Getting better at reading isn’t just as simple as “Read a lot!” It’s a constant process of reading and getting feedback. Without feedback, we don’t know if we understand what we are reading correctly or not. This is meaningful reading. Feedback is the key to success when improving reading comprehension. Let’s look at 5 different ways to improve your reading comprehension and how to get feedback in each.
1. Extensive reading
If you haven’t read what extensive reading is, you should! This is a great way to improve your reading comprehension. It is enjoyable and slow. It’s easy and rewarding. It helps you review a lot of vocabulary and solidifies grammar and sentence structure in your mind because you soak in accurate language slowly for a long time.
How does extended reading provide feedback on your understanding? It has an internal feedback system: things make sense. As you read (usually a story), the ideas, events, and characters build on each other and connect in a meaningful way. If they don’t, then you know you didn’t understand something and you have to go back and reread.
If you do that a lot, then you are reading at a level above your head. You shouldn’t have to go back and reread all the time.
The result is that the feedback is slow, but meaningful. You understanding the story is rewarding because you can enjoy the story (or topic if it isn’t a storybook) as it develops.
2. Reading exercises
Reading exercises are mostly short, challenging readings sorted by level on various topics. They take less than 10 minutes to read, and they are the most commonly used way to improve your reading comprehension.
What feedback do you get? At the end of the reading there are a series of questions. You answer the questions and check your scores. If you got everything right, then you understood well. If not, you need to go back and study what you got wrong.
This type of reading development is quick and effective, which is why it is most often used. You get feedback almost immediately, and the text is short enough to remember everything and find your mistakes.
The only downside is that it often feels like work.
3. Reading lessons
Another way to improve your reading comprehension is to take reading lessons. This can be done online, offline, in groups, or one-to-one. What usually happens is you practice reading skills and do reading exercises for homework.
The feedback comes from the teacher in the next lesson. He will check your answers and help you find and correct your mistakes. The process is then repeated. (Our extended reading courses are a little different because we use extended reading and don’t focus on reading skills but only reading comprehension.)
The benefit is that you have a teacher that can help you improve. Sometimes, when you do reading activities on your own, you can’t find your mistakes and can’t figure out why you were wrong. This is where the teacher comes in and saves the day. This feedback also happens regularly and is rewarding because your teacher will be impressed when you get things correct.
The downside is that it costs more than the free online reading activities (like our free ELL Blog and 1pic1000word activities).
4. Book Club
Book club is a great way to improve your reading comprehension. A book club is a group of ELLs that come together and discuss what they are reading. Usually they all read the same thing together and talk about it a chapter a week.
You get feedback from your peers. As others discuss the book, they confirm or challenge your understanding of it. When what they think and what you think is different, you can open the book and find the answers together.
This is one of the most fun and enjoyable ways to practice reading comprehension. It is socially rewarding, you grow in your English speaking and fluency, and you get multiple opinions to share in.
The downside is that none of your peers are likely to be teachers or natives, so sometimes none of you will get the exact meaning of something or you will possibly all misunderstand something the same way because of what it means in your native language. Having an English native in the club can help.
5. Read and Translate
This way to improve your reading comprehension is the last on the list because it is the least on the list. It is a doable method if you have nothing else, but the other methods are better.
The read and translate method is exactly what you think it is. Read a passage, then translate it into your native language and read it again. If your understanding of the passage was correct, you will know by the translation.
This method is effective when you have no other option. It’s greatest advantage is that you can do it with anything you find in English. You don’t have to wait on a teacher, website, or publisher to write questions and answer to check your understanding.
The downsides are that it is boring, since we read it twice, it is only effective for shorter passages, since you can’t effectively translate a complete book, it doesn’t always translate correctly, since it is computer translated, and it doesn’t teach us. Oh yeah, and there is an easy temptation to read things too high for our level and then translate it to go, “Ahhhhh, that’s what it means,” and think we are practicing reading. So, it’s not the best method.
Now go use one of these ways to improve your reading comprehension!
Just reading about reading isn’t going to help you grow your English! You have to get out there and do it. To end this post, I’m going to share with you some great places to practice your reading comprehension!
- Oxford University Press Graded e-books (Extensive Reading)
- ESL-tree ELL Blog and 1pic1000words (Reading Exercises)
- Pearson English Readers (Extensive Reading)
- Macmillan English Readers (Extensive Reading)
- Breaking News English (Reading Exercises)
- British Council Reading (Reading Exercises)
- Extendive Reading Course (Reading Lessons)