How to Boost Kids' Reading Comprehension with Apps

Reading comprehension is a vital skill for kids. It prepares them for academic excellence, improves their language skills, and helps them cultivate a lifelong love for reading.

And while there are many resources teachers can use to boost kids' reading comprehension, reading apps are particularly effective in laying the important foundational reading skills. These apps have many interactive lessons and provide support that books don't offer. Here are four ways you can boost kids' reading comprehension with apps.

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1. Offer Targeted Support

Digital content has features that can foster reading comprehension quickly than books. You can make apps more effective in different ways. For instance, after completing each section, let the kids record short videos and write journal entries. It's a great way to demonstrate their reading comprehension and helps you to identify areas where they need support.

As students use apps, teachers get enough time to help high-need students in the classroom. They can assign the other kids tasks to do on the apps. The teacher has sufficient time to offer personalized support to struggling students or a small group of students. Ensure you discuss all the assigned tasks every week and conduct regular assessments on kids' reading comprehension progress.

2. Differentiate Content

A class usually comprises students from different backgrounds with different reading skills. There's no single app that can address all their needs equally. That's why there are many different reading programs for schools. It's upon you, the teacher, to determine what works for each student before assigning them a reading task. You'll need to set aside some time to evaluate the kids so you can design a reading comprehension worksheet or select an app.

3. Book Apps

Book apps are more adaptive and interactive compared to worksheets. Their illustrations arouse interest and build motivation in young readers who are not fascinated by plain text or still images. Some book apps allow learners to click on hyperlinks and learn new vocabularies or even animate some page portions. Most book apps also offer 'read to me' options for children struggling with phonemic awareness.

These books have engaging stories that students can listen to as they watch animations on the screen. While distributing book apps, remind your students to re-read sections that are confusing and write down words they don't know. Afterwards, discuss what they've just read and recap and summarize the main points to build reading comprehension. Choose book apps that are both engaging and also age-appropriate. They should align with each students' unique needs. Ensure they are easy to use with very minimal supervision.

4. Look Beyond the Reading Comprehension Worksheet

Teachers like assigning the same reading comprehension worksheet twice or even to different learners with varying reading capabilities. Every learner should have a reading comprehension worksheet that fits their needs. Kids can also use worksheets to answer questions, take notes, and write descriptive details about their assignments.

It's also important to look beyond the reading comprehension worksheet because not every student will perform assignments excellently. Teach comprehension strategies that will help your students to better understand what they read. You'll foster a deeper understanding of text.