Reading comprehension

33% of high school graduates never read another book the rest of their lives and 42% of college grads never read another book after college.

Reading comprehension is the knowledge gained by reading. It is affected by brain capacity, general knowledge including vocabulary, and to some extent by reading skills. Reading skills stress maintaining interest in the material being read, such as by stopping to wonder what was just read or even taking notes. Taking notes in a notebook is more instructive than highlighting text and prevents damage to the publication.

Increasing reading comprehension

To increase reading comprehension, you can: build vocabulary, actively engage with the text by asking questions and making connections, summarize key points, identify the main idea, use context clues to understand unfamiliar words, prioritize background knowledge on the topic, and practice visualizing what you read; consider reading challenging texts at a slower pace and re-reading sections that are confusing.

Source: How do you increase readng comprehension

Other strategies to increase reading comprehension:

• Metacognition: "Metacognition can be defined as “thinking about thinking.” Good readers use metacognitive strategies to think about and have control over their reading. Before reading, they might clarify their purpose for reading and preview the text. During reading, they might monitor their understanding, adjusting their reading speed to fit the difficulty of the text and “fixing” any comprehension problems they have. After reading, they check their understanding of what they read."

• Graphic and semantic organizers: Venn diagrams/diagrams, story boards, story maps, and listing causes/effects

• Pay attention to the structure of expository text (Cause and effect, Problem and solution, Compare and contrast, Description, Time order - sequence of events, actions, or steps)

• Use the K-W-L process (What I Know; What I Want to Know; What I Learned. Categories of information I expect to use such as: history of, purpose of, explanation, etc.) (K-W-L chart)

• Make predictions about the material about to be read

• Set reading goals related to reading the material to increase motivation See also: Goal setting

• Take notes

• Use critical thinking when reading text to detect biases/errors and stimulate thinking (Questions to promote critical thinking)

• Ask the 4 journalism questions ("Who, what, where, and why are the fundamental questions used to gather information about an event or situation, representing the key elements of "who" the subject is, "what" happened, "where" it occurred, and "why" it took place; essentially, the core questions journalists use to ensure a complete story.)

• Endeavor to ask open-ended questions when reading text (32 Open-Ended Questions for Reading Comprehension)

Articles:

• 10 Best Practices to Improve Reading Comprehension, Scholarwithin.com
• 7 Simple Strategies to Improve Reading Comprehension, Indeed
• Seven Strategies to Teach Students Text Comprehension
• Comprehension: The Goal of Reading
• How to improve reading comprehension (with 9 strategies), Indeed
• How to Improve Reading Comprehension: Strategies & Tips
• How to Improve Reading Comprehension: 10 Strategies