Reading Comprehension Teaching Resources
Explore printable worksheets, digital activities and more to teach reading comprehension strategies and skills in your elementary classroom. Created by teachers, for teachers, the teaching resources in this collection are curriculum-aligned and have undergone a careful review by a member of our expert teaching team.
You'll find editable versions to easily differentiate your instruction for individual students, plus a variety of options to make lesson planning easier this school year so your students will be able to identify the main idea of a text, draw inferences, remember key details and more.
New to teaching this portion of the English curriculum or just looking for fresh and engaging ways to teach reading comprehension strategies? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Is Reading Comprehension?
We'll start at the beginning! Reading comprehension is a skill that's hard to overestimate in terms of its importance for elementary students to develop.
Defined as the ability to understand and interpret written language, reading comprehension involves the process of decoding text, extracting meaning from it, and then integrating that meaning with prior knowledge and understanding.
Not only does comprehension comprise the ability to recognize and understand individual words, but it also involves the ability to recognize patterns and relationships within sentences and paragraphs.
On top of that is the ability to make inferences and draw conclusions based on the information presented.
Yes, there's a lot packed in there!
How to Teach Reading Comprehension
To develop reading comprehension, students need a variety of language skills such as vocabulary knowledge, grammar and syntax, as well as cognitive processes such as attention, memory and critical thinking.
So how do you teach reading comprehension? Like many of those foundational skills we teach in elementary grades, this isn't something kids learn in a single lesson, unit or even one school year.
Teaching reading comprehension is going to stretch from kindergarten and first grade all the way through the rest of a child's academic career (at least on the pre-college levels).
That said, here are some activities to make use of as you approach teaching reading comprehension as an elementary teacher:
- Pre-Reading Activities — Brainstorming, KWL charts, prediction exercises and other "pre-reading" activities will help your students activate their prior knowledge, build background knowledge and set a purpose for reading. These are all key to developing their comprehension.
- During-Reading Strategies — Teaching your students to ask questions, summarize, visualize and make connections will give students the know-how they need to monitor their comprehension as they read.
- Post-Reading Activities — Reading comprehension doesn't stop when kids get to the last page of a text. It's only just beginning. That's why it's important to make sure your lesson plans include activities that help students deepen their understanding of the text and develop critical thinking skills. Examples of post-reading activities that can help build these skills include discussions, debates and written responses.
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Retelling a Story Workbook
Help your students retain the elements of a retell with this printable retelling stories student workbook.
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SCOOP Story Retell Bookmarks
Teach your students how to retell using the SCOOP acronym with these handy bookmarks.
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Retelling Stories Mini Book
Introduce how to retell a story using this easy to follow printable mini book.
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I Know About Fire Safety Book
Read and learn about fire prevention and safety with a differentiated Fire Prevention book for kids.
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Retelling Stories Wheel Template
Explore story retells with this engaging story retell wheel template.
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5 Finger Retell Worksheets
Guide your students through using the 5 finger retell strategy with this set of worksheets.
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Retelling Stories Teaching Slides
Teach your students all about the fundamentals of retelling a story with this set of teaching slides.
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Hansel and Gretel Retelling Activity Cards
Teach your students about retelling with this set of sequencing cards for Hansel and Gretel.
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Jack and Jill Nursery Rhyme- Retell Activity Cards
Teach your students about retelling with this set of sequencing cards for Jack and Jill.
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SCOOP Retell Writing Template
Help students give quality retells by using this SCOOP retell writing template.
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5 Finger Retelling Interactive Activity
Practise using the 5 finger retelling strategy with this interactive activity.
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SCOOP Retelling Poster
Display this SCOOP retelling poster to help students remember how to give an effective retell.
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5 Finger Retell Teaching Slides
Teach your students about the 5 finger retell strategy with this set of teaching slides.
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Gingerbread Man Retelling Activity Cards
Teach your students about retelling with this set of sequencing cards for The Gingerbread Man.
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3 Billy Goats Gruff Retelling Activity Cards
Teach your students about retelling with this set of sequencing cards for 3 Billy Goats Gruff.
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Three Little Pigs Retelling Activity Cards
Teach your students about retelling with this set of sequencing cards for The Three Little Pigs.
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Little Red Riding Hood Retelling Activity Cards
Teach your students about retelling with this set of sequencing cards for Little Red Riding Hood.
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Jack and the Beanstalk Retelling Activity Cards
Teach your students about retelling with this set of sequencing cards for Jack and the Beanstalk.
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Retelling Caterpillar Writing Template
Help students break down their retells with this cute caterpillar writing template.
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Story Elements Cut and Paste Worksheets - The Boy Who Cried Wolf
Explore story characters, settings and main events with this set of cut-and-paste worksheets based on a well-known fable.
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Story Elements Cut and Paste Worksheets - Jack and the Beanstalk
Explore story characters, settings and main events with this set of cut-and-paste worksheets based on a well-known fairy tale.
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Story Elements Cut and Paste Worksheets – Little Red Riding Hood
Explore story characters, settings and main events with this set of cut-and-paste worksheets based on a well-known fairy tale.
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Create a Silly Story – Sorting Activity
Explore story characters, settings, problems and solutions by creating a silly story!
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Who Is the Main Character? Worksheets
Practice identifying the main characters in nursery rhymes with this set of worksheets for young learners.
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Story Elements Graphic Organizers – Landscape
Encourage your students to write and draw about various story elements with this set of differentiated graphic organizers.
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Who Is the Main Character? Interactive Game
Practice identifying the main characters in nursery rhymes with this interactive digital activity.
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Types of Characters - Poster
Remind students about the types of characters that can be found in stories with this colorful classroom poster.
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Story Characters - Mini Book
Teach your little learners about the various types of story characters with this fun-sized mini-book.
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Exploring Story Characters - Worksheets
Explore the defining features of story characters with this differentiated worksheet.
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Character or Not? - Sorting Activity
Explore the difference between characters and non-characters with this hands-on sorting activity.
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Character or Not? - Interactive Activity
Explore the difference between characters and non-characters with this digital learning activity.
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Story Setting or Not? Cut and Paste Worksheet
Explore the difference between story settings and non-settings with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
- Reading Comprehension Worksheets
- Reading Comprehension Templates
- Reading Comprehension Posters
- Reading Comprehension Games
- Reading Comprehension for Pre-K
- Reading Comprehension for Kindergarten
- Reading Comprehension for 1st Grade
- Reading Comprehension for 2nd Grade
- Reading Comprehension for 3rd Grade
- Reading Comprehension for 4th Grade
- Reading Comprehension for 5th Grade
- Reading Comprehension for 6th Grade
- Reading Comprehension for 7th Grade