Written By: Paige Neely
Did you know that 82% of students who fail an English course in the 6th grade fail to graduate high school? That’s a large amount and though 6th grade is a long way from graduation day, the majority of our learning habits, and skills, are formed during our lower education K-6 grades. Many students are able to read fluidly and clearly however, some have a difficult time reiterating any of the key points.
I really wanted to touch upon this subject of increasing reading skills because I believe there are many students out there that are struggling and are not given the proper steps to improve or even correct their reading skills. Many parents stress the need for aid when it comes to the reading department. English/Language Arts is one of the core subjects in school and a top subject for test prep; it’s extremely important to implement good habits gradually and efficiently.
Through the schooling systems, it’s very uncommon to have classes that focus primarily on reading development skills alone. Here is how Tutoring and Beyond can help!
By taking these little steps, students can ultimately change the course of their future.
These are the 5 building blocks that will help increase a student’s reading skills.
Chapter Reviews
This is one of the best starting points to help anyone build reading comprehension skills. Students can create their own review or print out a simple template and it is super easy to do. After each chapter, have your students write down:
- Chapter Title (if there is one)
- Characters introduced with short description
- Then main idea of the chapter
These are great for book tests because they’ve created a study guide based off of the main points from each chapter of the book making it easier to recall.
Vocabulary Word Bank
This is key to building up reading skills. Words are part of sentences just as sentences form the books. Have your students write down the words they don’t know with the definition for each. This can be done on a single piece of paper and if you really want to go above and beyond, create flashcards of each word to study.
*Pro Tip: Buy flash cards keep them in a flashcard box and practice them until mastered. Separate them with 1 star (beginner) 2 stars(Familiar) 3 stars(mastered)
Story Maps
Creating a story map is probably the quickest and the most fun way to capture the entire idea of a story. You’re able to review the characters, themes, rising climax, falling climax along with the finale of the book. There are many ways to create these story maps, you can write them on a timeline, draw pictures with descriptions (these work well for younger kids), or create an actual map. “X” marks the spot!
Ask Questions
In order to grasp the true understanding of where a student stands in their reading skills, ask them questions about each chapter or the entire story. This allows them to remember and tell the story back to you in their own words.
Read 30 Minutes Daily
On average most students read LESS than 15 minutes per day. Around 18% read 30 minutes a day. Reading is a basic privilege that many of us forget we have. Reading increases vocabulary, writing, and comprehension. Reward your student, if younger, with a reading chart. Challenge your student, if older, to 800 pages every quarter. Change your 15 minutes to 30 minutes and watch how much skills increase.
Tutoring and Beyond is excited to help students grow by teaching them the proper building blocks that they can later use in future endeavors.
Please us a comment and book your FREE consultation today with Tutoring and Beyond!y