading will flow better if they have an understanding of the vocabulary featured. This enables them to concentrate more on the information in the passage rather than getting stuck on tricky words.
At the end of each paragraph (or earlier if it makes sense to do so), ask your child to stop and briefly summarise what they’ve learnt about the story so far.
Prompt them with simple questions regarding the who, what and where of the passage. If you want to stretch your child, ask predictive questions such as “what do you think will happen next?”
Why this helps:
This approach ensures your child is actively taking in the text rather than going through the motions. This habit also gives you the opportunity to correct misconceptions at an early stage.
Give your child the chance to answer questions independently so that they can get into the habit of doing so.
If your child gets stuck and asks for help, model good comprehension strategies by looking back at the text and narrating what you’re doing so it doesn’t go unnoticed.
Why this helps:
Many children forget that they should refer to a text when answering questions. Modelling this behaviour teaches your child that even adults need to refresh their memories sometimes.
Mark your child’s work and review it with them. Remember not to be too harsh when using a mark scheme; your child’s answer doesn’t have to be an exact match to the sample answer.
Encourage your child to refer to the text in order to correct their work. If they’re not sure where to look, point them towards the right paragraph/section of the text.
Why this helps:
Children often think they need to re-read the entire passage when looking for evidence. Directing your child to the right part of the story helps them to work more efficiently.
The advice in this blog post was taken from our “How to Develop Your Child’s English Skills (Even if You’re Not Confident Yourself)”. Watch the full webinar here.
