Q: My son is in the second grade and his teacher recently told me that he is having trouble with reading comprehension. I don’t understand why he isn’t remembering what he is reading, since he’s an excellent reader. Every week for homework he is given short stories to read, and questions to answer at the end of each one. It takes him so long to answer the questions, and he always needs my help. What can I do?
A: Many people don’t realize that reading fluency and reading comprehension are two very different skills. Just because a child is able to read with fluency, doesn’t mean he or she is able to retain the content of what they’ve read. Many young children, such as your son, may focus on the phonetics and how they sound when they read rather than the content. Fortunately, there are many easy strategies you can do at home to help your son comprehend his reading material. One technique is teaching your child to visualize what he is reading. I like to say, “Make a movie in your mind.” This helps kids learn to associate images with the words on the page. He can also stop after reading a paragraph and restate the main idea out loud or write brief notes in the margins. Another technique that many children find helpful is to read the comprehension questions first, so they know what information to look for as they read the story. Finally, have your son read aloud to you, then stop him after a few paragraphs and ask him questions about what he’s read.
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