Are you looking for tips to improve first grade reading comprehension?    Reading skills are so important for these early learners. They need to learn decoding, blending, sight word recognition and reading comprehension.
Students should be exposed to many multi-sensory activities to develop first grade reading comprehension. This could include many hands-on centers and activities to improve these important reading skills.  Â
1. Direct Encoding & Decoding Instruction
First, children in first grade need direct phonics instruction teaching the relationship between letters, sounds and words. Students need to learn how to:
- Blend sounds together to make words: /b/ /a/ /t/ says cat
- Segment words into individual sounds: bed is /l/ /e/ /d/
- Break down words based on different sounds they represent
- Chunk word parts to make and read new words
These skills can be taught and practiced with teacher instruction individually, in small groups or in a large group setting.  Games and activities can also be used to improve student phonemic awareness skills.Â
2. Provide Ample Decodable Stories & Model Good Reading Habits
Secondly, to develop first grade comprehension students need to have books at their right level. They also need to learn good reading habits. This can be done in several ways that can include the following:
- Books at students’ right level: Can read 90% of words without assistance
- Stories that interest students
- Student reads aloud to hear and see what is being read
- Reread to build reading rate & fluency
- Model correct inflection
- Model comprehension strategies
3. Play Reading Games or Centers
Next, there are numerous games and centers to use with first grade students to improve their reading and comprehension skills. These could include the following:
- Build CVC Words
- Make Short Vowel Word Families
- Sight Word Bingo or Word Games
- Reading Fluency Words & Sentence Games
Then, First Graders need to be taught reading comprehension strategies. This can be done while someone is reading to them, but also using them when they become readers themselves. The following strategies should be considered:
- Questioning: before, during & after reading
- Predictions
- Making Connections to own experiences
- Look for Picture Clues
- Visualizing or Mental Imaging
- Rereading
- Story Retelling & Summarizing
- 4 W’s: Who, what, where, & why
5. Written Comprehension Practice or Assessments
Finally, to develop first grade reading comprehension students need practice or be assessed in a written form. This can be
- Write the retelling of story either using pictures or words
- Story parts (characters, setting, events, problem, solution)
- Identify main idea and supporting details
- Informal Written Assessments: Word Meaning, Sentence Comprehension and Passage Comprehension
In summary, there are many tips to improve first grade reading comprehension. Whether it be through direct instruction, use of games and centers or written comprehension activities you can improve your student’s comprehension skills.Â
Find some more reading activities and assessments in my store, The Teaching Scene by Maureen.
To read more kindergarten topics check out my blog, “Seven Effective First Grade Assessment Tools”
