Last Updated on July 7, 2023 by Editorial Team
The ability to read proficiently and derive meaning from written information is more important than ever as we are a part of the information age. Reading comprehension has, therefore, become a critical skill for high school students to master. Whether it involves complex literature or dense academic texts, the ability to comprehend written text is crucial for successful high school completion and beyond. However, reading comprehension does not come naturally and requires regular practice for students.
A well-designed lesson plan on reading comprehension can help educators successfully execute a learning session and provide students with an opportunity to improve their reading comprehension skills. In this write-up, we bring you a comprehensive reading comprehension lesson plan designed specifically for students in high school. But first, let’s discuss why reading comprehension is essential to education.
Importance of reading comprehension for high school students
High school is that point in the education curve when students gather deep knowledge of their subjects. The material they read is more complex and requires students to think deeply in order to understand its meaning. At this stage, students are expected to do a lot of reading, understand their study material, and relate to what has been taught in class. To do this successfully, high school students must develop strong reading comprehension so they can understand what the written text in their books means.
Practicing reading comprehension in high school prepares students to tackle college education efficiently. First, it prepares them to score well on aptitude tests for college admissions. Next, it helps them better understand course material in their field of study. And lastly, it supports them to do well at work and in the future.
Reading comprehension lesson plan for high schoolers
Here is a sample lesson plan you can use in your classroom to help students enhance their reading comprehension abilities. You can identify a short story or an informational passage and use it for the lesson. This lesson plan will require 85 minutes of classroom time and just a few materials to get you started.
Reading Comprehension Lesson Plan
Challenges students face with reading comprehension
High school students may face different challenges with reading comprehension. Let’s have a look at them:
1. High school texts are dense and complex compared to the middle school curriculum. Therefore, students may struggle to understand what they are reading.
2. Difficult vocabulary may pose a problem, making it tough for students to comprehend the meaning of the text.
3. Identifying key points in the passage and differentiating the main points from lesser important details can challenge some students, leading to frustration and disinterest in reading.
4. Focusing, engaging, and understanding study material may be hard with new-age distractions such as social media and technology around.
Having all these challenges to deal with, it is not surprising that reading comprehension can become a challenging task for many high school students. However, if educators support them well and teach them the right strategies, students can overcome these obstacles and become confident readers.
Strategies for improving reading comprehension
- Activate past knowledge – Provide some background knowledge and activate students’ past knowledge on the subject by showing a related video or having an expert discuss the topic.
- Take it slow – Let students take their time to read the passage and try to figure out what it means. Rushing through the text merely helps in quick reading but does not help in understanding and integrating given information.
- Highlight keywords – When students highlight keywords, they note important words or phrases in the text. This helps them focus on the key points and build relevant connections within the information provided.
- Visualization – This strategy encourages students to create mental images of the setting, characters, and events described in the passage. This leads to better engagement, understanding, and information retention.
- Rereading – Reading the same text multiple times makes comprehension and recalling the information easier. So, allow students to refer to the text whenever they need to.
- Questioning – Encourage students to jot down any questions that come to their minds or that they cannot answer. This will help them to look for answers as they move forward in the text.
- Use of dictionaries – Provide a few dictionaries and allow students to refer to them to find meanings to unfamiliar words in the text. This will strengthen their vocabulary and help them understand the text better.
- Graphic organizers – These are great tools to support reading comprehension. Students can organize information as they read the text making it easier to refer to later.
- Use of self-monitoring checklist – Provide students with a self-monitoring reading comprehension checklist to enhance their understanding of the given passage.
- Summarizing – Ask students to summarize the entire passage or one paragraph at a time using summarizing strategies they have learned before. This helps them in identifying the text’s central idea and key points and helps them understand it better.
In conclusion
Reading comprehension is an essential element of formal education. It improves a student’s reading skills, writing skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Moreover, it helps build self-confidence as students can understand their academic subjects better.
Therefore, regular exposure to reading comprehension can allow students to practice and improve their reading comprehension skills. We hope this write-up serves as a valuable resource to help you plan and implement an effective reading comprehension lesson that engages your students and turns them into more confident readers.
I am Priyanka Sonkushre, a writer and blogger. I am the person behind “One Loving Mama,” a mom blog. Equipped with a Bachelor’s degree along with an MBA, my healthcare background helps me deeply understand learning difficulties. I know how challenging it can be for parents to find the right resources to help their children excel in life. So, here I am to blend my healthcare expertise with my parenting experience to create valuable and helpful resources for parents and teachers supporting children with learning differences. If you wish, you can follow me on Facebook and LinkedIn.