Reading Comprehension Strategies

Question: What are some techniques to help students improve their reading comprehension?

Answer:

SQ3R (Robinson, 1961): “A study strategy in which readers survey a text before reading and devise questions to answer, generally using the heading to guide question writing. They read to find answers to their questions; after reading, readers recite their answers. Finally, they review by going over their answers and rereading where necessary. The emphasis Is on using questions to guide study reading.”

DR-TA (Stauffer, 1969): “A comprehensions strategy in which readers speculate on what will occur in a text (e.g., what the topic is, what content a selection will cover, what a story is about, what will happen in a story). While reading, readers stop to check on predictions and predict what will happen next. The emphasis is on predictions.”

K-W-L (Ogle, 1986): A study strategy in which readers think about what they already know about the topic of a selection and predict categories of information they expect to learn from reading it, and also decide what they want to learn. After reading, they think about what they have learned. In this scheme, K stands for what I know; W for what I want to learn, and L for what I have learned.”

Comment: Excellent techniques for improving students’ comprehension. RayS.

Title: “Essential Reading: Targeting, Tracking, and Thinking about Main Ideas.” DG Hennings. Journal of Reading (February 1991), 346-353.