Reading Comprehension Basics

What is comprehension?

Comprehension is a big word with a simple meaning: it means you understand what you read. You can read the words and know what they tell you. 🧠

Read slowly and picture it 🖼️

Good readers do not rush. They read slowly and make a picture in their head.

Read this little story:

Tom has a red ball. He plays in the park with his dog. The dog runs after the ball. 👦⚽🐶🌳

Now close your eyes and picture it. Can you see Tom and his dog?

Ask who, what and where ❓

To check you understand, ask three questions about the story:

Question	Answer
Who is in the story?	Tom and his dog 👦🐶
What does Tom have?	a red ball ⚽
Where do they play?	the park 🌳

If you can answer these, you understood the story!

Look back in the text 🔁

Did you forget an answer? That is okay. Good readers look back. Read that part of the story again to find the answer. You do not have to remember everything.

What colour is the ball? — Look back: "Tom has a red ball." The answer is red! 🔴

Try another story

Mia sits on the mat. She reads a book about cats. Mia smiles. 👧📖🐱

Now answer:

• Who reads the book? (Mia)
• What is the book about? (cats)
• Where does Mia sit? (on the mat)

Look back if you need to!

Play and practise

Play the matching game to pair each question word with the right answer from Tom's story. Then flip the flashcards to learn the three helper questions: who, what and where.

Keep going

Try these next:

• Build sentences first: Reading Your First Sentences
• Learn the question words: Question Words: Who, What, Where
• Tiny words: First Sight Words

Now you understand what you read. Super reading! 🌟