Reading Comprehension Games for Elementary Students
Elementary students have to understand and apply reading comprehension skills in order to read for meaning. Reading skills can be taught in isolation, but need to be practiced in real reading situations. When teachers use creative ways to teach these reading strategies, students have an easier time referencing and using them at the appropriate time.
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Making Connections
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Good readers make connections while they are reading. They connect the text to their own experiences, to other books, and to the world around them. A simple game to play that explains this strategy uses construction paper strips to make connection chains. After the class has read a book together, students can choose from three colors that represent text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections. They are allowed to add to the chain if they can make one of these connections. Children can keep adding to the chains as they read more books together. They will enjoy seeing how long the chains can become.
Predicting
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Making predictions while reading is important in understanding the motivation of characters and helps keep students interested in the story. A fun game that reinforces this skill is called "Pass the Prediction." After introducing the book, but before the actual reading, the teacher hands a student a statement or question already written on a piece of paper, such as "I think this book will be about. . . ." The student has to finish this statement with his thoughts, then hand the statement to a classmate. This can continue for a few minutes and increase as students get comfortable with the procedure. The teacher can play this game often in class, using different prediction prompts.
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Questioning
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Questioning is a skill that is used almost without being aware of it. For example, after reading a passage or chapter, one often asks questions like, "Why did these people react this way?" or "Why did this happen?" Children can play "I Wonder," by turning to a partner during reading and asking each other questions beginning with this phrase.
Evaluating
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Evaluating is the process of thinking about text in order to determine its impact on the reader. This is not just an exercise in whether the student liked the book or not; rather, it is expressing opinions on the book as a whole. Students can pretend to be reporters interviewing each other about their reactions to various parts of the book. This is especially fun if they have a microphone and can role play.
Summarizing
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Summarizing involves several reading skills used in combination with one another, such as retelling using main ideas and supporting details and validating predictions and inferences. Students can play charades in which they summarize the important parts of the story with nonverbal actions. Classmates take turns retelling what actions they see being displayed.
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