Improving Year 6 Comprehension Skills: Tips and Strategies for Success
As students move into Year 6, they are expected to have a solid foundation in reading comprehension. Students at this level are tasked with reading harder texts whilst being able to comprehend and interpret them. It is a crucial skill that will allow them to excel academically, and even outside of school. In this blog article, we will discuss the top tips and strategies that can help improve your Year 6 student’s comprehension skills.
Subheading 1: The importance of vocabulary in Year 6 comprehension
Without a strong vocabulary, it is impossible for a student to understand the passage they are reading. Vocabulary building should begin in the early years and continue through Year 6 and beyond. Students can learn new words by reading books, taking vocabulary tests, and actively paying attention to new words they come across. Try using flashcards to help students master new words, and encourage them to use these newly mastered words in their writing.
Subheading 2: Using Context Clues
Contextual clues are key to understanding the meaning of words that may not be immediately clear. Teach your students to recognise context clues like synonyms, antonyms, definitions and examples to understand the meaning of the words they encounter. For harder passages with unfamiliar words, have students look out for clues in the context, and do more extensive research to truly understand the meaning.
Subheading 3: Key Note-taking Strategies
Teach students to summarise key points and take notes while reading. This will enable them to retain information better, identify main ideas, grasp concepts, and retain important details. Encourage your students to take short notes, highlight important details and words or even draw a picture to help them remember information better.
Subheading 4: Predicting Outcomes
Teach students to use context clues to make predictions, what do they think will happen next in the story? Predicting outcomes is not only a comprehension strategy but also an analytical and critical thinking skill. By predicting what comes next, students check if they truly understand the current text and helps them connect ideas and derive meaning from the passage.
Subheading 5: Connect the passage to the real world
It is important that students see the connection between what they learn in class and the real world around them. Connect the ideas in the passage they are reading to real-world examples. Ask them questions about these examples to show them why they need reading comprehension in the real world. This helps foster a love for learning, encourages them to think critically, and helps them understand the long-term implications of this important skill.
Conclusion:
Reading comprehension in Year 6 is a critical skill that students need to excel in. By applying the tips and strategies we have discussed to their schoolwork, they can improve their comprehension skills. Keep in mind that practice makes perfect, and so incorporating these tips and strategies into your student’s study routine will help with mastery of this important skill.
