Wet Pluto

Reading comprehension means understanding what you read, particularly the material’s meaning and usefulness. You should be able to put what you read in your own words. Normal reading rates are around 200-220 words per minute. At this rate you should understand above 75% of the material.

There are several ways to improve reading comprehension. One of the best ways is constant reading. The more you read, the more you can comprehend what is written. After you read a passage make a list of the words you find difficult. Understand their construction and look up their meaning. This would build a better vocabulary and the more words you know, the easier it is to read and understand. You could summarize what is written in a small paragraph. This will increase your ability to comprehend and put ideas in your own words.

You could also use some of what is written to create some more new ideas. For example if you are reading about a scientific fact, you could make up a story or an experiment based around it. Write these down as it helps in adapting ideas for different purposes. To improve comprehension further, question the material and analyze it, then try and gather more information about it. Some people take up speed-reading courses to help in faster comprehension.

You can improve a child’s comprehension abilities early. Read books aloud and make up activities around it. Show him a picture and help create a story. Create logical events around a story, for example, if you are reading a book about animals and their babies, you could draw them on sheet of paper and create a story about how a mother and her baby went for walk and met other animals on the way. This is a simple but effective idea. Encourage him to read on his own and make reading a special time. All this will go a long way toward improving your child’s comprehension abilities.

If there are learning disorders which may impact comprehension, you would have to turn to a specialist and work with an academic counselor and a trained psychologist who helps you. It is smart to improve comprehension abilities as it is one of the key factors in success.