Are you not satisfied with your reading comprehension test score?
Each year, more and more students are falling behind on their reading comprehension. With the global pandemic, and school shutting down, students are drastically behind on their reading skills.
But don’t worry, you can get better, because I will show you how! But becoming better starts with a positive mindset. You need to believe you can be better, and work hard to improve. You can’t be forced by teachers or parents to become better, but the only person who will allow you to become better is YOU!
In today’s blog, I am going to share some techniques that will help you become better at your reading comprehension.
Number 1, I want you to read, read, and READ.
I know, sorry, it’s not a magic formula, but it is what it is. If you want to become better at reading comprehension, you need to start by actually reading.
But here is the catch, it doesn’t have to be Charles Dickens that you’re reading, it can be anything. Start with graphic novels, if that is what will get you reading. You need to learn to read for fun. Because that is key to getting better.
When I was in elementary I began reading in grade 5. I didn’t really read before that, because I lived abroad, and reading wasn’t promoted in schools as it is here. My teacher and dad encouraged me to read, and the way I did it was through learning to read books. I also loved reading National Geographic books, so I would read those as well. I was mostly looking at the pictures, but that is ok. You need to start somewhere. I then moved on to graphic novels, with Raina Telgemeier Babysitter club and her autobiography graphic novels being my favourite. I also liked reading the Bone series by Jeff Smith.
As I mentioned in a previous blog, what really changed the game for me in reading was The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan. It was the first book I read with zero pictures. After that book, I couldn’t stop. I read book after book, and I could finally call myself a reader!
Number 2, I want you to talk about what you’re reading.
It doesn’t have to be about anything specific, anything deep. Talk with someone who read the book. If you have nobody to talk to in real life, then do it online, in a safe manner, of course. You can talk about what you liked, and what you didn’t like. Talk about anything, really.
When I was in grade 6, I started reading Geronimo Stilton, and Thea Stilton. I wasn’t a talkative person, but reading those books connected me to the other students. We talked about our favourite Thea Sister, and which one of us embodied each sister more. You know how when you are children you like to claim you’re a certain character in a cartoon or movie. Well we sort of did that. I was labelled as Paulina because of my shyness, and my intelligence. I may have not spoken much, but that didn’t mean I did badly on my tests.
But anyway, talking about what you read is a great way to get thinking. You start to connect dots on different plot points, and you are doing what reading comprehension wants, which is analysation.
Number 3, Do practice reading comprehension exams
Ask your teacher, or look through the internet for some practice reading comprehension tests and activities. For Alberta, the government posts past PAT and diploma tests, so use those. Doing practice reading comprehension tests is a great way to know what is expected of you. If you can’t find tests, for whatever reason, then make some of your own.
I will link past reading comprehension tests at the end of the blog.
After reading, make a list of words or phrases you don’t know. Make questions out of them, or maybe challenge yourself to re-use those words or phrases in a different context. Think about the plot, and ask yourself why, and how?
For example, how did this event affect the character in question? And why did it affect them?
Now I know that the teachers like to come at us for using AI, but I also have another tip that you can use. Using ChatGPT or BingAI, ask them to make you reading comprehension tests based on what you are reading. It will generate questions for you, and even talk through them with you explaining answers. Never in any circumstances should you use AI to cheat, but you can use it to help you study and explain topics and theories you don’t understand.
Modern problems require modern solutions.
Number 4, For younger readers, re-read to build fluency.
If you are a younger reader, try re-reading the text that you’ve read. You do this to become a better and faster reader. When the task of reading and trying to figure out the words is out of the way, you will be able to focus more on the plot and meaning. So instead of thinking how that specific word is spelled or pronounced, you will think about what it meant? This is key to getting better at reading comprehension, because reading comprehension is about understanding the meaning of the text.
Number 5, Annotate what you are reading.
When you are reading for school, whether it be a nonfiction article or a poem. Try annotating the text. Annotation is the action of marking up the text through highlighters, pens, pencils, etc. to make comments, make an important part standout, or to write down thoughts. This is a good technique that helps me. Sometimes texts can be dry and difficult to get through, but by annotating you are showing more of an effort into understanding the text, which will help you get through it. One thing to note though, is that annotation is for you. It doesn’t have to be pretty or make sense to anyone else.
How I annotate when I am reading, is whatever works in the moment. I would like to believe I have a system, but that is a lie. I know some people have certain colours of highlighters for certain things. For example, blue is for unknown vocabulary, orange is for emphasis, etc. But for me, I just kinda mark up with whatever I got, and whatever feels right. It isn’t consistent at all. One reading, I would use a pen, and a highlighter. I would highlight parts that are important, or underline vocabulary. In highschool, I would ask questions on the margins. Just whatever popped up in my brain. I would sort of write down my thoughts. Because if there is one thing that is true, my brain is as chaotic as a political debate. Everything is yelling at each other, and there is so much going on. So writing down what I think is a way I straighten out all the ideas coming at me. I still do this in university, but now I highlight with the goal that I will be coming back to this part and re-reading it. What I read academically in university is for the purpose of writing on it, or using it as an argument for future assignments. Therefore, instead of re-reading the text when I need to remember the part, I just highlight it, knowing that this is the part that I need to argue in favour of something.
However you markup the text should be in a way that makes sense to you and your brain. It could look like the scribbles of a mad genius for all it matters!
Number 6, Shakespeare specific tip!
Get in the zone! Now reading comprehension requires more work the older you get and start High School. At first, Shakespeare seems scary and arguably a foreign language. But what helped me personally get an A on reading comprehension for Shakepeare was to get in the zone.Every time we start the Shakespeare unit, I wouldn’t read anything other than Shakespeare. I would be reading in Shakespearean English for one, but I would be listening to the audio, and watching the plays. My mind would practically be thinking in Shakespearean English, because all I was doing was listening, hearing, and watching Shakespeare! I don’t know if my tip for how I did good on Shakespeare makes sense or would be of any help to others, but I do want to share it. Of course at the beginning there will be many unfamiliar words, but that is when google comes along. Search up the meaning of the words, and see examples of the word in context. Maybe say it aloud a few times to get the jist of it. But don’t worry, Shakespeare isn’t as scary as it sounds, and I mean that literally and figuratively. You will get through one of the most feared English topics, and thee shalt doth valorous!
Number 7, Test time! What I do during exams.
Now I will walk you through what I do during the actual reading comprehension exam. How reading comprehension exams in Alberta are structured, is they usually give you two booklets. One with all the reading material, and the other with the questions. What I do is for each reading, whether it’s non-fiction, prose, or a poem, I would read the article first. Just once from start to finish. Then I would read the specific questions for each reading. Now that I have an idea what the reading is about, and the questions in mind. I re-read the reading, but this time I take out my writing utensils and mark up the text. This time I am reading with the questions in mind, so I am looking at the text in a different light. I highlight words I don’t know, and try to understand them based on the context of the sentence and/or paragraph. Maybe make little notes on character change, or plot. Though one thing my high school English teacher told me is that once you are at the end stages of English language arts, they no longer care about the plot, but the actual character. Therefore, there is no more action in stories. The idea is studying the character, and how and why he changed. How events made him better or worse. So keep that in mind when you are reading in your everyday life. Think about the character and why things are happening to them. But going back to the topic, after going through your text again, answer the questions. Now I know the questions for reading comprehension are quite annoying, because they always tell you to pick the best answer. Not the answer. I think that is the tricky part that gets to people. But with enough practice and ability, you start to see how the best answer is the answer. Because it’s the only one that really makes sense. Now in terms of choosing the best answer, I would read the answers, and yes they are usually multiple choice, and juggle every possibility. I start to ask myself questions. Did they really exemplify this behaviour? Did they really do this action? I start to compare the top choices, and the one that fits best is the one I go for. The one with the most checked off boxes in terms of criteria, is the one that is the best answer.
Well this is the end, and hopefully you found the tips I shared helpful! Reading is a wonderful thing, and a gift to humanity. It is something amazing, and once you master the art of Reading, there will only be rewards in your future! So go pick out a book to read, and start reading!
Here are links to past reading comprehension exams from the Alberta Government:
https://abed.vretta.com/#/en/public-practice → Includes Grade 6, 9, and 12 Practice Tests.
https://questaplus.alberta.ca/ → Quest A+, which has previous PATs and diploma exams as well.
https://www.alberta.ca/provincial-achievement-tests#jumplinks-5 → Subject specific resources for Grade 6, 9, and 12. (Focused for teachers, but you can still take a look)
