First grade is a really exciting part of a primary student’s reading journey. Improving reading comprehension is a significant aspect of their journey. Young readers learn to think actively as they read and develop a stronger ability to process the text. However, reading comprehension sometimes comes naturally for others, while it takes a bit more time for others. Ultimately the goal is for our students to dive deeper into the meaning of what they are reading, and there are plenty of ways we as educators can foster reading comprehension skills. I will share some simple yet fun ways to improve reading comprehension in your first-grade students.
1. Use Visuals
One of the critical components in successful readers is creating mental images as they read a text. As they read, they can connect the author’s writing with a picture, encouraging this through a guided visualization. When we use visuals like anchor charts and graphic organizers, these help students comprehend what is happening in the story. One of my favorite things to use for a visual is a before, during and after chart with post it notes. Using visuals is also an important tactic for your visual and kinesthetic learners. When I use visuals, I begin to see their light bulbs going off, and they become much more engaged with the text. Check out this bundle, and it has everything you need to start improving comprehension skills with a variety of different visuals.
2. Fluency Passages
Reading fluency has a direct impact on a student’s comprehension. This is why it is essential to provide explicit opportunities for fluency. Fluent readers spend less time decoding words and more time focusing on the meaning of the text. I use reading passages with questions to focus on both fluency and comprehension. I have my students read them multiple times, and by the third time, I have them answer the questions. There is a direct correlation between fluency and reading comprehension, which is why it’s so important to provide explicit instruction on both.
3. Five Finger Retell
Have you heard of the five-finger retell? The five-finger retell is a way to help your students remember what happened in a story. Each finger represents a different aspect of the story. Starting with the thumb to name characters, the pointer finger to describe the setting, you can explain their middle or tallest finger is to talk about the beginning of the story, the next finger is to talk about the middle of the story and last, the pinky is used to discuss the ending. This is an excellent way for students to use a visualization to remember and retell the story. Plus, when students are struggling, you can remind them to think about the five-finger strategy.
4. Read and Sequence Stories
Sequencing allows students to understand how the events within a story took place. It is a reading comprehension strategy that helps students understand the events within a story, including beginning, middle, and end. Sequencing allows students to retell the events that occurred or the order in which they occurred. However, sequencing can be a really tricky task for students. I have found a ton of value in using read and sequence stories with my first-graders. This gives students extra help with visuals so they can read the story then look at the pictures and put together the correct sequence. Then they reread to check that their picture sequence was completed correctly. The hands-on approach helps them grasp the understanding of sequencing.
5. Background Knowledge
As an adult, have you ever picked a book out and never read the inside over to know what it’s about. I have, and about five pages in, I always turn to that inside cover to get a bit of background knowledge. When we give our students background knowledge, it helps them draw inferences, and overall, makes reading a more enjoyable experience. Simply put, the more you know about the topic, the more you will understand it. You can help this along by asking your students questions to activate their thinking.
- What do you know about this topic?
- Have you read other stories by this author?
- This book makes me think of…
Another great way is to use a KWL chart to get their brains moving. When they can link text back to their own experience, it helps them build stronger reader habits.
6. Ask Questions
Asking questions is one of the most crucial ways to improve reading comprehension. When you ask questions, you are activating your students’ engagement with the text. It creates a purpose for the text and helps with making predictions. Asking questions is a way to help readers with difficult words or parts of the text. Questioning is a concrete strategy, and it is a strategy that I explicitly teach and model to my first graders.
7. Draw the Story
Drawing the story is another excellent visual learning opportunity. This comes in handy for those struggling readers and visual learners. I have an entire blog post dedicated to the important visuals play in reading comprehension, and you can check it out right here. Visualization engages all levels of readers and helps students dig deeper into comprehending texts. It is a strategy that helps with all the other reading comprehension strategies because it aids in comprehension.
8. Daily Comprehension Practice
An essential part of building strong reading comprehension is through daily practice and utilizing effective strategies. And, we can do this by giving our students daily and consistent practice. There are so many different resources, games, and activities you can do with your students to enhance their exposure while building their skills. Two of my favorite ways are using reading comprehension journals and reading comprehension passages. Both of these are especially great for introducing strategies for basic comprehension.
9. Read Everyday
I saved the most important way for last. Read every single day. The more exposure, the better. Talk to your students when you read, ask questions, and make predictions. When you model engagement with the text you are reading, your students will automatically become more engaged, too!
Reading comprehension is a big deal. Without adequate comprehension skills, there is no meaning to the text besides reciting the words. If you don’t understand what you are reading, there is genuinely no point. Enjoyment in reading comes from the ability to comprehend the text. To create lifelong readers, we have to teach our students the framework to build up those skills. What are your favorite ways to teach reading comprehension in your classrooms? Let me know in the comments.
