Comprehension – Reading Strategies for English Language Learners

Overview

Comprehension is a critical skill for all readers. It should be the first goal to improve your English. Good comprehension skills are essential for academic success, as they allow students to fully engage with the material and retain information. Additionally, comprehension skills are important in everyday life, as they enable individuals to understand complex instructions, follow directions, and make sound decisions. For these reasons, everyone needs to develop strong comprehension skills.

In this blog, we will detail everything you need to know about comprehension including the cognitive process behind it and evidence-based strategies to improve it over time. This will include all of the resources for English reading success. Keep reading for our comprehensive guide to this essential skill.

Definition of Comprehension

Comprehension is the ability to understand what we read. It is a complex process that involves multiple skills and strategies. Good comprehension requires us to be able to read fluently, make connections between what we read and what we already know, and use our prior knowledge to help us understand new information. It also requires different types of reading. Comprehension is not simply a matter of decoding the words on the page; it requires us to have a deep understanding of the text.

How Reading Improves our Capacity to Comprehend 

Reading comprehension is a key academic skill and one that needs to be continually practiced and developed. As we read more, we learn new words, improve our fluency, and develop our ability to make connections between different pieces of information. This allows us to better understand what we read, and also remember more of what we have read. Improving our comprehension skills can have a positive impact on all areas of our lives, from schoolwork to work tasks to everyday conversations. By taking the time to develop our comprehension skills, we can reap the rewards in all aspects of our lives.

Reading Comprehension Levels

There are four main levels of reading comprehension:

1. Literal comprehension

Literal comprehension is the ability to understand the basic facts and information that is explicitly stated in a text. This level of comprehension requires readers to be able to decode the words on the page and understand the literal meaning of what is being said.

2. Inferential comprehension

Inferential comprehension is the ability to understand information that is not directly stated in the text. This level of comprehension requires readers to use their prior knowledge and experience to make inferences about the text.

3. Evaluative comprehension

Evaluative comprehension is the ability to understand a text to make judgments about it. This level of comprehension requires readers to be able to analyze and critically evaluate the information in the text.

4. Applied comprehension

Applied comprehension is the ability to understand a text to apply it to real-world situations. This level of comprehension requires readers to be able to take the information in the text and apply it to their own lives.

Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension

One of the most important predictors of reading comprehension is vocabulary knowledge. Readers with a larger vocabulary are better able to understand what they read than those with a smaller vocabulary. This is because they have a greater understanding of the words being used in the text. Additionally, readers with a larger vocabulary are better able to make inferences about the meaning of words and concepts.

There are a few different ways to increase your vocabulary. One way is to read a variety of texts, as this will expose you to new words and concepts. Another way is to use a dictionary or thesaurus when you come across a word that you don’t know. Finally, you can also try learning new words through word games and puzzles.

Cognitive Processes

Phonemic awareness

Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. This skill helps readers to be able to decode words.

Phonological awareness

Phonological awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate the different parts of spoken words, such as syllables and rhyming patterns. This skill helps readers to be able to segment words into their sounds.

Subvocalization

Subvocalization is the process of saying words out loud in your head as you read. This can help readers to slow down and pay attention to what they are reading, and it can also help them to remember information better.

Word recognition

Word recognition is the ability to see a word and understand its meaning. This skill helps readers to be able to quickly and effortlessly read words. To perfect this skill, the student needs to already have a wide range of vocabulary. 

Factors Which Impact Reading Comprehension

Reader-Based Factors of Comprehension:

Alphabetic Understanding

The ability to understand that spoken language can be represented by written symbols and that these written symbols represent the sounds of spoken language. This is the fundamental first step of fluent reading.

Matronymic awareness

One of the most important factors of improved comprehension. This is the ability to understand that spoken words are made up of smaller units of sound called phonemes and that these phonemes can be represented by written symbols.

Vocabulary knowledge

A person’s vocabulary knowledge and a word bank are important factors of comprehension. When reading, vocabulary knowledge helps a person to understand the text. A person with a large vocabulary can also better express himself or herself. To develop strong vocabulary knowledge, a person should read frequently and be exposed to new words.

Prior knowledge

To understand a text, readers rely on their prior knowledge to interpret and make meaning of the information they are reading. This prior knowledge can be acquired through personal experience, or it can be information that the reader has been exposed to previously through other texts. Regardless of how it is acquired, this prior knowledge plays an essential role in improved comprehension.

Reader Engagement and interest

The level of interest and motivation that a reader has for reading a particular text. In general, engaged readers are those who are interested in and comprehend the material. To achieve this, writers must find a way to connect with their audience on a personal level.

Text-Based Factors of Comprehension:

Quality of the text used during reading

The clarity, coherence, and interest level of the reading material. The text should be at a level that challenges the reader without being too difficult to understand. In addition, the text should be interesting and engaging, prompting the reader to continue. Furthermore, the text should be well-written and free of errors.

Narrative vs. Expository 

The narrative text is a type of text that tells a story. This type of text typically has a beginning, middle, and end. It also usually has characters, a setting, and a plot. Expository text is a type of text that informs or explains. This type of text is typically organized around main ideas and supporting details.

Density and Concept Difficulty Level of Text

The number of ideas and concepts presented in a text, as well as the difficulty level of these ideas and concepts. This complex understanding can strongly impact your narrative comprehension.

Evidence-Based Reading Strategies for English Language Learners to Improve Comprehension Level:

Reciprocal Teaching

This is an effective comprehension strategy where students work in small groups to take turns leading discussions about the text. These topics can cover anything from sentence-level comprehension to narrative comprehension, Each group member has a specific role, such as summarizer or questioner.

Instructional Conversations

This is a strategy where the teacher and student have a conversation about the text. The teacher asks the student questions about the text, and the student responds. This is especially helpful for a teacher wanting to improve the comprehension of students or novice readers.

Text Factors

Monitoring comprehension by identifying the density and concept difficulty level of text. The number of ideas and concepts presented in a text, as well as the difficulty level of these ideas and concepts. Some questions you may ask yourself to determine the concept difficulty may be:

• What are the central ideas?
• What is the discourse context?
• Are there complex vocabularies?
• Are there indirect ideas?
• What is the narration of events?
• Can you provide a sequence of events?
• Are there context clues?
• What are the actual events?

Non-verbal Imagery

Non-verbal imagery is a strategy where readers create mental pictures of what they are reading. This is essential knowledge for students looking to form a deeper understanding of informational books. This can help them to better understand and remember the information in the text.

Visualization

Visualization is a strategy where readers create mental pictures of what they are reading. This can help them to better understand and remember the information in the text. Proficient readers can use their prior background knowledge to achieve a higher level of understanding when applying this skill.

Partner Reading

Partner reading is a strategy where two people take turns reading aloud to each other. This can help to improve comprehension by providing a chance for readers to hear the text read aloud, and also to ask questions about the text. This is an especially useful comprehension through discussion technique for students with equal narrative level comprehension skills. 

Multiple Reading Strategies

Multiple reading strategies are a strategy where readers use more than one strategy to understand a text. This can help them to better comprehend the information in the text. It is an extremely helpful skill for proficient readers capable of efficient reading comprehension. 

Comprehension Strategies

There are a wealth of tips and comprehension strategy instructions out there for students with poor understanding. Some effective comprehension strategies for English Language Learners include, but are not limited to:

• Comprehension questions
• Comprehension instructions
• Comprehension teaching
• Building conditional knowledge
• Building declarative knowledge
• Building procedural knowledge

Cooperative Learning

Cooperative learning is an instructional method where students work together in small groups to complete a task. This can help English Language Learners to improve their comprehension by providing a chance for them to practice reading aloud and ask questions about the text.

Comprehension Monitoring

Comprehension monitoring is a strategy where readers stop periodically to check their understanding of the text. This can help them to identify areas where they need more clarification, and make sure that they are comprehending the information in the text.

Summarization 

Summarization is a strategy where readers create a summary of what they have read. This can help them to better understand and remember the information in the text. This is commonly encountered in comprehension lessons with students who at least have sentence-level comprehension.

Semantic Organizers

Semantic organizers are helpful comprehension strategy instructions that can be used to help readers visualize the relationships between ideas in a text. These organizers can be helpful for English Language Learners to organize and remember the information in a text.

• Story Maps – A story map is a graphic organizer that can be used to help readers comprehend a story. It includes elements such as the characters, setting, and plot.
• Question Generation – Question generation is a strategy where readers generate questions about the text. This can help them to better understand and remember the information in the text.
• Question Answering – Question answering is a strategy where readers answer questions about the text. This can help them to better understand and remember the information in the text.

English Learning Software

Many software programs can help English Language Learners to improve their reading comprehension. Some of these programs provide exercises and games that can help learners to practice and improve their skills.

LillyPad is a new and innovative software that is designed to help improve comprehension skills for English learners of all levels. The software uses a unique algorithm that is adaptive to the user’s level, providing increasingly difficult material as the user progresses. With its innovative approach and comprehensive coverage, LillyPad is the perfect tool for anyone who wants to improve their English comprehension skills.

Common Causes of English Language Learners’ Failure to achieve Reading Comprehension:

• Lack of prior knowledge about the topic
• Inability to connect new information with prior knowledge
• Lack of vocabulary knowledge
• Lack of background knowledge about the culture or context of the text
• Difficulty understanding the text due to its length or complexity
• Inattention or poor focus while reading
• Distractions while reading
• Fatigue while reading
• Interruptions while reading (e.g., phone calls, text messages)

Language learning is an essential life skill, but many of these causes of comprehension failure can be avoided. Many traditional language learning software programs use outdated tactics, strategies and techniques that can hinder comprehension. LillyPad is different. Our software is designed to help users avoid the traditional pitfalls of language learning, and we provide a variety of tools and resources to support comprehension.

If you’re looking for a way to improve your English language skills, try using LillyPad. With its innovative approach to language learning, you’ll be able to develop your reading comprehension skills in no time!

Frequently Asked Questions

Developing Comprehension Skills With LillyPad.ai 

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