4 Fantastic Ways to Boost Non-Fiction Comprehension

1. Consider How the Book or Text is Organized

Step 1: Notice Organization/Structure

• When your child picks up a non-fiction or informational book or text, encourage them to glance through the text and think about how does this book go or how is it organized?
• Thinking about how the author organized the information in the book, your child can begin to think about things like the kinds of information they might read about and the author’s point of view – all before they even read the text.

Step 2: Images and Text Features

• Encourage your child to notice what kinds of images are used, if there are graphs, timelines, sections that show lists or steps (like a recipe – first do this, then this, …), bold words, etc.
• Coach your child to consider the think about if this is the kind of book they can skip around or if they need to read the text from beginning to end in sequence.

Step 3: Read

• Prompt your child to read the text through once
• Encourage your child to then ask themselves, “How is the information presented in this text?”
• You can share with your child that it is often easier to figure out the main idea of a text if they understand how the text is organized (text structure).

o For example, if the text is organized as a how-to, each part of the text will provide information on how-to do something. One of my favorites is How to Look After Your Puppy. This book shares many of the things you need to consider when thinking about getting a new puppy.

2. Make a Plan

Step 1: Scan

• When your child gets to a new section or page, prompt them to scan or skim the page and see how the information is presented.

Step 2: Stop and Think

• Encourage your child to stop and think, is the page or section more narrative or is the page or section filled with charts or graphs

Step 3: Make a Plan

• Ask your child to think about what they noticed on the page or in the section. Encourage them to make a plan for how they are going to read that part.

o Are they going to read the section as they would a narrative text (story)?
o Are they going to read a particular section first, and then ….
o Are they going to read the charts or maps first, as they read, or after they have read the section?

It can be really helpful when reading nonfiction texts to stop, scan, and make a plan about the section or page since many parts of nonfiction texts are organized differently and might need to be read differently for comprehension. For more ideas like this (or to read about this in the context of a classroom), check out Kathy Collin’s Reading for Real.

Step 4: REFLECT

• It is also important for your child to think about whether or not their plan was helpful. A quick reflection can help them be more successful they come to a similar section or page.

3. Notice Repetition

a. Often authors repeat what they want to stand out to a reader. You can teach your child to pay attention when they see the same word, phrase, or statements repeated.

b. You can ask your child to use post-it notes to mark the places where they see patterns (words, phrases, or statements that repeat) in the text.

c. After your child has noticed repetition in the text, ask your child to think about why the author repeated the word, phrase or statement.

d. Next, you can ask your child to make a statement about the main idea the author is trying to convey and challenge your child to make a statement about the author’s view point.

– I love the Face to Face series (especially Face to Face with Lions by Beverly and Derek Joubert) to show how authors might portray a topic differently than what is typically seen in other informational texts. In the Face to Face with Lions example, the authors share story after story that supports their repeated claim that lions deserve to be respected and are not the ferocious beasts they are normally portrayed.

4. Read, Cover, Remember, Retell

Read, Cover, Remember, Retell is a strategy developed by Linda Hoyt. Linda has some other amazing strategies for helping readers and writers. If you are interested in learning more about her work, check out these resources: Revisit, Reflect, Retell: Time-Tested Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension and Make it Real: Strategies for Success with Informational Texts.

The essence of Read, Cover, Remember, Retell is teaching kids how to chunk or divide a text into smaller parts. Informational or non-fiction texts can be so filled with information that children have a hard time remembering everything. By using this strategy, children can read and think about smaller parts of the text to make sure they understand what they are reading.

Step 1: Read

– Encourage your child to read as much of the text as they can cover with their hand.

Step 2: Cover

– Your child covers the text with their hand.

Step 3: Remember

– Your child will stop and remember what they just read (Make sure you give them time to think. This part is critical!)

Step 4: Retell

– Your child will say back what they remember.
– If they need to look back at the text, that is okay to do.

Step 5: Repeat with the remainder of the text.