Strong reading comprehension enables students to read and understand directions, interpret information about subject matter, make inferences and draw conclusions -- among other skills necessary for achievement. Once students learn to read fluently, many parts of the comprehension process become ingrained and are performed automatically. However, in order to develop sophisticated reading skills, it can first be necessary to build a foundation for reading through regularly practicing with reading passages that target specific skills and challenge students to gain greater mastery.

A selection of reading comprehension tools to help students build skills from learning the alphabet and developing phonemic awareness to understanding nonfiction and fiction passages can be found here, including the Spectrum Reading Comprehension Series, Comprehension Books for Close Reading, Daily Reading Comprehension from Evan-Moor, and Improving Reading Comprehension from Steck-Vaughn. Reading comprehension flash cards, magnetic letters, word rods, mini-book kits and other items can supplement books and workbooks to make developing reading comprehension fun and engaging.

Spectrum Reading Comprehension

The Spectrum Reading Comprehension Series for grades K-6 provides practice materials for student readers. Throughout the series, students read illustrated stories that develop their ability to interpret words. To generate interest in each passage, the passage illustrations can be discussed with students prior to reading. At lower levels, these illustrations can also aid comprehension by offering students a visual interpretation of the passage. After reading passages, students are asked to complete exercises and participate in activities that develop reading skills, with each workbook level targeting a number of specific skills, such as decoding vocabulary words, making predictions, drawing conclusions, and identifying cause and effect.

Spectrum also offers vocabulary, phonics, word study, and writing workbooks to supplement its Reading Comprehension Series and develop students’ word recognition and reading response skills.

Comprehension Books for Close Reading

Readers pick up more information when reading closely, and Comprehension Books for Close Reading help students learn how to dig in deep to identify main ideas and other key information as well as to think about the text critically. As students are encouraged to read closely, they learn where key information is often found in texts and how to use context clues, such as identifying words that act as signals for information. Students are also encouraged to make inferences based on the information provided in passages and to identify details that support the conclusions they make. Comprehension Books for Close Reading contain passages with questions and activities to provide students with the opportunities and guidance needed to develop close reading skills.

Daily Reading Comprehension from Evan-Moor

Evan-Moor offers a series of Daily Reading Comprehension books for grades K-6, followed by Literacy Review Books for grades seven and eight. Regular practice that develops specific skills is the focus of Daily Reading Comprehension books. Evan-Moor also offers teacher editions and resources to help instructors encourage students to master and retain reading comprehension skills.

Improving Reading Comprehension from Steck-Vaughn

Students can discover and explore both fiction and nonfiction stories in Steck-Vaughn’s series of Improving Reading Comprehension books for grade school students. Improving Reading Comprehension stories address topics that are age appropriate and relevant to learners in order to capture attention and motivate students to read closely. These stories have follow-up activities that test for comprehension in ways that help students strengthen the same skills they are often asked to put to work to complete standardized tests.