1. How to Repair a Break Down in
Reading Comprehension

2. •Make a connection between the
text and your life, your
knowledge of the world, or
another text.

3. •Make a prediction. Think about
what the author is going to
discuss in the next section or
chapter before you continue.

4. • Stop and think about what you have
already read. Do not hurry through
your reading. Make sure you break
and reflect on what you have just
read before continuing.

5. • Ask yourself a question related to
the reading and try to answer it. If
you can’t then go back and reread
for the answer.

6. • Reflect in writing on what you have
read. When you have completed
a section or chapter, stop and
write about what you have just
read.

7. • Visualize. Make the words into
pictures in your head. This type of
engagement with the text, allows
you to “see” the material and
understand the material in a new
way.

8. • Use print conventions as clues for
meaning- how do things like
punctuation, CAPITALIZATION,
italicized and bolded words or
larger text give meaning to the
reading?

9. • Retell what you’ve read. Restate
the main ideas of the text you just
read to a friend, family member,
or maybe just aloud to yourself.

10. •Reread. Do not be afraid or
too lazy to take the time to
reread a text if you are having
difficulty with comprehension.

11. • Notice patterns in text structure. A
technique to help with
comprehension is to notice
repetitions in the words, sentence
and paragraph structures, and
sections of the reading that can
help you as you continue to read.

12. •Adjust your reading rate: slow
down or speed up.

13. • “Academic Support Guides: Reading Comprehension.” Cuesta
College.
http://academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/as/300INDEX.HTM
• Krieg, Elaine G. Strategies for College Readers. New York:
Longman, 2008. Print.
• “Study Skills Activities: Reading as a Study Skill.” Montana
State Literacy Resources: A Service of the National Institute of
Literacy.
http://www.nwlincs.org/mtlincs/pilotproject/studyskills/studyskills
index.htm