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.