Memorial Day is right around the corner, and, as the unofficial start of summer, many parents who were homeschooling during the pandemic may now be faced with three months of vacation without having access to activities for kids. In some areas, pools remain closed, summer camps may have been canceled and sports teams’ schedules may still be up in the air.

Parents can use this time to help kids stay on target academically and work on math or reading to keep kids from experiencing the summer slide. Parents can plan daily reading comprehension activities at home to make reading enrichment more fun.

Why is Reading Comprehension Important?

Reading is more than simply sounding out the words. While a child may seem to read fluently—exhibiting correct annunciation and pronunciation—they may not understand what they are reading. Reading comprehension is all about deciphering the meaning of what is read and being able to explain the plot and examining the thoughts, feelings or actions of a character.

Younger children may be able to summarize a small book and say whether the character was happy or sad; they may point out story ‘villains’ and understand that some characters just aren’t nice. Older kids may delve deeper, being able to infer those same feelings and use those inferences to predict possible outcomes.

We all remember writing essays that required us to examine plot metaphors or analyze individual characters. These essays probably relied heavily on our comprehension of the book or story. If we don’t understand what we’ve read, then we are unable to gain knowledge or insight from that text.

How Can Parents Help Children with Comprehension at Home?

Some children may struggle with reading comprehension. When school is out of session for the summer, parents can help their child at home with those struggles. While parents can embrace homeschooling or daily reading lessons at home, some parents may not know where to turn to find materials that can help their child with reading comprehension.

Let Kids Read Comic Books and Magazines

If your child has a subscription to a favorite magazine, use the stories to help gauge comprehension. Typically, magazine articles tend to be shorter and quicker to read. After your child reads a passage or article, ask them questions.

Parents also can use comic books to encourage children to read and to help their comprehension.  Plus, kids may enjoy reading comic books more than a standard story or book…especially during vacation. However, all reading is beneficial. Let your child read a comic book, and talk to them about the characters and what happened. Ask them what they think will happen in the next edition, too!

Online Sites Count as Reading, Too!

Screen time is a big worry for a lot of parents. Most kids are on screens during the day for school lessons; with online learning as the norm for several months, parents may be even more resistant to extra screen time.

If a child is reading, though, should the medium matter? Parents dictate screen time rules and regulations for their families. Yet, if a child loves that screen, maybe parents could consider using the screen as a benefit. Visit sites like National Geographic Kids that provide educational and interesting content.

Use those sites to get kids reading…and talk to them about what they’ve read. Ask all the ‘wh’ questions: who, what, when, where…and how.

Teachers Are a Great Resource

When parents are in doubt about what resources are best for their child, drop a note to the teacher. Most teachers are happy to make reading recommendations and also may be able to provide free resources available through the school district. Your child may still be able to utilize reading software or other tools during the summer. Printed worksheets also could be available. It never hurts to touch base with the teacher.

Use Reading Software

One of the best ways to keep kids reading during summer and help them with comprehension is with a reading app like Readability. The program is leveled appropriately to ensure that your child receives instruction and stories that match needs and ability. Readability’s unique AI tutor is designed to recognize your child’s voice; the tutor will provide feedback and corrections during lessons. The virtual tutor also asks children questions about the text to gauge comprehension.

Readability’s stories are engaging and incredibly visual. Children should have fun while reading and books and stories should catch their attention and stimulate their imagination. Struggling readers will find that stories offer captivating plots that match their age range…and their ability.

While many children may be ready to begin a leisurely summer vacation and permanently disconnect from those online lessons, reading daily or reading often can help them from falling down the summer slide. Encourage kids to read books, magazines, comics or online articles and talk to them about what they read. For children struggling to comprehend stories and books, parents can try Readability for free for seven days to see if the software works for their child’s reading needs.

In the 4th grade, your child is likely to learn much more advanced concepts than ever before. They are beginning to learn on their own in many ways and learning to think on their own. Much of their learning is likely to be taking place in the classroom.

However, the coronavirus has caused schools to closed. This disruption to the normal school year has caused many parents to turn to homeschool to supplement their children’s education at this time. Many important skills learned in school are now being taught by parents at home.

What is a 4th grade reading level?

By 4th grade, your child is learning many different ideas, concepts, and topics. Everything they are learning uses one essential tool: critical thinking. Before your child can learn to think critically, they need to learn to understand what they are reading.

Reading comprehension is being able to understand the ideas presented in a text that you have read. In 4th grade, your child is no longer “learning to read”, but “reading to learn”.

Your child’s reading level by now means they are able to:

• Read a variety of different genres such as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc. 
• Understand new materials and write about what they have read. 
• Answer questions about the materials.
• Read materials and organize the information and ideas effectively. 

What are the 5 reading comprehension strategies?

Reading comprehension relies on several strategies that can help your child understand their reading materials. 

1. Activate background knowledge – Children understand reading materials better when they have a frame of prior knowledge to work with. Just asking your child “what do you know about…” can help them think about the topic before they begin reading.
2. Questioning – Before reading, also get your child to ask questions about the reading. Your child should have three questions in mind as they read: right now questions, analytical questions, and research questions. A “right now” question is figuring out what facts and information are being presented in the text. An “analytical” question is when your child needs to figure out “what is the author trying to tell me?”. A “research” question basically encourages your child to do their own research outside of the text.
3. Analyze text structure– In order to analyze text structure, your child needs to be able to identify the various ways text is presented such as cause and effect, chronologically, or listing. They should also be able to find the different parts of a text and know what they are used for such as headings and subheadings.
4. Visualization – Many teachers and researchers stress that reading comprehension also includes being able to visualize the text in some way. This might be by using graphic organizers such as mind maps or even just asking your child to draw what they think the story is about.
5. Summarizing – Summarizing is a great tool to use to make sure your child is able to identify the main ideas of a text. If they are able to find the main ideas presented in a text, they are most likely also already using the other four reading comprehension strategies.

How can I Improve Reading Comprehension for my Grade 4 Student?

Now that we know the strategies that make up effective reading comprehension, how can we help our 4th graders to practice and actually improve their reading comprehension? Here are some activities and tools you can use at home to help with improving 4th grade reading comprehension:

• Read together – Reading together has several benefits for improving your child’s reading comprehension. It helps with creating a bond with your child as well as gives them a model for good reading habits. If you are reading together, you get a better sense of the materials they are reading and a sense of how their reading progress is going.
• Use cookbooks – The best way to improve reading comprehension is to have fun! Kids love to help in the kitchen, so why not incorporate some reading practice into the activity? Have your child choose a recipe they would like to cook and as the two of you cook have them read the directions to you.
• Find a good reading app – Technology is making reading practice much more fun and interactive. However, with the numerous reading apps out there it can be difficult to find the best one. Use an app like Readability that targets several reading skills at once. With Readability, your child is able to get instant feedback and error correction from the app. The app also provides you with progress reports, so you can track your child’s reading improvements.
• Talk about their books – The simple act of talking about what your child is reading can have a big impact on their reading comprehension. A conversation about their reading helps them to activate background knowledge about the topic and think more critically about what they read.
• Have a movie night – To help your child with visualization, have your child first read a book that has been turned into a film. Once they are done reading the book, you can watch the movie version together and talk about if the movie fits the visuals they created in their mind from reading the book.

Reading comprehension is an important reading skill that many 4th graders begin to master. However, some young readers might still be struggling with effective reading comprehension. Using these strategies and tools such as Readability makes reading improvement fun and interactive. These tips and tricks for improving 4th-grade reading comprehension can help your child get on track with their reading skills.

Reading every day is a fundamental part of the learning process, but repetition alone won’t turn your child into a strong reader. In order to truly build their skills, children need to understand what they’re reading.

Helping your child learn how to read more quickly, fluently, and confidently starts with nurturing their ability to analyze a story from start to finish. From AI-enabled speech technology to real-time reporting and analysis, there are a variety of tools on the market that can maximize your child’s results.

Take a look at some helpful techniques for improving daily reading comprehension.

What is basic reading comprehension?

Before you choose a solution, you need to know what to look for. Reading comprehension is the ability for the reader to understand the information that is being presented in a story. Rather than simply knowing how to sound out the words and phrases, readers comprehend a story when they can easily and quickly tell you about what they just read.

Without this critical component, readers can find it hard to move onto more advanced subject matter, which hinders their learning progress.

What are the reasons for poor reading comprehension?

Many children struggle with reading comprehension, especially when they are just starting to learn. With so many independent elements to keep track of, it’s no wonder that early learners are especially susceptible to becoming overwhelmed and discouraged.

In most cases, regular practice is the key to overcoming these common obstacles. That, plus constructive reassurance, will help your child understand their strengths as well as what they need to work on.

How can your child practice reading comprehension?

Practice leads to improvement, but only when you’re practicing correctly. Simply repeating the same sentences over and over isn’t going to help your child reach the next level in their reading progress.

Here are some ways to help your children improve reading comprehension using supplementary tools and exercises:

Apply Technology with an AI-Enabled Reading App

Using tools that can respond to your child’s voice will help them overcome obstacles like reading under pressure, audience anxiety, and even pronunciation. By correcting their speech in real-time, our program helps readers get over hiccups much more quickly than trying to figure it out on their own. They can identify and address problem areas, and simply move on to the chapter.

Rotate Your Story Library

Your child’s attention span can also play a major role in their reading progress. If they aren’t interested in what they’re studying, they aren’t going to put in their best effort. The more options they have for reading material, the more they’ll look forward to this time of the day.

Be sure to provide your child with choices during each lesson. Allowing them to choose from a range of stories allows them to drive the lesson, and increases their chances of staying engaged all the way through.

Use Vocab Flashcards and Spelling Activities

Rote memorization isn’t so effective on its own, but practicing vocabulary is a great way to supplement your child’s learning path. This will help them get through unfamiliar words, allowing them to move along in the passage without losing momentum.

This can also be a great excuse to incorporate fun games into your lesson, such as:

• Memory
• Word cloud
• Wordsearch (you can find many free printable templates online)
• Sand spelling

Gaining extra exposure to unfamiliar terms will help your reader feel more confident each time they come across a new word.

Use Props and Tools

Just like using digital tools can enhance your kid’s learning efficacy, using basic objects can aid them in their practice.

How many times have you lost your place while reading the news, taking you all the way back to the beginning of the sentence you’re reading? This also happens with early readers, and it’s more likely to delay their ability to get through the lesson.

Show your child how to use their finger or a ruler to follow along with the story. This will prevent them from losing their spot, while also giving them something to focus on.

Make this step even more exciting with fun objects like transparent colored tiles or pipe cleaners. Your child will look forward to choosing their tool for the day.

Like any skill, learning how to read is a process that requires a lot of patience, diligence, and understanding from both you and your child. Make the adventure fun for both of you and help them to gain a better understanding of what they’re reading with these interactive tips.

To give your children the best foundation, use a reading app to improve daily reading comprehension. Try Readability for free today!

Third-grade ushers in many educational milestones. This may be the first year that children take MAP tests or other state assessments. Multiplication facts are often introduced in third grade, too, and many kids will begin memorizing those ‘x’ facts. Your child’s 3rd grade reading comprehension also may be challenged as longer books or stories are introduced. Many children often begin reading chapter books in third grade!

However, parents may discover that while their child can read these longer stories, they may have trouble following along in the book as the chapters progress and the plot evolves. 

As literacy expectations shift from simple text with easy-to-grasp plots to books with more complex story arcs and detailed character development, the gap between proficient readers and those who are falling behind may start to widen if reading comprehension issues aren’t identified early.

When it’s clear that a child’s third-grade reading comprehension has become a struggle, parents have a few options. 

The first option for many is to meet with the child’s teacher and discuss concerns. Sometimes additional help may be offered through specialized reading programs. Or maybe parents may find that their child isn’t behind at all (sometimes parents have much higher scholastic expectations).

Reading Comprehension Grade 3: What’s the Lexile®?

A child’s teacher may be able to provide detailed information about a child’s reading abilities. Often, schools will administer reading fluency tests to understand each child’s appropriate reading level. This helps administrators and teachers know which books will be best suited for each child. One of the most common reading benchmark tests is Renaissance Star Reading®.

Parents may receive a print out summary of their child’s Star results. Typically, results will include a percentile rank in relation to peers at the same grade level. A score of 85 percent would mean that the child scored better than 85 percent of other children in the same grade level.

Star scores also sometimes resemble another familiar literacy number: the Lexile®. However, the numeric Star score doesn’t translate to a child’s Lexile® (although, it could turn out to be the same number). So what is Lexile®? Lexile® is actually the Lexile® Framework for Reading. This is a range of numbers that help designate the reading level. These numbers can be a bit confusing, although they are often presented with a grade-level equivalent to help parents understand the Lexile®/grade correlation.

Lexile® also helps parents find the right book for their child. Need suggestions? If you know your child’s Lexile® number, you can enter it and receive a list of appropriate books! The tool on Lexile® ‘s site also lets you search by the lettered reading level, too (we’ll touch on that below!).

What’s the average Lexile® for third grade? The range for a typical third grade at the end of the year (spring) is 645 to 845.

3rd Grade Reading Comprehension: How to Decipher a Child’s Lettered Reading Levels

Renaissance Star Reading® may be a popular test used to gauge reading levels, but it isn’t the only tool teachers utilize in helping to understand reading proficiency. Another popular test is the Benchmark Assessment Systems (aka BAS). This test is a bit more in-depth and usually involves the child working one-on-one with the teacher. Parents may see the results of the test reported as a letter representing a specific reading level.

The lettered reading levels correlating to third grade are N, O and P. So, typically, a child should be at a level N in the fall and advance to level P by the end of the year. However, some children may be below or above this range.

If a child falls too far below this range, a parent may be concerned. Some parents may start to worry if a child scores just one letter behind what’s appropriate for the grade level. As a parent, if you’re upset about the result of any test, reach out to your child’s teacher and don’t be afraid to request additional testing or inquire about reading intervention programs.

The Ultimate Third-Grade Reading List

At home, parents should read with kids often to help gauge and increase reading comprehension. One of the best ways to work on story understanding is to read to a child and ask them questions about the plot and characters. Or have children read aloud, and, at the end of each chapter, discuss what happened and the actions of characters.

Here are some great and fairly easy to read books – by Lexile®–that are perfect for third graders:

• Cassie’s Word Quilt (420L)
• Chester (480L)
• Field Trip Mysteries: The Teacher Who Forgot Too Much (480L)
• Once I Ate a Pie (430L)
• The Candy Corn Contest (490L)
• Take Away Three (490L)
• Into the Forest (510L)
• Missing (510L)
• Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (470L)
• Double Fudge (530L)

Reading Comprehension Grade 3: Use a Reading App to Help Improve Comprehension

If struggles are identified, parents also can utilize reading apps like Readability at home to help boost comprehension and proficiency. Readability features Interactive Voice-Based Questions and Answers (IVQA), which serves as a virtual tutor to help a child improve reading comprehension. Parents can keep track of their child’s progress with the Parent Dashboard; this provides insight at reading fluency and also tracks the amount of time the child has spent on the app.

For parents who feel that their child also could benefit from more intensive reading instruction, try Readability for free for seven days! All stories on Readability are designed to meet the reading needs and abilities of each child; as they progress, so does the program! Reading books with children and utilizing apps like Readability could help your child improve comprehension and become a more confident reader.

Your child’s teacher may have told you that your child struggles with reading comprehension. What is reading comprehension? This refers to the ability to understand what we read, and comprehension impacts how we relate to a story and its characters.

Reading comprehension is how we interpret a story and understand its meaning. When a child has a mastery of the comprehension element of reading, then all the ‘wh’ questions can be answered. The who, what, when, where, why (and how) questions all tie into character motivations and the story’s unique plot twists.

Why is Reading Comprehension So Important?

Some parents may find that their child can decode with ease. They can read anything, so they must have a wonderful grasp of reading, right? Yes, and no. We have to master all the components of reading before we truly become proficient. Decoding and understanding the sounds of words is essential to reading.

Yet, if a child reads a page but cannot describe what happened or why then comprehension could be an issue. Or maybe the child just became distracted and wasn’t fully engrossed.

How would a parent know if reading comprehension is a struggle? Reading with your child can help you to better gauge their understanding of a story. Ask questions throughout the story and encourage your child to try to explain the actions and feelings of a character. The more questions you ask, the better you can ascertain your child’s mastery of reading comprehension.

How Can Parents Improve Their Child’s Reading Comprehension?

If you discover that your child is struggling to understand a story, there are a few ways to help boost reading comprehension. However, if your child is really struggling, you may wish to facilitate a dialogue with your child’s teacher. 

Additional support may be available in the classroom setting, or your child’s teacher may have unique resources to send home for enrichment. Open communication between parents and educators is essential because it really does take a village to raise a child.

What can parents do at home to help children who struggle with comprehension? The best advice is to read with a child and ask them questions. Parents also can utilize reading apps to help provide additional support at home; Readability features integrated AI technology that assists children throughout their reading journey. Stories are leveled to fit each child’s individual needs and to ensure that text is neither too difficult nor too easy.

What More Can Parents Do To Boost Reading Comprehension?

The best ways that parents can help boost a child’s reading comprehension is by reading with a child, asking questions during storytime, using enrichment materials from school, or downloading a reading app for additional instruction. Special reading programs also may be available during class instruction.

Yet, reading is so much more than just decoding and interpreting words. Reading opens up new worlds and experiences. Reading enriches our minds. The act of reading should be fun! 

A great way for parents to ensure that all reading is enjoyable is to help a child embrace the adventure. While educational tools are essential to boost reading comprehension, parents can certainly think outside the box to create a remarkable and wonderful reading environment for their children.

Instead of sitting at a table, on a bed or the couch, take the reading adventure elsewhere. Here are outdoor reading spaces to bring stories to life:

• In your backyard by a tree
• In the garden (for fairytale adventures!)
• Under the stars with a flashlight (for stories related to space and the universe)
• By a campfire or a fireplace (for scary stories!)

Where we read may help us visualize the setting and backdrop for the stories. A unique environment also may help children relate more to characters or to the plot. Sometimes reading in a new space also helps reset the mind and helps make reading feel not so much like homework.

Take a Story Field Trip

When you’re reading a story or book with your child, consider taking a reading field trip related to the adventure. Every book has unique and fun adventures, and many can be safely recreated to help step into the minds of the characters.

In “From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,” the characters ran away from home to live (for a brief time) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Those living near the Big Apple can pay the museum a visit to retrace some of the adventures of the book.  Not a New Yorker? Take kids to your city’s art museum or any museum. Talk about the book, too! Find a fun or unique plot point and create a related field trip for your child. If the book takes place in outer space, consider visiting a science museum or planetarium.

Reading comprehension is essential for a child to become fully proficient in reading. Decoding may help children identify individual words and read simple sentences, but comprehension is necessary to fully understand the story and a character’s motivations. 

Help children at home with enrichment activities, reading apps, and by reading together and discussing the book. Take field trips to help children develop a deeper appreciation for the story by experiencing pivotal plot elements and exploring paths similar to the characters.

If your child needs additional instruction and enrichment to help boost reading comprehension, download Readability to see if the app works for your child’s needs. Parents can sign up for a free 7-day trial to test drive this unique program!

Helping with 2nd grade reading comprehension can be challenging, especially with those juggling employment and family. Almost all parents want the best for their children, but with reading comprehension, it isn’t only about the time spent helping them.

In order to keep things interesting, it often falls on carers to find additional reading comprehension activities, stories, and games. After all, when the kids get back from a day at school, they will only focus well if reading is fun.

During this period, many of us are also in a homeschooling situation due to COVID-19, and so it is even more important to keep reading interesting while also checking their level of comprehension.

Simply being able to read the words doesn’t mean they have understood the sentence, paragraph, or story.

Second Grade Reading – What to Expect

2nd grade is an important time for reading skill development. Children are generally required to reach a certain ability level, to enable them to continue learning effectively.

Here we look at some of the skills that should be developed by the end of the second grade, although earlier is obviously better.

• Reading – They should be able to read words and texts of a grade 2 level
• Decoding – They should be able to sound out words that they don’t recognize
• Comprehension – They should be able to understand what they read, find information, and understand numerous forms of written texts
• Punctuation – They should understand punctuation and how to read the text correctly without reading the punctuation aloud (such as by using tone or pausing)
• Speed – By the end of the grade, they should be able to read most texts at about 100 words per minute
• Understand Syllabification – Including breaking words into syllables, vowels, combinations, spelling rules, and plurals.

If all is going well, you should also see that your little one starts to enjoy the activity of reading. This can show up in different ways, from them hiding away with their favorite books, to trying to read almost everything they see while out and about.

Second Grade Reading Comprehension Checking

Comprehension checking activities are the only way to really increase second-grade reading comprehension levels. By having to talk about the story, the learner needs to make more of an effort to understand what they read.

Comprehension checking can be performed in numerous ways. The idea of most techniques is to push the learner to think about and relate to what they are reading. Here are a few of the approaches:

1. Reading Aloud Slowly – This gives them more time to process the meanings of words. It also allows them to hear the words and that often helps to associate words with their meanings.
2. Re-Read Favorite Stories – By re-reading stories, learners get more exposure to words they know or have recently learned. This helps to deepen their understanding of the story and the words. They also often find it easier to re-read stories they like and being able to read them can increase confidence.
3. Talk About the Story – Discussing the story and asking what they liked, how they felt, etc. can help to force the learner to think about the story more or in different ways that required to simply read it.
4. Summarize the Story – By asking them to summarize a story using their own words, the learner has to think about what happened, select the ‘key facts’ as they see them, and then retell it. This can be both a challenging activity and an interesting one, as children often see things differently to adults.
5. Fact-Finding Questions – Although this is a more basic form of comprehension, it is also a useful study skill that’s worth developing for later life. Being able to recall or scan a text for facts is useful in almost all areas of study. For these kinds of questions, you would ask something such as “why did the dog bark?”, or “what color was the car?”.
6. Moral of the Story or Opinion Based Questions – Discussing what the lesson of the story was or what they think about the situation can greatly help compassion and empathy, as well as provide a deeper understanding of the story.
7. Relate to the Readers Life Experiences – This one is brilliant for teaching understanding and also how to relate to other people’s feelings. Relating the story events to experiences the reader has had can help them to understand the characters and emotions involved in the story.

It is also vital that the learner has access to a diverse library of level-appropriate reading materials. This not only helps to prevent reading from becoming a boring task but helps to promote reading as a hobby.

Reading Comprehension Grade 2 Made Easy

All of the above approaches work well and have been proven effective. However, parents and carers don’t always have the time to work on reading comprehension for grade 2 students. Up until now, they often had to rely mostly on the school and when they had time free to go through such activities.

Fortunately, this is no longer the case. Reading apps are far more advanced and AI developments have allowed for a new form of comprehension checking. We call it “Comprehension with IVQA™”.

This new technology is a part of our Readability app. It means that the learner is asked comprehension questions by an AI at the end of reading a paragraph. They then can answer by speaking directly to the app. So, not only do they get full support while reading, the app actually checks that they understood the texts.

To see it in action, why not take our 7-day free trial for a spin and see how we can make 2nd-grade reading comprehension a lot more fun for children and their parents.