Comprehension Strategies
Comprehension strategies are the things good readers do to understand and think about a text, not just say the words. In Year 3 (ACARA v9), students learn to build both literal meaning — what the text actually says — and inferred meaning — what it hints at but does not state — and to begin judging texts using what they know about how texts work. Strategies like predicting, asking questions, picturing the scene and summarising turn reading from decoding into real understanding. A child who has strategies can meet a new text with a plan, and can work out meaning even when a book gets harder.
Worked examples
Predicting. A story is titled 'The Empty Cage' and the cover shows a worried girl. What might the story be about?
Use the title and picture as clues before reading. An empty cage plus a worried face points to a missing pet.
Answer: A sensible prediction: a pet has escaped or gone missing
Literal meaning. The text says 'Sam packed his raincoat because the sky was grey.' Why did Sam pack a raincoat?
The reason is stated directly in the sentence — read it again and find the words that give the reason.
Answer: Because the sky was grey, so it might rain
Inferred meaning. The text says 'Mia's tummy rumbled as she stared at the clock, waiting for lunchtime.' How is Mia feeling?
The text does not say 'hungry' — work it out from the clues: a rumbling tummy and waiting for lunch.
Answer: Mia is hungry
Summarising. After reading a page about how bees make honey, how could you sum it up in one sentence?
Pick out the most important idea and leave out the small details.
Answer: For example: Bees collect nectar from flowers and turn it into honey in the hive.
Tips
- •Ask questions before, during and after reading. 'What do I think will happen? Did it? Why?' Questions keep a child's mind active and are the heart of comprehension.
- •Teach the difference between 'in the text' and 'in my head'. Literal answers are found in the words; inferred answers come from joining clues to what you already know. Naming which kind a question needs helps a lot.
- •Common mistake to watch for: children often think reading fluently means understanding. A child can read every word aloud perfectly and still miss the meaning — always ask them to retell or explain, not just read.
- •Talk about books together. Discussing what a character might do next, or why they acted a certain way, builds inference far better than worksheets alone.