As educators, we all want our students to succeed. However, we know that not all students are the same. While some might breeze through a text, others can struggle with understanding the new information. It is essential to understand that successfully comprehending challenging informational texts requires a different set of skills. In this article, we will explore five strategies to help students comprehend difficult material.
1. Activate Prior Knowledge
One of the best ways to approach any new material is by activating prior knowledge. Asking students, what do they already know about the subject can help them build a mental framework for the new information that they will acquire. This strategy helps them understand how the individual parts of a text relate to a bigger whole and how the parts fit together.
For example, if you are teaching students about the different organs in the human body, start by asking them to identify the organs they already know. Then, link the new organs to the existing ones and help them create a mental picture of the complete system.
2. Visual Cues
Using visual cues like infographics, diagrams, and pictures in your teaching can help students to easily comprehend complex information. According to research, two-thirds of the population is visual learners, meaning that they process information better when it is presented to them visually.
For instance, if you are teaching students about the water cycle, you can use diagrams to show how water evaporates, forms clouds, and eventually comes back to the earth’s surface in the form of precipitation.
3. Chunking
Chunking is an effective strategy used to break down complex information into smaller, more manageable pieces. It allows students to focus on one idea at a time, which can help them better understand the information.
For example, when teaching about a complex topic such as biodiversity, organize the text into subtopics like types of species, their habitats, and the factors that threaten them. This way, students can focus on one concept at a time, which reduces the complexity of the overall topic.
4. Connecting Text to Real-Life Situations
Connecting a text to real-life situations can help students to gain a better understanding of how the information relates to the world around them. For instance, when teaching about ancient civilizations, you can connect the student to the past through artifacts, buildings, and even food. This way, the students can see how the teachings apply to real-world situations.
5. Reading Comprehension Strategies
Reading comprehension strategies are techniques that students use to make meaning of the text. They include visualization, summarizing, questioning, and monitoring comprehension. Encouraging students to develop these skills can help them to better comprehend challenging material.
For example, you can teach students to use the questioning strategy to ask themselves questions like; What is the main idea, how does this section relate to other sections, and what is the author trying to convey?
Conclusion
Comprehending challenging informational texts can be a daunting task for many students. However, using strategies like activating prior knowledge, visual cues, chunking, connecting text to real-life situations, and reading comprehension strategies can help make this task less overwhelming. By practicing and encouraging the use of these strategies, students can successfully comprehend even the most challenging material.
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