Reading comprehension strategies to help students prepare for IELTS reading comprehension exams or test.

1. For non-fiction
text
By: Danielle

2. T
h
eStrategies
• In order for students to be successful
while reading, they must employ reading
comprehension strategies before, during,
and after reading.
• The following slides are examples of
strategies that can be used by students to
increase understanding and
comprehension by students while reading
non-fiction text.

3. BeforeReading
The goal of the strategies used
before reading is to activate prior
knowledge, increase interest, and
to prepare the student for what
they are about to read.

4. ActivatePriorKnowledge
• This is an important strategy for
students when reading non-fiction
text.
• The goal is to create a link between what
you are about to learn and what you
already know.
• For example, if you are reading a book
about insects you can activate your prior
knowledge and think about the insects
you know about.

5. Pictures
• Before reading anything, flip through the
text to look for any pictures or graphics.
• Use these to activate your prior
knowledge like discussed earlier.
• The pictures can play an important role in
the text so this strategy will come in
handy.
• Keep these pictures in mind for later
when you start to read.

6. AnalyzeT
e
x
tFeatures
• With non-fiction text, the text features
are very important.
• Look for headers, changes in text size
or color, bold, italics, or underlining to
help pick out important information.
• Text features point out important
information that the author is trying to
portray.
BOLD ITALICS

7. M
a
k
ePredictions
• Before reading, make predictions about
the text.
• Read the title of the passage and ask
yourself what you think might happen in
the text.
• For example, you can make predictions
about history non-fiction text or science
non-fiction text to see what you already
know.
• This will be something you can refer back
to at the end of the lesson.

8. ṪdenGifyG
h
ePurpose
• Before you start to read, it is helpful
to identify the purpose for reading.
• With non-fiction text, many times the
purpose will be to inform.
• It is also important to identify any bias
that might be present before you read.
• Use this information to guide your reading.

9. DuringReading
• It is crucial for students to use reading
comprehension strategies during
reading.
• These strategies guide the students as
they read and make sure they understand
the text.
• This is an important step for the students
metacognitively. They will need to actively
think about what they are doing as they
read.

10. C
r
e
a
G
eM
e
n
G
a
lPicGures
• As you read the text, picture what the
author is describing.
• If there are pictures, use these to guide
your mental pictures.
• Create images of what is happening or
what might happen next.
• For example, if you are reading about
World War II pictures the conditions
as they are described in the text.

11. M
a
k
eConnecGions
• As you are reading, make connections
from what the author is talking about to
what you already know.
• Make sure to adjust your
understandings as needed.
• Do not let your prior knowledge interfere
with what you are learning but do make
connections where you can.

12. MarkG
h
eT
e
x
G
• If you are able, mark the text as you
read.
• Highlight, underline, or write in the
margins important details as you read.
• Use post-it notes if you are using a book
that you cannot mark in.
• These small notes will help you keep
track of what you are reading and will
you to remember important details.

13. U
s
eGraphicOrganizers
• As you read, mark down information
on a graphic organizer.
• There are many different graphic
organizers out there that can reflect
different relationships.
• For example, graphic organizers can be
used to write down important cause and
effect relationships as well as compare
and contrast relationships.

14. P
u
Gi
GinY
o
u
rO
w
nW
o
r
d
s
• After reading a section of the text, put
what the author is saying into your
own words.
• By doing so you are clarifying your
information and making sure that your
are comprehending as you go.
• If you cannot put it into your own words
effectively, go back and reread the
passage making sure to note key
details.

15. AfG
erReading
• The strategies that are used after reading
the text are just as important as the
strategies that are used before and
during reading.
• These strategies “help students
integrate information from text with
their own core knowledge” (Bursuck,
2011).
• These strategies reinforce what was
learned and make sure effective
learning has taken place.

16. ReflecG
• Once you finish the text, reflect on what
you read.
• Ask yourself questions such as:
– Did I understand what I just read?
– Do I need more information?
– What confused me?
• Questions such as these can be very
helpful to monitor conprehension.

17. Reread
• After reading the passage once, a helpful
strategy is to go back and read the text
again.
• Before you do so, write down some
questions you might have had when
reading the first time.
• Think about your reflection and use that
as a guide for reading the second time.

18. SummarizeG
h
eT
e
x
G
• After reading, summarize the text as a
whole.
• Make sure you are able to identify the
key details and put them into your own
words.
• Think about the facts and be
able to summarize the important
ones.
• By putting the text into your own words at
the end, you are guiding your
comprehension and creating a solid

19. A
s
kQuesGions/Clarify
MisconcepGions
• Once you’ve finished reading, ask
yourself questions about what you
read.
• Some questions can include:
– What was the main point of the text?
– How did that align with what I already
knew?
– What did I learn?
• This is also a great time to clarify
misconceptions that were identified
during the ‘before’ stage of reading.

20. PresenGG
h
eṪnformaGion
• A great way to increase comprehension after
reading a piece of text is to present the
information.
• This does not have to be elaborate.
• Grab a friend or peer and present the information
you just learned.
• If you can clearly explain to someone else what
you have learned you have a good grasp on the
material.
• If the other person has questions at the end that
you cannot answer, go back to the text and read
it with those questions in mind.

21. UsingReadingComprehension
SGraGegies
• Reading comprehension strategies are
crucial for increasing understanding for
struggling readers.
• Reading is a process and this is the
reason there are certain strategies that
are used before, during, and after.
• Students will gain more from the text if
they are able to employ these strategies.

22. References
Bursuck, W., & Damer, M. (2011). Teaching reading to students who are at
risk or have disabilities: A multi-tier approach (2nd ed.). Upper
Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson.
Coe, G., & Fitzpatrick, A. (n.d.). Reading Strategies for the Social Studies
Class. Www.world-affairs.org.
Keene, E., & Zimmermann, S. (2007). Mosaic of thought: The power of
comprehension strategy instruction (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.
Nonfiction Reading Strategies. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2015.
Oczuks, L. (2011). Literacy Survival Tips for New Teachers! International
Reading Association.
Question-Answer Relationship (QAR). (2013, March 19). Retrieved April 11,
2015.