Comprehension Strategies Every K–3 Teacher Should Teach | Science of Reading
Do your students read the words but struggle to understand what they read?
In this episode of The Education Connection, we're wrapping up our Science of Reading series by focusing on the ultimate goal of reading: comprehension.
I'll share the seven comprehension strategies that have shaped my instruction over the years and explain how I teach them in my first-grade classroom. While my approach has been influenced by the professional book 7 Keys to Comprehension by Susan Zimmermann and Chryse Hutchins, I've adapted these ideas to meet the developmental needs of young readers.
We'll discuss:
🍎 Why background knowledge lays the foundation for comprehension
🍎 How I teach connections through text to self, text to text, and text to world
🍎 Simple ways to encourage questioning during reading
🍎 Helping students create mental images through visualization
🍎 Teaching inferencing by using clues from the text
🍎 How synthesizing helps students grow and change their thinking
🍎 Why monitoring comprehension is an ongoing habit of good readers
Throughout the episode, I'll share practical classroom examples and simple activities you can begin using during read alouds, guided reading, and small-group instruction.
If there's one takeaway from today's episode, it's this:
Good readers don't just read the words. Good readers think while they read.
Be sure to grab this week's free Comprehension Strategies Teacher Reference. This one-page printable includes all seven strategies, a brief explanation of each one, and a simple classroom activity you can use right away.
Resources Mentioned
• 7 Keys to Comprehension by Susan Zimmermann and Chryse Hutchins
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