7 Reading Comprehension Strategies Every Student Should Use

Good readers do several things without noticing: they predict, ask questions, picture the scene, and check whether they understand. Struggling readers often decode the words but miss the meaning. The good news is that these strategies can be taught and practised.

1. Preview and predict

Before reading, look at the title, headings and pictures. Ask: what do I think this is about? Predictions give the brain something to check against.

2. Ask questions while reading

Who? Why did that happen? What will happen next? Readers who ask questions stay engaged and notice when something doesn't add up.

3. Visualize

Make a picture in your head. If you can't picture what's happening, slow down and reread.

4. Make connections

Link the text to your own life, to other books, and to what you know about the world. Connections help memory.

5. Monitor and fix up

Notice when you've stopped understanding. Then fix it: reread the sentence, look up a word, or read on a little to see if it becomes clear.

6. Find the main idea

Ask: what is this paragraph mostly about? Separate the main point from supporting details.

7. Summarize

In two or three sentences, say what happened or what the text argued. If you can't, you may not have understood it yet.

Answering comprehension questions

• Right there questions: the answer is in one place in the text. Find it and quote it.
• Think and search questions: the answer is spread across the text. Put pieces together.
• Inference questions: the answer isn't written down. Use clues from the text plus what you know — and say which clues you used.

Practise with a short passage and questions at the right level: Grade 4, Grade 7, Grade 10.