Encourage students to fill out a graphic organizer as they read. Graphic organizers help students comprehend what they read by allowing them to create a visual representation of the information at hand. As students read, they can fill in the organizer with information that will help them understand and review it quickly. Create graphic organizers that are specifically designed to help your students comprehend information they read in their social studies textbooks. For example, create a graphic organizer with space for students to include important dates, facts or laws, suggests the website Reading Quest. This will allow students to organize this important information as they learn it.
Students often feel overwhelmed when reading new material, especially when the material is complex. Before beginning a new reading assignment, give your students a quick overview of what to expect in the reading, suggests the website Curriculum Corner. For example, you might address how the information is organized and any new vocabulary they might encounter, so they won't be distracted by unfamiliar words. Encourage students to look for information that is written in bold print, and explain how they can incorporate charts, graphs and other illustrations with the written text.
To keep students focused while reading, use questions to help guide them. Before beginning a new reading assignment, provide students with a list of questions or topics that are addressed in the reading, or come up with a list of questions as a group. As students read, encourage them to use the questions to determine if they understand the reading, and to know what they need to read again. For longer readings, include page numbers to help students pinpoint important information. After they've done the reading, go over what the students learned.
Students build new learning on what they already know, or their prior knowledge of a specific topic. Encourage students' prior knowledge before beginning a new reading to improve their comprehension. For example, if students are beginning a reading on the Emancipation Proclamation, review what students already know about slavery, Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War to prepare them for the new reading.