Looking for Help for 3Rd Grader Reading Comprehension

I am a 3rd grade teacher...and for some children mastering reading comprehension is tough. I agree with the other suggestions and have her read material she is interested in-all kinds from science to poetry to history and you read it together. Then, you ask her questions about the reading. Also, have her write down her answers in sentences. Then review the same material a few times.

Hi G.,
Comprehension is the last reading skill children master. It says, "I know what I just read." Have you ever read anything while thinking of something else and then have to read it again? Same goes on for kids. Many are focused on decoding that the word meaning is left behind. Children have to learn strategies they can take with them, like, rereading, looking up unknown vocabulary in dictionary, rereading again, looking at pictures and describing them. Research with comprehension says repeated reading is the most effective strategy to increased comprehension along with many of the good suggestions you find below.
Stay proactive, it is your daughter's best friend,
Good luck,
Wendy

Find books she likes. Have her write letters to the characters from herself, the author, another character, another character from another book... Draw a picture of the 5 main parts of the story/chapter. Write one word that sums up each page. Draw a picture and title different from the one the author chose. Write ten questions you would like to ask one of the characters or the author....

Check with local teaching supply stores. They have workbooks to go along with lots of the stories for each grade level. I would actually start with material from the 1st and 2nd grade and then work your way up. Oftentimes skills get left behind and since they all build on one another it makes no sense to start where the problem is noticeable, but right before that point. I have taught 4th-8th grades and let me tell you that i'm glad you're choosing to do something about it now instead of ignoring it until your daughter is older and it becomes an embarrassment for her in class with her classmates! :)

Hi G.. I was a teacher for six years and just decided to stay at home with my two boys. I have a few tips for you. Number one read with her all the time. Make sure you have books that are a little above her reading level and continue asking her those questios. Ask her teacher for books that are at her reading level. Second, start reading a chapter book with her that is higher than her reading level. You both can take turns reading it. While you are reading ask tons of questions, but also share what your thinking and why your thinking that because of what your read. Share what you are picturing, laugh, sigh, be very expressive. Kids learn best when it is demonstrate. As you are doing that, ask her to share what she is thinking, feeling,...etc. Make sure you share why your thinking that, connect it to the story, the paragraph, or sentence. As for comprehension work books, go to a teacher supply store and ask someone there for a good comprehension workbook at a third grade level. When she answers the comprehension questions in the workbook, make her underline the sentence or sentences in the story that answer the questions. Lastly, I don't remember what the website is called, but there is a website where kids can take reading comprehension test on a book they have read. It is like Accerated Reader or Reading Counts (I don't really know what program the use out hear).

Some kids just don't enjoy reading, find books that she likes. And remember a child's reading ability is not evaluated on how well he/she can read the words, but on how well he/she understand what he/she is reading. Don't read books that she doesn't understand it will only create more frustration on both ends. You have to find a book that is slightly above her reading level. Please ask her teacher about certain chapter books that would be good for her. Her teacher is your best resource because he/she knows and understands her abilities the best.

I hope this is helpful. I can contact the teachers I worked with last year to find out about the website.

M.

Hi i would start by finding some books that she can relate too - maybe similiar things have happened to her that happens to the characters in the books - friends fighting and making up, etc... - and see if she can make the connection to her own life then ask the big question what was the author trying to teach you about life in this book - how did you feel when that happened to you and then what did the characters/you learn and then move on to other books - when we can relate a text to ourselves it is easier to see the bigger picture - good luck (I am a teacher by the way) :-)

G., I highly suggest taking your daughter to H.E.L.P. (The Hollywood Education and Literacy Project). It is a free program, and what is amazing is that I've seen kids come into this program who hate school or are having trouble reading and writing and by learning the study technology they offer, magically these kids can study successfully. You can definitely call H.E.L.P. for a free tour, and they'll even be able to refer you to one of their sister organizations in Las Vegas.

Here's their data:

Hollywood Education Literacy Project International
6336 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood CA 90028
###-###-####
http://www.helplearn.org/index-flash.html

Ask for Amanda or Ann. They definitely will be able to help you!

With love,
L. (MAMA to 20 month old Dylan Orion.......29 September 2007) : )))

Hi G.,

In this case, practice makes perfect. Try to make time to read with your daughter and ask her comprehension questions along the way. When she gives you an answer, ask her what makes her think that. Assure her that it's ok to be wrong.

Additionally, the workbook idea is good. Oftentimes, children are "hovering" over their books, not really reading them. Workbooks allow for immediate feedback.

My youngest didn't "click" with reading comprehension until the 5th grade. I just recieved his reading test scores and they are now well above average. So, with some, it takes a bit longer to really master those comprehension skills. The previous respondent who said being able to read words doesn't guarantee understanding those words was really spot on.

Good luck!

a lot of times when a child appears to be reading well, it is b/c he/she has a strong phoenimic awareness and knows words. it doesn't mean that he/she is reading for understanding. you can start by helping her read paragraph by paragraph and asking her questions as you go along. this will build her comprehension without a program. also, try books that are at a lower reading level. she may seem to be able to read higher level books b/c her word/sight vocabulary is so strong, but may not be comprehending it.

Hi G.,

Check out http://www.appliedscholastics.org You will get an idea on what study barriers we come across when we are trying to learn as well as a solution. Tricks and gimmicks don't work. She needs to know and understand what she's reading. She probably doesn't know what small words mean like "the", "as", and "by". The most misunderstood words are the small words and people just assume that everyone knows what they mean. Let me know if you need any more info. Whatever you do, don't put her on deadly psychiatric medication!

Hello G.,
I have worked with 3rd grade this year and 2nd grade last year. I work in Resource which is small group language arts (reading comprehension is a big part) and math. I have found that as we read, I need to ask questions to see if they understand the wording, language (like if it is idioms, metaphors, etc). I just suggest you take the time to explain as you go, and ask lots of questions to help her to understand. Have her stop when she doesn't know what something means. Re-read and work toward understanding. It's not the amount you read, it the quality of the reading.
Pick books that are fun, this makes it good reading and interesting for her.
Hope this helps.
~~D.

Hi! I am a teacher and I have a few suggestions.
1. Always have have her do some pre-reading strategies. Read the title and think about the significance. It usually has something to do with the main idea. Take a picture walk... go through the book and just look at the pictures and make guesses or INFERENCES about what is happening. Talk about what she already knows about the topic before she reads.
2. Have her use stickies! Have place stickies whenever she has a question, wondering, or a vocabulary word she doesn't know. Stickies are motivating!! Have her write her question on the stickie!
3. Much of what your request is referring to is INFERENCING and in my opinion, it is one of the hardest comprehension skills. I explain to my students that making an inference is making a guess or prediction that you may never really be able to prove with the text and the pictures. Clues may be given in the text and pics. Help her to find those clues and teach her to use the word inference. My second graders have become inference experts this year, just by constant modeling. There are some inference board games at Lakeshore that my students love!
4. Be sure that she is making connections to the text. There are several types of connections. Text to self; which is relating the text to one's own life. Text to text; relating the text to other stories that remind you of the current story. Text to world; a connection that can be made to the world. Guide her to make these connections.

Just keep reading with her. Much of it is developmental. Kudos for you for being so involved in your daughter's education!

Hi G.,

See if her school has subscribed to tickettoread.com. Tickettoread.com has kids read paragraphs and then asks them questions about what they have read. If they are having trouble it keeps them at the same level. This site has helped both of my kids with comprehension but we use it through the school. I am not sure if you can subscribe as a parent but it is worth checking out.

C.