Reading Comprehension

As many GKMS parents and students know, reading is a key skill to sustained success in almost any endeavor. The GKMS (and GK 424) Reading curriculum has evolved greatly over the past several years helping students succeed at a high rate. Students and teachers work daily on practicing and improving specific and targeted reading skills.

While reading an article on the Education Gateway site, I came across a few points worth reiterating with GKMS families:

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For both adults and children, reading comprehension involves not just understanding what we read but also adjusting to different kinds of reading material. As they progress, students will be able to read increasingly complex stories, understand much of what they read in newspapers, and adjust to different types of textbooks, from language arts to math.

A key to increasing reading comprehension is learning reading strategies. Encourage your child to:
• Use context clues
• Re-tell and summarize
• Employ prior knowledge
• Make predictions about "what happens next"
• Take notes or highlight important information
• Ask questions about content and vocabulary
• Discuss a book in class or at home
• Draw pictures, maps, and charts to illustrate what is read
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I encourage families to review reading strategies with students. Ask them which specific strategy they are currently addressing in class or to name a specific strategy that they find the most helpful.

Effective reading strategies truly have a lifelong, positive effect on our students.