Reading Skills that will deepen reading comprehension for every 9-12 year old

Parents are concerned about learning loss and the negative impact the pandemic has had on mastering skills.  So, the question is, how can parents help reinforce learning at home, specifically literacy? As parents, we often tell our children, “Pick a book and read for 20 minutes”. Yes, reading is a wonderful experience that allows children to travel worldwide, learn a new culture, and see life through a unique perspective, but why are we telling our children to do this alone. Rarely as adults do we travel or experience new situations alone. So why would we expect our children to do that same when they read? Allowing students to engage in “text talks” increases their understanding of the text. It challenges them to think beyond the obvious, igniting curiosity, building confidence, and instilling a love for reading.

Reading Critically in a Nutshell

Reading Critically is a group-based tutoring program geared towards helping students 9-12 years old increase their reading comprehension skills by thinking critically about a text. Students will work collaboratively to evaluate, analyze and synthesize information using multicultural literature written by highly-reputable authors. Group-based sessions provide the opportunity for students to develop their interpersonal skills needed to effectively communicate and collaborate with others. With each session, students will learn, practice and demonstrate effective reading skills and strategies needed to deepen their understanding of the text.

Skills Taught in a Reading Critically class.

Around the ages of 9-12 years old, students begin to dive deeper into skills that switch from learning to read and reading to learn. At this time, students begin to learn different skills that will increase comprehension. With each Reading Critically class, students will learn, practice and refine reading skills that include the following:

1. Set a Purpose for Reading

Typically, when students are given a text, they automatically begin to read without thinking of the text beforehand. When students begin to learn that all texts are read for a  purpose, they begin to read with a clear, meaningful purpose that helps them gain more from the text. They’re able to monitor their reading, figure out what information is most important, and be confident that their reading was successful. When asked about the purpose of a text, students begin to generate ideas such as entertainment, education, persuasion. They also begin to brainstorm the  strategies they used in identifying this purpose such as making inferences, reading the title of the book, checking to see if the book is fiction or nonfiction, and reading a blurb about the book. Helping students identify reading purposes helps them understand the value of accessing prior knowledge as well which will deepen their understanding of the text. 

Setting a purpose for reading requires students to look at text features including the title, caption, photos and subtitle. 

2. Identifying and summarizing the sequence of events in a text

Summarizing is the skill of retelling the main points of a  story or text in a sequential manner. In its simplest form, summarizing includes identifying the main idea and  important details of the text, however, the complexity of a summary is making sure all the information is paraphrased and includes only facts, not opinions. Transition words and phrases are also sprinkled throughout the summary to give the reader a clear understanding of sequential events. In order to master this skill, students must be explicitly taught the components of a summary.

Highlighters are a great way to show these components.

3. Cite evidence from the text when answering a question

Challenging students to think critically involves giving them text dependent questions that require them to use textual evidence to develop a thoughtful response. Paying attention to relevant text evidence allows students to learn about characters, make inferences and draw conclusions. But, citing text evidence can not stand alone. Critical thinking skills begin to develop when students are required to defend their text evidence by explaining the reason the selected quote supports their constructed response. Similar to a mathematical formula, students can input their thinking into four parts in order to create a literary analysis. Students state an observation that includes the  best analytical verb, Then, they state the analysis before explaining how the analysis makes sense. 

Similar to a mathematical formula, students can input their thinking into four parts to create a literary analysis.

4. Using various figurative language

Figurative language is the essence of reading. It allows authors to concise their writing so that readers can make inferences, create emotions, and most importantly determine nuances and connotations. Students can have fun figuring out the difference between similes, personification, and onamonapia. And, ultimately, students that grasp figurative language easily become expert writers; picking the best words and phrases to limit the over-explanation of details.  

 It allows authors to concise their writing so that readers can make inferences, create emotions, and most importantly determine nuances and connotations.

5. Using strategies to help analyze characters

The development of a character means having the reader look at the relationship between characters paying particular attention to emotions, and motivation. Strategies such as S.T.E.A.L help students pay attention to what the character says, what the character thinks, the effect the character has on others, characters actions, and how the character looks in order to analyze their development. 

Giving students the tools they need to analyze characters deepens their understanding of the text. 

The Long Term Effects Reading Strategies 

Learning and reinforcing reading strategies at an early age allows students to gain the skill and confidence the need to tackle any challenging text. When students have the automaticity to utilize these strategies while they read, comprehension becomes  effortless leaving all their energy to learning the content.