How To Improve Reading Comprehension for Kids

What is Reading Comprehension?
Reading comprehension is the ability to understand, interpret, and analyze written text. It involves not only decoding the words on the page but also grasping the meaning behind them, making inferences, and connecting the content to prior knowledge or other texts. Effective reading comprehension requires a combination of several skills, including:

• Decoding: Recognizing and understanding the words and sentences. See our decodable texts.
• Vocabulary Knowledge: Knowing the meaning of words and how they are used in context.
• Fluency: Reading text smoothly and accurately, which allows for better focus on meaning rather than decoding.
• Critical Thinking: Analyzing and evaluating the text, making inferences, and drawing conclusions.
• Background Knowledge: Using prior knowledge and experiences to understand and relate to the text.
• Text Structure Awareness: Recognizing the organization and features of different types of texts (e.g., narrative, expository).
  
  

Strong reading comprehension enables individuals to extract relevant information, understand complex ideas, and apply knowledge from texts to real-world situations.

Reading Comprehension Strategies
ReadWorks resources are one hundred percent free! All you need is an email address to access more than 6,000 texts to use with reading comprehension strategies. Everything we create is built on the science of reading and promotes building background knowledge, growing vocabulary, and strengthening strategic reading.

Our keystone comprehension strategy is Article-A-Day (AAD). It is a built-in program that takes a few minutes to set up for your child or student. It includes three to six reading passages for several core topics and your choice of inferring or express question sets. Research has shown that using AAD for at least 15 weeks of the school year significantly improves reading comprehension. See the research. 

Reading Comprehension Texts and Question Sets
Our free reading comprehension texts and question sets can be used through printing or through a digital assignment. The very print-friendly Article-A-Day Sets with nonfiction decodables can be used as a reading comprehension worksheet. Testing students’ knowledge with question sets is helpful to understand what information was and wasn’t comprehended after reading the text. This can be helpful for a whole class, small group reading, or individual students who may have an IEP for reading. 

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Kindergarten Reading Comprehension Exercises and Printable Worksheets
Example: Shapes In Quilts Article-A-Day Set

First Grade Reading Comprehension Exercises and Printable Worksheets
Example: All Sorts of Animals Article-A-Day Set

Second Grade Reading Comprehension Exercises and Printable Worksheets
Example: All About Space Article-A-Day Set

Third Grade Reading Comprehension Exercises and Printable Worksheets
Example: Helping Nature Itself Article-A-Day Set

Fourth Grade Reading Comprehension Exercises and Printable Worksheets
Example: Medicinal Plants of Latin America Article-A-Day Set

Fifth Grade Reading Comprehension Exercises and Printable Worksheets
Example: Sports Around The World Article-A-Day Set

Written by: 

Melissa Calder, Director of Marketing and Engagement

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