Reading comprehension is reading texts and understanding what they say. So there is a difference between technical reading and reading comprehension. Someone who is technically capable of reading a text does not always have to understand the text. In order to properly understand the text, it is of course necessary that the student can read well technically, but there are also other conditions that must be met for a text to be properly understood.
Reading is an important, but complex process. It is important that children learn to read. The whole of society has become dependent on written language. There are so many different texts to read: books and magazines, but also road signs, notices and billboards.
In order to be able to read properly, three conditions must be met:
- The reader must be able to read technically
- The reader must understand the text
- The reader must be able to interpret the text
Technical reading
First of all, it is of course important that the student can actually read technically. Technical reading consists of several phases. The student must know the letters of the alphabet and he must know what the different sounds are associated with the 34 graphemes of the Dutch language. The graphemes are the different sounds of the Dutch language. This also includes sounds such as ?? oe ??, ?? ui ?? and ?? au ??.
On the basis of the sounds belonging to the letters shown, the student can also cut the letters ?? and ?? paste ?? to a word. By practicing a lot with words, the student will recognize the words, direct word recognition starts. Articles such as ?? the ?? and commonly used other words such as ?? me ?? or ?? is ?? will be recognized so that the reader can read more easily.
By reading more easily, the reader can also read sentences and texts. It is almost impossible to understand texts when spelling word for word. Only when the student gets a somewhat smoother reading style, can the student also understand what the text is actually about. It can be assumed that children can only really read comprehension well when they can read as quickly as when they are read aloud. Most children only reach this level in group 5 or 6.
Understanding the text
Only in group 5 or 6 do children read texts so easily that they can understand the texts. The technical reading level is then high enough to be able to read smoothly. However, it is not the intention that only from group 5 onwards attention is paid to learning to understand texts. Reading comprehension can also be trained by reading to the teacher or parents.
By reading aloud, the children build up a large vocabulary that can help them in reading comprehension. Reading comprehension builds on the previous reading and reading experiences of the children and the understanding of text structures. The student also builds a good foundation by reading aloud to be able to read properly later on. In the first four groups of primary school, listening comprehension is therefore an important part of the curriculum.
By increasing the vocabulary, children will understand the texts to be read better. It is therefore necessary to expand the vocabulary of a child. Some tips to expand the vocabulary:
- Read a lot, and have a lot of reading from group 5 and 6.
- Repeat the difficult words in a text, use the words in another context as well.
- Read a sentence with a difficult word in it and then read the sentence again, but replace the difficult word with a more familiar one.
- Have children think in groups about what a difficult word might mean.
- Have the children come up with sentences that contain the word in groups.
- Use a newly learned word regularly during the day.
- Use computer programs and methods such as Bloon to expand vocabulary.
Interpret the text
A text can only be properly understood when the student applies all the knowledge he has about the subject. The text is then interpreted.
In a text, certain knowledge is often expected from the reader. It is important for the reader to realize that he or she needs certain prior knowledge to understand a text. If the reader does not have this prior knowledge, it is important that he master it. So reading is not just “reading what it says”, reading has a lot in common with all other subjects. A reader who has read a lot and knows a lot about the world around him, will be able to interpret the texts read better and thus understand them better. It is therefore important that the student also develops in other areas in order to be able to read well comprehensively.