Reading Comprehension - A Fundamental Reading Skill For Fluent Readers

The National Reading Panel identified readingof the text.
comprehension as one of the fundamental skillsEducators and parents can enhance the
necessary to master the art of reading.comprehension of the child through various
Comprehension is best strengthened after an initialeffective methods. For example, read (or have
reading program has laid groundwork of phonemethe student read) a word and its definition and
awareness, letter recognition and basic vocabularyask the student to use the word in a sentence.
skills. At this point, the emergent reader should beAnother method involves reading with or to
challenged to take the sounds and letters to thestudents. Through the use of questions, readers
next stage of development which iscan provide instant feedback of the text to the
comprehension of complete and abstractteacher. A variation of this method asks the
thoughts.student to create their own questions about the
Since comprehension is a complex cognitivestory, thereby encouraging them to look beyond
process, it's best to first give the student thethe words to the meaning of the sentences.
necessary tools by which the role of vocabularyAnalyzing the story or using a summary technique
can be fully understood and appreciated. Whilealso aids the student to integrate the ideas in the
studies have definitely shown that vocabularytext and to generalize the information.
instruction develops reading skills, it has also beenResearch has shown that a combination of
linked to significant gains in comprehension. Usingcomprehension-building techniques work best
age-appropriate activities that are designed forbecause it challenges the students on different
the student's current level of ability has beenlevels and in various ways. A diverse application to
proven to be effective methods of increasingteaching comprehension actually causes the
comprehension. The use of computers instudent to think on several levels and stimulates
classrooms and homes was very successful inthe student's critical thinking ability. Once this key
developing this core skill. Other ways ofcognitive skill is developed, students will be able to
introducing and learning vocabulary include readingaccess this device throughout their entire
or listening to stories, learning a word list prior toeducational career, causing them to successfully
reading a text.comprehend texts of all types.
Comprehension is an active process between theReading comprehension is the key to success. It
student and the written word. To encourage thisunlocks doors in academic learning and will enhance
intentional thinking, readers should be encouragedlifelong learning. Children are able to develop this
to actively communicate what they have justskill after grasping the foundational rules of
read. In an educational research study, it waslanguage and vocabulary. The ability to read and
shown that students who relate the ideas in printcomprehend texts increases the student's skills in
to their own personal knowledge and experiencesall aspects of language, including spelling and
are better able to formulate vivid mentalfluency. The use of reading comprehension
representations of the text.strategies is directly linked to the student's
Reading exercises like this allow for theacademic achievement and continuous growth in
development of comprehension skills through thelanguage development.
use of key cognitive strategies. The child isEr-u-di-tion, a game that jump-starts the road to
challenged to formulate the meaning behind thereading, is an effective method to enhance
text and to apply that reasoning to their own lifecomprehension, among other reading skills. The
experience. Research has shown that thisgame's cards include over 300 high frequency
deliberate application of words to their meaningswords and their definitions. Players earn bonus rolls
drastically improves the student's comprehension,by identifying the word, reading its definition and
allowing them to discern clear and concise imagesusing the word in a sentence.