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Reading to Understand

© Arden Davidson

By studying readers of all skill levels, researchers have discovered that children extract meaning from a story or poem, not so much from the words on the page but from the images they are able to conjure up in their minds. Many reading researchers believe that information is stored in long-term memory and therefore must be built upon when learning new techniques. For that reason, it is important for both teachers and students to discover an effective means of linking new information to prior knowledge.

Reflecting on the information by reviewing and summarizing the central themes of the text helps to verify the relationship between prior knowledge and new lessons while at the same time, assessing the level of achievement or purpose for learning, identifying gaps in learning, and generating questions.

One of the best ways to get a child to understand and interpret what he is reading is to talk about it. A teacher can inspire interesting and informative class discussions and invoke students' responses based on their own thoughts and opinions about the reading process. Over time, children who learn to read not just the words but the meanings behind them are expected to develop the ability to ask themselves independently, the important questions and will eventually reach a point in which they have internalized the reading strategies; making self-monitoring automatic.

The copyright of the article Reading to Understand in Children's Poetry is owned by Arden Davidson. Permission to republish Reading to Understand in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.