How can I help older students improve with reading comprehension?

There are a number of approaches to helping students organize their thinking and get the most out of textbooks. Some of the strategies, such as the SQ4R process (opens in a new window), are useful in upper elementary, middle, high school, and college levels.

You may find the following articles of interest:

• Textbook Reading Strategies (opens in a new window)
• Comprehension Instruction: What Makes Sense Now, What Might Make Sense Soon (opens in a new window)
• Comprehension Instruction: What Works
• Improving Comprehension for Students with LD
• Reading Aloud to Build Comprehension (opens in a new window)
• Teach the Seven Strategies of Highly Effective Readers (opens in a new window)
• 20 Online Resources on Reading with Comprehension and Engagement (opens in a new window)
• Teaching Reading to Teens with Reading Disabilities (opens in a new window)

Also, having the students complete simple text summary activities can help you get a better idea of which aspects of comprehension they find difficult. Our sister site, AdLit (opens in a new window), has several summary sheets (opens in a new window) available, as well as an excellent library of comprehension articles.

Finally, the Learning Strategies Database (opens in a new window) at Muskingum College’s Center for Advancement of Learning (CAL) has a very useful website. It has an extremely comprehensive listing of reading comprehension strategies applicable to both secondary and postsecondary instruction.