Each child reads at her own speed. Problems arise in an academic setting when children are given only a short time period to read a passage before discussing it or students feel they must read as quickly as possible to keep up with other students. For students who read at a slower rate, this can lead to decreased comprehension. Begin by informing your students that they all read at different rates, but the important thing is that they all understand what they read. Increase the time limit on reading activities so all students have a chance to finish the material.
Reading too fast without stopping to understand the meaning of the passage can lead to decreased comprehension. Teaching your students comprehension-monitoring skills helps them to pay attention to their own understanding of the material in front of them. Basic instruction in comprehension monitoring is one of 16 National Reading Panel-approved methods to improve reading comprehension in early readers.
Assign a page of reading that is broken into short paragraphs and hand out a sheet with a paragraph corresponding to each paragraph. Select a volunteer to read the first paragraph out loud. Have the reader stop and encourage the class to think about the meaning of what was just read. Have students answer the questions “who did what” and “what happened” in the paragraph. Ask each student to write down a summary of the paragraph on their worksheet. Then, go over the meaning as a class. Continue in the same fashion for each paragraph. Perform this activity with several reading assignments so students can get the hang of the process.
Consider assigning additional reading passages and summary worksheets as homework to reinforce the lesson. Otherwise, encourage students to stop and think after each paragraph that they read. Whether your students read assignments for class or fiction books for recreational purposes, stopping after each chunk of text improves comprehension and fosters a deeper understanding of the material presented.