Teaching Tip Categories:

• Classroom Management
• Language Arts
• Math
• Reference Sources
• Subject Areas
• Teaching Techniques
• Other Teaching Tips

Teaching Tip Category: Language Arts

Active Versus Passive Voice Changing Word Meanings Confusing Headlines Confusing Word Pairs Creative Words Descriptive Writing Eponyms Expressions from Work Forms of Writing Fun Words for Objects Good Writing Position Homonyms Humorous Political Quotations

Improving Writing Journals Knowing a Word Left-Handed Writers Misplaced Prepositional Phrases Parts of Speech Review Persausive Essay Personal Narrative Poetry in the Classroom Politically Correct Gender Language Questions Answered by Adjectives Reading Formats Reading Comprehension

Responding to Students' Writing Sensory Adjectives Shakespeare's Relevance Silent-Letter Words Spelling Irregular Words Spelling Review Sustained Silent Reading Types of Sentences Using Hyphens Word Origins Writing Concisely Writing Topics

Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension (understanding what is read) is a critical skill for all students. Here are some things you can do to help your students understand what they read in their textbooks and other sources of information:

• Encourage students to activate their prior knowledge as they read. If necessary, teach students the necessary background knowledge about a topic prior to having them read about the topic.

• Have students identify their purpose(s) for reading. For some students, their only purpose is to finish their reading assignment.

• Have students form questions to be answered as they read. It is helpful for students to write questions and their answers in their notebooks.

• Encourage students to reread information that they do not understand. Many students simply keep on reading whether or not they understand what they read.

• Have students reflect about what they read to achieve deep and personal understanding.
  

• Have students apply what they have learned through their reading. This will help students retain the information for use wherever needed.

Click here to e-mail this page to a colleague or friend.

Click here for a printer friendly version.