Reading Comprehension : What is it, why it’s important and a sign that your child may be struggling with it.

  Reading Comprehension: What is it, why it’s important, and a sign that your child may be struggling with it. 

What Is Reading Comprehension? 

Reading comprehension refers to the capacity to read, analyze, and comprehend text. It depends on two interconnected skills: language comprehension and word reading (the ability to interpret the symbols on the page and being able to understand the meaning of the words and sentences). The term comprehension describes the capacity to comprehend written language. Unlike the capacity to recognize words, it is different. Identifying words on a page without understanding what they mean does not achieve comprehension, which is the aim or objective of reading.

Why  Is  Reading Comprehension Important? 

What is read gains meaning when it is understood. When the words on a page are more than just letters and sounds, reading comprehension happens. Reading is joyful, entertaining, and educational when it is understood. Reading Comprehension is important to excel in school, the workplace, and life in general. Students cannot comprehend what they read if they lack the necessary comprehension abilities. The goal of reading should be to comprehend significant lessons, narratives, and arguments rather than to speak out or in your head. It's essential to have great reading comprehension abilities. It improves reading's effectiveness and enjoyment and benefits students' academic, professional, and personal lives. 

The misconception that Reading Comprehension exclusively affects English and Language Arts is one that many parents make. But in the educational system, comprehension is essential for fundamental existence. Every student's life is filled with passages and word problems that require them to understand what they have read, from Science to Mathematics. The ability to master Reading Comprehension is a crucial one that can influence a student's performance in all academic areas.

A Sign That Your Child May Be Struggling With Reading Comprehension 

Inability to relay information from the text: after reading a paragraph or story, ask your child to talk about their favourite parts of the text. For a child that understood what was read, this should be an easy task but for a child that struggles with Reading Comprehension this may be difficult. Asking about a part of the text that they favoured creates a comfortable and relaxing environment instead of back to back questions that may cause the child to panic. This creates a calm scenario for the child to demonstrate their understanding, if they are unable to answer, this may be a sign that your child struggles with Reading Comprehension. 

At The Caribbean Academy for Reading Intervention and Development, we offer an Individual Reading Assistance Program that assists struggling readers to build skills in: 

• Sight words and high-frequency words 

• Sounds recognition 

• Reading comprehension 

• Letter and word recognition 

• Phonics and phonemic awareness 

Our Reading Assistance Programme is designed to teach the foundational skills of reading to children with significant academic challenges, empowering them to achieve grade-level proficiency. Our dedicated tutors help struggling readers understand the basic mechanics of reading and help them develop critical reading skills that will help them develop a lifelong love of reading. 

Target Audience: Struggling readers between the ages of 5 years to 10 years. 

Persons interested in our Individual Reading Assistance Program can contact us at 1-868-474-9819. 

Chrystal Murray has a passion for imparting knowledge and adding value to the lives of others.

She has been an educator for over 14 years. She holds a B.A. Degree in History and Education from the University of the West Indies (UWI). She also possesses several professional certificates in Understanding Dyslexia, Successful Educational Strategies for Children with Special Needs, and Supporting Multiple Abilities through Differentiation just to name a few. She is also certified in Counselling Youth and Children and Parenting the Adolescent. Chrystal is the Founder and Principal of two academic institutions, the Caribbean Ivy League Academy and the Caribbean Academy for Reading Intervention and Development. She founded the Caribbean Academy for Reading Intervention and Development where she works assiduously with children who have reading challenges. She also uses this platform to motivate, inspire and help build confidence in the children who are in her care.

Chrystal Murray 

Reading Interventionist 

1-868-474-9819