How to Teach Reading Comprehension to Fourth Graders
Children begin learning comprehension skills as early as Kindergarten. By the fourth grade, students should be able to apply basic strategies when reading independently. Fourth grade instruction also includes exposure to more advanced skills like compare/contrast and cause/effect. Strong comprehension will improve their ability to understand more complex texts as they progress through school.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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1
Introduce the reading comprehension skill. For example, say, "Today we are going to practice making predictions based on knowledge and experience." Explain how you are able to understand a story better if you can identify with the characters and actions.
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2
Model the skill. Have a book on hand that you have read previously and choose a passage that you can relate to through personal experience. Read a portion of the story to the class; then stop and discuss how your previous experience helped you make a prediction about what was going to happen.
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3
Guide students while they practice this reading comprehension exercise. Divide students into small groups. Have each student read a section of a story and then stop and discuss any connections others can make with the text from experience. Help them use these connections to make predictions.
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4
Reinforce comprehension with supplemental activities. Play a game in the classroom in which students create and perform short skits based on scenarios, such as being nervous before a test or going to a new school. Classmates can make predictions how someone would feel during these times because many fourth grade students have experienced these situations.
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Play computer games for extra reading comprehension practice. Websites like Readquarium.com and Internet4Classrooms.com have interactive games and quizzes that can help students work on specific skills.
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