Improve Comprehension Skills

Nervy Mom has great suggestions. Reading with him is very important. Also, places like Barnes & Noble sell comprehension workbooks. It's usually a short passage and a few questions per page. The workbook we use also has questions about sequence, main idea, and context clues.

I would try to keep this as a 'fun' activity for you and your son together.
Read something-- read it together and trade off pages. Then, ask questions about what was read. For an example, lets say the book is a Magic Treehouse story.

1. What were Jack and Annie doing before they saw the treehouse/where were they going?

2. What did Jack or Annie notice when they went into the treehouse? (people, items, the book which leads their journey)

3. Why did Jack and Annie decide to open the book and take their journey?

4. What are Jack and Annie meant to look for?

5. What did they notice when they first arrived in their (new time/place)?

Keep it simple, keep it fun.. and reflect back via "I noticed that when Annie went down the rope ladder, Jack seemed unsure about X. What do you think he was (worried/thinking/hoping) about/for?" Treat it like a light 'book group' conversation... let him lead and make his own observations as much as possible. And then, if you feel that he hasn't 'gotten' it, read it again and discuss as reading.

It may also be that the *work* of reading is using much of his thinking while he reads, so re-reading for context and comprehension will help. It's a good tool to have, no matter how good a reader a person his.

This is a trick I use with the kids I tutor in reading...

Pick a simple word, like dog, or show a picture of a dog. Have him describe a dog (it has 4 legs, it has a tail, it has fur etc etc).

When he gets the hang of it, have him be more decriptive if he isn't already (it has 4 bony legs, it has a thick tail, it has brown fur).

Once he gets the hang of that, have him read a word...then go on to phrases, and then sentences, again, giving a decription for each category. Exp: Noone laughed at my joke...he can say things like "the joke wasn't funny, the joke was stupid/silly, maybe noone was in the room, maybe noone heard him tell it, maybe he was speaking quietly".

Nouns are easy to start with but push the adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions too.

I think my child development book called it something like "descriptive cognition" or something like that, but I call it "reporting" skills. This helps the child focus on one thing - a word, phrase or even thought - and describe it with facts, like a reporter.

Good luck!

Do you know what he has difficulty comprehending? Some kids are working on their fluency and have difficulty with all print. Most have an area of strength or weakness. Is he better reading fiction or non-fiction? He may not understand that some sentences and paragraphs are telling him a story and some are telling him useful information. Make sure you read both types of print to him. After you read, discuss what it means. Continue to expose him to all sorts of print (books, magazines, directions, pamphlets, Sunday bulletins, comics, etc.) and keep those dinner discussions going strong! All of these lead to better comprehension, as they build an understanding of the purposes of print and they build vocabulary.

I don't know how well this would work for reading. When I was growing up, I was never allowed to say, "I don't know," in response to why I had done something. Also, I was not allowed to be "doing nothing". Not sure how much of a role it played, but I am very attentive to details and curious about underlying motive and activity. I always enjoyed reading and comprehended very well. I liked to answer the questions "Why did he do that? What do you think that he'll do next? What would you like for him to do?" I am a critical and analytical thinker and aware of my surroundings and activities.

My 2yo is not allowed to say that he is "doing nothing". Instead, he will say that he is standing/sitting/thinking, etc. In my mind, even if the goal is to clear one's head, that is not "doing nothing". Maybe if you can make sure that a certain level of awareness and intention is second nature to your son from a young age, he might naturally incorporate it into his reading. We don't always get well thought, profound responses from him. The purpose is to plant the seed and get him to thinking along those lines.

Good luck.

What is he reading?
How long is the reading?
Is the reading in his level?

Now, often times, developmentally, reading and comprehension, is NOT in tandem occurring at the same time simultaneously.
Then their is fluency. Which means the ability to read fluidly and quickly without pausing while at the same time understanding what is read, all at the same time.
And this typically occurs, in a more instinctual manner, from about 3rd grade.

Your son is 7. 2nd grade?
Anyway, I would have him read, short things. A paragraph.
Then ask him about it. Or have him fill in the blanks of a worksheet, which is about the short passage he just read.
Versus, having him read a whole 64 page book, then asking him about it.
And when asking him about the book, be specific. ie: What was the boy's name? What did he do? Where did he go? etc.
Not just asking him "what was the book about?"

Then, there is comprehension per if they read something themselves. Or if it was read to, them. Or if it was read out loud to others.
And there is also, sequencing of events and if they can, chronologically say what the passage was about. What happened 1st? What happened next? type of thing.

At 7, a kid is also still trying to be grammatically correct/learn spelling/read/construct sentences/how to use adjectives/verbs/and still learning all those things. So per comprehension... it often occurs in STAGES. Not all at the same time as they learn sentence structure or spelling etc.

And, when a kid reads well. Good.
BUT keep in mind, that with young kids.... they are at the stage of READING and concentrating on reading. So then, "comprehension" is not the forefront, of their concentration. ie: just like when a baby is learning how to walk. They can't run yet. They are only learning how to walk and pace their steps and how to balance. They are NOT yet, "coordinated" enough to do and learn how to fully RUN, yet. It occurs in stages.
Just like with reading. Then, learning to read, then fluency and then comprehension... will occur in stages, and THEN it will occur in tandem.
And then in a more sophisticated manner.
But at this age/stage, they are still getting the knack of it.

I work at my kids' school and Sub as well.

Read with him and at the end of chapters or a few pages have him tell you about what he has read. If he can't tell you characters, plot, setting, problem, etc. have him reread. Talk about what he is reading. Not quiz like questions but more like questions you would discuss with friends in a book discussion. Why do you think the character did that? Who is your favorite character and why? What would you have done? What do you think will happen next? Do you know what that word/phrase means?

Ask your child's teacher or a reading specialist at the school about what strategies you can use with him at home. They will probably have some resources that you can use.

Awesome responses you have received.

One more thing. If kids are pretty far sighted, they are concentrating on seeing well, not on comprehension. They don't understand they are doing it. Get his eyes checked.

Check out Lindamood-Bell's Visualization and Verbalization (V&V) program.
http://www.lindamoodbell.com/
The program is expensive but parents can take their workshop to learn the program and then teach their kids.
Anyway, the basic concept is reading with visualization in the brain helps retain details and promote comprehension.. it could be trained with practice.

My daughter left 1st grade struggling with reading and in a reading program. I signed her up with Kumon at the end of the school year and she is now up to speed. Well so far, she has received all 3's, which is the highest grade one can receive. She will test next week and that will give a much better idea of placement.

Kumon covers comprehension by repetitive short stories that they are to read and then complete sentences. So the story may be 1 or 2 pages long, which are half pages, and then there will be a series of questions with fill in the blanks, or draw a line from part a of the sentence to point b.

Anyway, he is in 1st or 2nd grade right now and I wouldn't risk trying to teach him at home. I would nip this now and sign him up. I have no regrets even though our schedule is crazy busy!!!!

If he is now in 2nd grade, the students are required to read and follow written instructions, so he will have to comprehend.

Best wishes.

My daughter is 7 and we homeschool. I was shocked at low her comprehension was at first because she's an excellent reader.

What has REALLY helped is the "Writing With Ease" workbook by Bauer. We are now in level 2 after completing level one. You read segments of classic literature to your child and have the child answer questions about what they heard in complete sentences. There is also some dictation and copying, and all the pages you will need are included. It's meant as a primer to formulating thoughts for writing, but the daily exercise of it has really gotten my daughter to listen for details in what she's hearing and ask questions when she doesn't know things. She now has great comprehension to what she hears whenever anyone reads or talks, the news, etc. It does take regular practice. Each lesson is very short in the book, you could easily do it daily or a few times per week in addition to his school work.

You could do it with any book, just take a part, and ask questions and discuss, but it really helped me to have the work of formulating questions done along with excellent stories laid out for me all in one book. My daughter was really absorbed by the stories and we'd often go check out full books based on the parts she liked.