English comprehension, especially primary English model compositions, plays a vital role in any kid’s academic journey. With a weightage of 20 marks out of 95, in the examination, this section becomes an integral part of English Paper 2. Basically, primary school English composition is designed to test kids’ knowledge, understanding, critical thinking and data analysis skills. However, this is also the most challenging section for many kids which often leaves them in a cold sweat.
To score higher in this section, mastering comprehension skills is a must. By enrolling your kids in reputable Primary English Comprehension tuition classes, you can nurture their language skills and overall understanding of prescribed texts. Mastering primary English comprehension not only improves their overall exam grades but also lays a strong foundation for their advanced language learning. In this ultimate guide, we will explore effective tips, strategies and techniques to help your kids excel in English comprehension.
Tips to Master Skills and Excel in Primary English Comprehension
Here are some simple yet effective tips to help your child in understanding the exact questions and write answers accordingly.
Build a Strong Vocabulary
Vocabulary is the key to unlocking reading potential. Actually, it plays a vital role in reading and understanding comprehension. No reader can understand the sentences without knowing exactly what the written words mean. When kids move to advanced English compression they must know the meaning of advanced terms, which are not used in oral vocabulary. Also, building a strong vocabulary is not difficult. All it takes is a little effort, continuous practice, and encouragement.
Encourage your kids to use a dictionary, flashcards, mnemonics and play word games. Let them explore the different genres because it can help your kids with an overall understanding of different writing styles. For example, if they read non-fiction journals, they will learn about learning features like table of contents, index, headings, glossary, bold words, captions, etc. Furthermore, you engage them in discussion on their favourite topics, this will broaden their knowledge of words and improve their vocabulary.
Read the Comprehension Carefully
In a limited timeframe to finish the paper, it’s very common for kids to skip the reading part and jump directly to the question-answer section. However, doing so may lead them to misinterpret the comprehension. Moreover, they can miss the key points which help in understanding the prescribed texts. This can result in an incomplete understanding of the paragraph. To help your kid not make such silly mistakes, encourage them to read the passage at least twice. Also, let them identify the main idea of the paragraph, make sense of prescribed words and describe it in their own words.
During practice sessions, teach your kids how to highlight or underline key points, unfamiliar words, and fundamental details in paragraphs. Highlighting will help in comprehending when they read the same passage again (twice) before answering the questions. Besides, such an effective approach excites your kid to ask questions, make predictions, and summarise key points while reading.
Figure Out the Type of Questions
In primary English model compositions, there are mainly two types of questions. One is an Inferential question and the other is a Literal question. To answer inferential questions, your kid needs to read the passage thoroughly and find the clues that relate to the questions. Simply, comprehending the question and using the clue to answer the question can help. But, these questions are a little tricky and need critical thinking, problem-solving and data analysis skills to find the correct answer.
On the other hand, to answer the literal question, your kids should begin with the W words, such as who, what, where, when, or why. These questions are straightforward and direct. As the answers are word-for-word given in the passage, kids do not need to tap their logical thinking to answer the easy question. Besides you can enrol your kids in Primary English Comprehension tuition classes to nurture their skimming and scanning techniques.
Highlight the Key Points & Details
When it comes to primary school English composition tests, understanding the question equally matters as understanding the passage. Many students think that only highlighting the passage is enough to get the main idea of the paragraph. But no one can answer the question if they do not have the exact idea of the question. That’s why teach your kid to highlight key details in both the passage and the question. Doing so will save your kid’s time so that they will answer all the questions within time.
Encourage them to skim through the passage. Let them get a general idea of the context, mark headings and subheadings, and understand the overall passage structure. Here scanning means quickly running the eyes over the text to find specific information or keywords. Also, train your kids to actively analyse the question, underline key terms, and rephrase them to ensure a clear understanding.
Annotate Passage While Reading
Annotation in comprehension means adding a note, message, or comment next to the prescribed text in the passage. This can help kids to summarise the text, which will deepen their understanding of sentences. Simply, foster annotation habits into your kid’s daily practice sessions. Let them summarise the key details in their own words, and train them to circle key points, concepts, and phrases. Also, encourage them to add comments in the margin, use abbreviations and underline.
Comprehending unfamiliar words can be challenging. Teach them to pay attention to context clues, such as nearby words, and complete sentences. It will give them hints about the meaning of unfamiliar words. Such an effective strategy fosters logical thinking to find out the meaning of unknown words without depending on dictionaries. Not only does this improve reading fluency but also improves understanding.
Rephrase the Words While Writing
When answering the questions, kids copy the entire sentence from section head to tail. This is not a good idea as it will not make a good impression on the examiner or grader. Teach your kids how to rephrase the paragraph and write the answer in their own words. To paraphrase, either use synonyms or rearrange sentence structure. This means replacing the verb with its synonym while writing the answer. For example, if the sentence is ‘Jack is angry with Jow for eating the last slice of pizza.’ Here, you can replace angry with mad and write it as ‘Jack is mad at Jow for eating the last slice of pizza.’
Another way is rearranging the entire sentence structure. For example, if the sentence is ‘As competition is getting more fierce, many parents prefer primary English comprehension tuition to supplement their kid’s language learning. Here, you can rearrange the sentence as ‘Many parents prefer primary English comprehension tuition to supplement their kid’s language learning as competition is getting more fierce.
Time Management and Practice
Your child may have all the right answers but have no time to write them all due to time restrictions. That’s why time management is essential during primary school English composition exams. Kids must be familiar with question formats as well as the amount of time to finish the exam. To teach your kids about time management strategies, encourage your kids to practice the sessions using a stopwatch. This will teach them how to speed up the process and finish the exams within the given time.
Also, set day-to-day dedicated study hours in which your kids can solve past papers, sample questions, and mock tests. After all, consistent practice under time constraints can help any student tackle different types of questions within the given time frame.
Conclusion
Excelling in primary English comprehension is a result of consistent practice, active reading, critical thinking, and effective strategies. Following the tips provided above will enhance your kid’s language skills, boost their comprehension abilities, and help them to excel in their academic journey. As practice makes the man perfect, encourage your kids to aim big, embrace challenges, and enjoy the whole learning journey.