January 2008
Literacy Tutoring Tip:
Developing Comprehension Skills
Possibly the greatest benefit that is gained from tutors working one to one with their student is that tutors can give quality time to making sure that their students understand the book they are reading and can help them relate to the story in a personal way. The following are a few types of questions that can help guide you as you ask thoughtful questions to your student as you read.
What is Comprehension?
- Making meaning from text.
- Understanding what is read.
- Getting the message.
Kinds of Comprehension Questions:
- Author's Viewpoint: "How do you think the author felt when she wrote this story?"
- Categorize/Classify: "How many of the characters in this story are animals?"
- Cause/Effect: "When Miss Nelson did not come to school, what happened?
- Compare/Contrast: "How is the Cat in the Hat similar to the Lorax? How is he different?
- Draw Conclusions: "From this clue, what you can be certain will happen at the end of the story?
- Fact/Opinion: "What is one fact that you can remember about the story? What is one opinion that you have about the story?"
- Fantasy/Reality: "Could this story really have happened? Did it actually happen?"
- Main Idea: "How would you explain this story in one sentence to someone who has not yet read it on their own?"
- Predict Outcomes: "What do you think will happen at the end of this story?"
- Sequence of Events: "What is the first thing that you remember happening in the story?"
