Key Stage 2 Reading

Comprehension has different meanings, but in Key Stage Two education terms it is the art of understanding a piece of text and withdrawing relevant information. 

Comprehension learning begins with development of reading, and moves to writing and the understanding of the written word.

The word comprehension has the same meaning as ‘understanding’.  Whereas Reading Comprehension, measures the understanding of a piece of text and is defined as the level of understanding of a piece of text.  Do you comprehend? / Do you understand? 

Skilful reading depends on the ability to recognise words quickly and effortlessly and if word recognition is difficult, pupils use too much of their processing capacity to read individual words, thus interfering with their ability to comprehend what is read.

Any teacher can tell you that comprehension is one of the five key components of essential reading and many are able to identify strategies that good readers use to understand (comprehend) what they read.  But comprehension goes further:  Comprehension involves 

-constructing meaning from reading traditional text in print form (books, papers, magazines), 

-from listening to others read or 

-from viewing text in one of the many media available in our world today. 

COMPREHENSION IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT TODAY

Comprehension is an essential part of successfully developing 21st century literacies.  It is a vital tool for reading in our modern age, a method through which we: 

-gain meaning from the words someone else has constructed,

-learn something new, to confirm something we think, 

- understand another’s viewpoint,

- to relax and:

- to escape from the everyday pressures of life.  

When reading a story to children it is always useful for adults to ask children a couple of questions about the book. For example, 'Did you enjoy that story?' or 'Would you like to go into space?... Go to the seaside?', or another question relevant to the storyline. Children usually ask questions incessantly so try encouraging them to use this as a method of developing comprehension.

There are many ways to develop skills with regards to comprehension.   Pupils can prepare to read by previewing pages of written text, noting such elements as chapter headings and visual aids. Reading strategies such as outlining and questioning the author's purpose can also boost understanding, and worksheets can reinforce reading comprehension skills.

Pupils can practice their reading skills by answering multiple choice questions, matching, unscrambling sentences, and filling in the blanks. Worksheets are often centered on a particular topic, such as restaurants, travel, dating, shopping or entertainment, and may also relate to expressions, slang and phrases. 

Reading in Key Stage 2 English looks at the understanding of themes, ideas, characters, events and a child's ability to read ‘between the lines'. Questions will be asked to assess a range of reading skills, such as the ability to interpret information and comment on writers' use of language. 

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