‘Super Six’ Comprehension Strategies
What is comprehension? There are two main components of reading – decoding and comprehension.
Decoding is where we work out what the words SAY, and comprehension is where we work out what they MEAN.
Students need to go beyond decoding to derive meaning from a text. To comprehend is to go beyond the word
level to get to the big picture. There are lots of ways students can show us that they understand the text – recall
information, give a response, answer questions, interpret pictures and make connections. Research has found that
students, who are struggling to read, focus more on word accuracy than comprehension. Students are explicitly
taught comprehension strategies in class. To reinforce student learning, parents are encouraged to utilise the
following strategies at home when reading with your child.
Making Connections Example questions/statements
Description
Learners make personal Does this remind you of something? eg This story reminds me of a
connections from the text with: holiday to my grandfather’s farm.
something in their own life
(text to self) Has something like this ever happened to you?
another text (text to text)
Is this story similar to another text you have read?
something occurring in the
world (text to world)
Predicting Example questions/statements
Description Looking at the cover, what do you expect this text to be about?
Learners use information from
graphics, text and experiences What do you think will happen next?
to anticipate what will be read/
viewed/heard and to actively What words / images do you expect to see or hear next in the text?
adjust comprehension while
reading/viewing/listening.
Questioning Example questions/statements
Description Why did the character do something?
Learners pose and answer
questions that clarify meaning and How did it make them feel?
promote deeper understanding
of the text. Questions can be What is the author’s intended purpose when writing this text? eg To
generated by the learner, a peer inform, to entertain or to persuade.
or an adult.
Monitoring Example questions/statements
Is this making sense?
Description
Learners stop and think about the Do I need to re-read?
text and know what to do when
meaning is disrupted. Does it now make sense?
Visualising Example questions/statements
Can you describe a picture or image you made in your head when you
Description read the text?
Learners create a mental image
from a text read/viewed/heard.
Visualising brings the text to life,
engages the imagination and uses
all of the senses.
Summarising
Example questions/statements
Can you retell the story? eg Who were the main characters, setting and
Description sequence of events?
Learners identify and accumulate
the most important ideas and What did you learn from this informative text?
restate them in their own words.
If you were to tell another person about the text, how would you
describe it in a few sentences?
Popular Books K-2
Kindergarten
Popular authors:
Anthony Browne,
Jeannie Baker,
Margaret Wild,
Mem Fox,
Lauren Child - Charlie and Lola books
Pamela Allen
______________________________________________
Years 1 & 2
Billie B Brown Series
Hey Jack Series
Boy v Beast
Pokemon
Zac Powers
Magic Fairy Series
Popular Books 3-6
Years 3 & 4
Beast Quest
EJ 12 Series
Go Girl Series
Dairy of a Wimpy Kid
Popular Authors:
Roald Dahl
Enid Blyton
______________________________________________
Years 5 & 6
My Australian Story Series
My Royal Story Series
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Tom Gates Series
Goosebumps
Geronimo & Thea Stilton Series
Popular Authors:
Andy Griffiths
Morris Gleitzman
