reading strategies for comprehension
“I taught it. It’s their fault if they weren’t paying attention.”
Working as a department chair, this was a response I heard often from weak teachers when their students were not performing well. All the blame was put on the students. In reality, learning is pretty nuanced and complicated and cannot be explained away that quickly. To me, teaching is not “going over material.” The teaching comes when the students struggle and need help to get back on track. What do we do then? How do we know they need help? What strategies can we use?
I hear these questions a lot from parents when it comes to reading. We cannot give in to the idea that “They read it, so they must have understood it.” We know that isn’t always the case. But how do you know your kid doesn’t understand? And more importantly, what do you do when they don’t?
The first thing I have my students (and my son!) do after reading a fiction passage is to complete a quick little exercise for me. I have seen it called different things, but in my class, we call it a SWBST (Somebody Wanted But So Then). Essentially, this is an exercise they complete that gives me feedback on the parts of the plot they they understood.
Somebody: This is where they tell me about the main character. For struggling or early readers, this is pretty basic. Tell me the protagonist’s name. As they advance, I start looking for character traits, too.
Wanted: This is where they identify the conflict of the story. Man vs Man, Man vs Society, Man vs Self, Man vs Nature. Again, this is adjusted based on their level. By high school, I’m asking them to identify the type of conflict and specify how this conflict will impact the character - in what ways will it force the protagonist to change and/or grow?
But: This is the rising action in the story. Usually, a protagonist will struggle with the conflict and lose a few battles in the war. Or, they will have other obstacles they need to overcome. Students need to recognize the path is rocky and what the tripping points are for the protagonist.
So: This is the climax of the story. What is the most suspenseful point? Where does the protagonist truly stand up to this conflict and change (for the positive) as a result?
Then: How does the story wrap up? As students advance in their reading, I have them add a thematic statement here that answer this question: “Why does this story still matter today?”
After I have taught these skills, students can complete a SWBST after a chapter in a novel, a short story, or even after watching a short film. In fact, I usually teach HOW to do this by first watching a short film that is engaging to them. My son and I used to watch a lot of Disney shorts and complete this. He was hooked with those Pixar or Disney shorts, so I used what he loved to teach this new concept. Therefore, when it came to reading, he already knew the SWBST strategy and could apply it to the written word.
This quick comprehension skill gives me SO MUCH information that I can use. It helps me see if they are “getting what they read” or where they are confused. We are then able to go back into the story and point to the spots they got wrong, and I can instantly do direct instruction on what they missed. Therefore, if it’s a chapter book, I am ensuring they know exactly what is happening before we move on to the next chapter.
If they are struggling mightily with this skill, then you are reading at too high a level. Drop it down a bit. By middle school and high school, the comprehension should be easier. Your focus should shift to analysis by that age. However, they cannot analyze what they don’t understand. So, go to a level where they can do a SWBST accurately and quickly. Then, start building up those analysis skills - which, in turn, will help their comprehension skills.
Never be afraid to drop down to a different level if your student in struggling. The level isn’t as important as true understanding. And in a world where misinformation is fooling too many people, we need to raise a generation that can read for understanding. Critical thinking is more important than the lexile on the page. So back up, go slow, or speed up depending on what your student is showing you he or she can do.
A quick SWBST will give you so much of the information that you need. Incorporate this into your daily practice.
And if you need help developing this or creating answer keys for what you are reading, that’s exactly what I help families with every month with our subscription plans. When parents are too busy to read the novels too, I put in the work them! When parents are really concerned about the reading level, I meet and read with their child to help them figure it out. When students become too frustrated with reading, I give parents even more strategies to support their learning.
This is what I do. This is what I’ve done for the past twenty years for thousands of students. I can help you too!
You don’t have to figure it out all alone.
-Kristin
