Reading aloud is an age-old practice that can help children improve reading comprehension. Often used as part of a bedtime ritual, you do not have to wait until nighttime to read to a child. Establishing that special routine – be it once a day or once a week -- means picking interesting and culturally relevant books and reading in such a way as to make the story engaging. After reading the book, talk about the child's favorite part of the story, whether it ended as expected and what lesson was learned.
Making connections is a process in which children make a personal connection from the story to their lives. First-graders are more likely to draw a connection between text and self, but there are other linkages like text to text when comparing elements from one story to another and text to world when comparing texts to current and historical events. You can model this behavior by identifying the connections you make as you read. Praise the child when she makes her own connections regarding how the story recalls something in her life.
Asking and answering questions should be done before, during and after reading. Before you begin, examine the book's pictures and title. Then ask the child to predict what might happen. While reading, stop occasionally to ask and answer your own questions, and encourage him to do the same. You can also review the story's details and ask him to predict what happens next. After reading, ask questions that focus on the story's main idea or why a character acted as he did. Framing questions in terms of who, what, when, where, how and why will teach him the questions he can ask himself.
Student comprehension improves when these strategies are used in tandem and geared toward the child's learning style. Such techniques and others like summarization can increase a child’s interest in literature and motivation to read. You can reinforce the desire to read by choosing materials that engage the imagination, provide opportunities for language development and teach children about themselves and the world. In doing so, you may foster the habit of lifelong reading and open the door to a child's deeper understanding of what is being read.