Best Practices for Teaching Reading Comprehension

A. Pre-reading

If possible, ask students to read a few sentences aloud. You can “hear” when a student has an ear for language, understands emphasis, tone, meaning, etc.
Give students pre-reading activities.

Have them jot down what they already know about a subject.
Have students survey the text.
Have them make predictions.
Introduce vocabulary that they may not know.

B. Reading

Students are often shocked that speed reading or skimming a text isn’t always appropriate.

Have them check their reading against their predictions.
Encourage them to make marginal notes rather than more passive underlining of the text.
Encourage them to focus on meaning for their first reading.

C. Rereading the Text

Students should be encouraged to read a text more than once.

Have them begin to read rhetorically.
Have the students analyze the structure of the piece in order to understand the purpose as well as the content of each section.
Have students analyze the stylistic choices of the author.

D. Post-Reading

Encourage summarizing techniques.
Encourage critical thinking: ask questions about logic/logos, about the writer (ethos), and about the emotional appeal (pathos).
Students should be encouraged to read a text more than once.

E. Connecting Reading With Writing

At each point in the reading process, students should be writing—either writing to learn or writing for an audience.

Students should learn some organization strategies (webbing, clustering, etc.).
Students should learn to formulate a working thesis.
Students should learn to compose a draft with the clear intent to revise (much like the process of initial reading and then rereading).
Students should learn the principles of essay organization beyond the 5-paragraph essay.
Students should learn how to effectively develop their ideas with cogent facts and reasons.

F. Revision and Editing

Students should be encouraged to appreciate feedback from others.
Students should learn to systematically ask themselves questions that will improve revision
Students should understand that editing (fixing grammar, punctuation, and mechanics) comes last.

G. Scoring Rubrics

Developing a scoring rubric and sharing it with students makes marking papers easier for the instructor and understandable for the students.