Once I find my students are starting to comprehend the different question types, I try to help them recognize them in an assortment of questions provided. There are many ways to get access to perfect reading comprehension activities that target the various question types. My two favorite resources are Readworks.org and the book, Building Comprehension: Reading Passages with High-Interest Practice Activities. Here is a similar version of the book:
What is Readworks.org? This website is a FREE website! You can search reading passages and it tells you the skills it addresses! You can also search for passages by skill! (BONUS: it also provides common core standards)!! I recommend playing around on this website!
What is the book? It has a variety of fiction and nonfiction stories. The comprehension questions are provided through fun activities (mazes, word searches, crossword puzzles, tic-tac-toe). The author provides a chart in the beginning of the story to let you know which types of questions are targeted in each story. With these skills in mind, I created a guide for my students:
I took each question type and used a different highlighter for each. I provide my students with the same colored highlighters as they read the passages. I like to let my students preview the questions before reading. This way they know what is expected of them. I like them to highlight the questions using their knowledge of each question type. As they read the stories, they can highlight using the correct corresponding color the clues in the story to help guide their answers. This strategy takes a lot of practice but over time it works!!
What strategies do you use?! What resources do you use to get great comprehension stories?!
