What is Reading Comprehension?

Reading comprehension is something many learners struggle with regardless of age. Readers of all ages will continuously work to deepen their understanding of texts, build vocabulary and work to develop critical thinking. Some texts may be easier to understand than others and this is normal too. Most readers will use specific skills to understand what they are reading and each of us may be better with some skills and not others.

As readers, it is important you are able to do the following:

• locate the main idea & supporting details

• locate and understand all information presented in different types of texts

• understand vocabulary and gain meaning from context

• evaluate different parts of the text

• analyze different parts of the text

• make predictions

• ask relevant questions

• make connections about (1) how the text relates to something you have experienced (2) how the text reminds you of something you have seen in the world around you, or (3) how the text reminds you of something else you read

• summarize and write about what you read

How do I learn & remember what I read?

Imagine your brain is an empty drawer. When we learn, we grab pieces of information and we throw it into our drawer. If we add information to our drawers but fail to do anything with that information, it becomes that junk drawer no one wants to talk about. Your drawer becomes a space filled with a bunch of useless stuff. Suddenly, you can't remember why you have it, when you put it in the drawer or even why you needed it to begin it.

In order to learn, you need to do something with the information you are collecting. Active learning is a way for learners to do something with the information they collected. How do we do something with what we are reading? We need to engage with the material we learned so our brain remembers it and can use it later. Active learners do something with new information and this helps them to remember what they are learning and practice skills.

Active readers can:

Annotate

• Annotate means to write on or make notes about what your are reading. You can do this by circling words you don't understand, highlighting the main idea, underlining important information or writing notes in the margins.

  
  

Keep a notebook

• Use a notebook to write down questions you have about something in the reading, write down your favorite part of the story, compare two of your favorite characters or make predictions about what you think will happen next.

  
  

Make Flash Cards

• Do this for vocabulary or important concepts when studying. You can write down what you don't know or need to know. For words you don't know, write each word in a sentence and add synonyms, or words you can use that have the same meaning. For studying, write a question you need to be able to answer on your test and then put the answers on the back.

  
  

Make Notes

• Write down the most important parts of the chapter and a short summary. This way, if you have to read and remember a lot, you can go back later and just look at the summary to remind yourself what happened in the chapter instead of reading the chapter all over again.

  
  

For ESL,

• You can listen to the audio book and follow along with the physical book. Audio books allow you to change the speed of the reader and help you to hear how to pronounce words correctly. While the audio book is going, you can follow along and annotate your physical book. You can annotate, keep a notebook or make flashcards to help you understand when you come across confusing parts, need to remember new words, or want to write some notes in your native language to help you remember what you are reading.

Coming Soon!

Teen Leadership Workshops

We are planning to offer a teen leadership workshop this summer. We are hoping for five (5) half day workshops where teens learn about and begin to develop essential leadership skills.

Day 1: Understanding emotions & emotional intelligence

Day 2: Problem solving & making informed decisions

Day 3: Time management & career planning

Day 4: Healthy relationships & social skills

Day 5: Financial literacy & money essentials

Emergent Professional Events

Emergent Professionals are those young adults who have been working only a few years and would like to level up their leadership skills.

Workshops

• We would like to host a number of workshops to help young professionals identify leadership skills that need to be developed within their current roles or in preparation for future roles. Essentially, we want to help you to develop a deeper understanding of core leadership skills and provide a space where you can ask questions, plan for your development, talk about various scenarios, and explore skills like giving and receiving feedback, the power of reflection, understanding the scope of competence, and advocating for your point of view.

Networking Event

• Networking events for young professionals are opportunities to meet other like minded professionals and discover the power of small talk.

Business English for ESL

These virtual small group classes are designed for adult professionals who speak English as a second language. These classes focus on building stronger professional vocabulary and strengthening business communications so we are understood and less likely to get lost in translation.