5 Strategies for Improving Comprehension of Informational Text

Reading comprehension plays an important role in a student’s academic success. However, many students struggle with comprehending informational text. Unlike narrative text, informational text requires a different set of reading skills. In this article, we will discuss 5 strategies for improving comprehension of informational text.

Strategy 1: Activating Prior Knowledge

One of the effective ways to improve comprehension of informational text is to activate prior knowledge. Encourage students to recall their prior experiences, knowledge, and understanding of the topic. This will provide a solid foundation for them to comprehend the new information.

For example, while reading an article on global warming, ask students to think about what they already know about climate changes, greenhouse gases, and environmental pollution. By doing so, students can make connections between their prior knowledge and new information, helping them generate a deeper understanding.

Strategy 2: Previewing the Text

Another strategy to improve comprehension is to preview the text. Previewing involves looking at headings, subheadings, bolded or italicized words, and images to get an idea of what the text is about. Previewing helps students activate their background knowledge, identify the purpose of the text, and make predictions about what they will learn.

For instance, encourage students to skim through the text to look for headings, subheadings, and images before reading. This will help them identify the key concepts, central ideas, and supporting details.

Strategy 3: Making Inferences

Making inferences involves reading between the lines and using clues in the text to understand what is not explicitly stated. When students make inferences, they use their background knowledge, experiences, and the information that they have read to draw conclusions.

For instance, while reading an article about a new scientific discovery, ask students to infer the implications of the discovery. By doing so, students can learn to connect the dots and understand the bigger picture.

Strategy 4: Summarizing the Text

Summarizing is a process of condensing the main ideas of a text into a shorter version. It involves identifying the central idea, supporting details, and excluding irrelevant information. Summarizing helps students to focus on the most important aspects of the text, improving their understanding.

For instance, ask students to summarize the article in a few sentences or bullet points after reading. This will help them identify the key concepts and important details, enabling them to retain the information for longer.

Strategy 5: Using Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are visual tools that help students organize and categorize information. Graphic organizers are a great way to improve comprehension as they help students to identify relationships between different concepts, supporting details, and central ideas.

For example, ask students to create a concept map or a Venn diagram to track the flow of information in the text. This will help them to connect the dots and understand how different ideas relate to each other.

Conclusion

Improving comprehension of informational text is essential for academic success. By activating prior knowledge, previewing the text, making inferences, summarizing the text, and using graphic organizers, students can improve their comprehension and retain the information for longer. These strategies not only help students to understand the text but also equip them with the necessary skills to navigate complex texts independently.