help with reading comprehension

[Guest admn]

my 8yo son seems to be struggling with remembering what he has read and answering questions about the reading. he is a fluent reader...any suggestions?

[LeslieP]

I would like to see what others have to say. My 8yo dd is having the same issues--reads fluently, no spelling issues, just can seem to retain what she is reading. This actually became apparent last year and so this year. At first I was making her reread everything and that just irritated her. This school year I added some extra work in that area. I started using Spectrum Reading Comprehension workbook to our regular Language Arts routine. At first she was just all over the place. Things have improved some though. Not sure if it is an age-issue, a focus issue, or something else.

[momtotkbb]

My dd was like this --- but bec she tested on standardized tests very high I thought she wasn't fully applying herself in her daily reading. Finally, I decided to try a program called Reading Detective and it's been like a light switch getting flipped for her. While she hasn't always been thrilled with the workbook she will readily admit that it's taught her skills she was lacking to help her read for comprehension/retention.

[Mandamom]

I am an instructor and tutor for several "word readers". The ones who can decode and spell very well but still don't comprehend what they are reading. Some have a pretty big spread between decoding/spelling and comprehension.

 

First, at school we use the Visualization and Verbalization program/technique which helps the student to start visualizine what they are reading. It can be purchased on Amazon, among other places.

 

Second, we start with reading books where their comprehension level is (not where you hope it is :) and making sure that they are really comprehending what they are reading. As they are comprehending better you pick harder books and over time increase the difficulty. Use the lexile.com website to figure out the appropriate reading level of books as many book lists are really far off.

 

Third, we use epsbooks.com Reading Comprehension Varied Subject Matter and sTarting Comprehension workbooks depending on which level they are currently reading. I have the students complete some of the exercises reading orally and others silently because I find that some students can comprehend better reading aloud while others comprehend better reading silently.

 

All that being said, if you have a phonics (decoding) problem you'll need to remediate that first.

[Evergreen Academy]

One of my eight-year-olds is a very similar reader, and that's a problem we've attacked this year - once I realized in the fall that his great spelling and reading didn't = great comprehension. Even though he's capable of reading well above grade level, I chose books at grade level for him to read, and assigned short portions. After he read, I'd ask for a narration. I didn't want to suck the fun out of reading but it was evident he was reading to check it off his list, and not slowing down and paying attention to details. So he would give a short narration - often missing significant information and very confusing - and most often I'd send him back to re-read the section and try again. And so you know, we are talking short readings here - like one section in the Christian Liberty Nature Reader or Pathyway Reader. The short readings make it less overwhelming than a chapter book, and easier for me to skim for important details or story line.

 

With discipline and attention he's gotten better at this, but it's something we continue to work on. I'm not asking for narration every day now because he's slowing down and able to retain more, but still checking regularly.

 

Aimee

mom to 6 great kids ages 5-18, homeschooling K, 2, 2 and 5