In the context of literacy instruction, what is a key strategy for enhancing reading comprehension?

Engaging students in summarizing and questioning is a key strategy for enhancing reading comprehension because these activities promote active participation and deeper processing of the text. When students summarize, they distill the information to its essential elements, which helps them identify main ideas and important details. This practice also requires them to synthesize their understanding, reinforcing their retention of the material.

Questioning encourages students to think critically about what they are reading. It fosters curiosity and motivates them to seek further understanding of the text, as they formulate questions about the themes, character motivations, and implications of the material. These strategies not only improve comprehension by promoting interaction with the text but also develop critical thinking skills that are essential for lifelong learning.

In contrast, focusing on memorization of vocabulary words, while important for building a strong language foundation, does not directly enhance comprehension unless it is connected to the context in which words are used. Teaching grammar rules, though helpful for understanding sentence structure, does not inherently boost reading comprehension on its own, as it often lacks the practical application necessary for integrating understanding. Relying solely on phonics instruction addresses decoding skills but does not encompass the broader skills needed for fully grasping and interacting with complex texts.