What is Reading Comprehension?

Reading comprehension means understanding what you read. It’s not just about saying the words; it’s also about knowing what those words mean and being able to think about the story or text. Here are some key points to help you understand reading comprehension better:

Key Rules of Reading Comprehension

  1. Read Carefully: Take your time. Don’t rush through the words.
  2. Look for Clues: Pay attention to pictures and titles. They can give you hints about the story.
  3. Ask Questions: Think about what you want to know. Why did a character do something? What is the main idea?
  4. Summarise: After reading, try to tell someone what the story was about in a few sentences.
  5. Make Predictions: Guess what might happen next based on what you’ve read.

Tips and Tricks

  • Reread: If you don’t understand something, read it again.
  • Visualise: Picture the story in your mind. What do the characters look like? What’s happening?
  • Discuss: Talk about the story with friends or family. This can help you think of new ideas.
  • Write it Down: Jot down your thoughts or important points as you read.

A Short Story: The Magic Paintbrush

Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a girl named Mia. Mia loved to paint. She would spend hours creating beautiful pictures of flowers, trees, and animals. However, Mia was very poor and could not afford to buy good paint or brushes.

One day, Mia found a strange paintbrush in the forest. It was shiny and felt warm in her hands. She decided to take it home. When she started to paint with it, something amazing happened! Whatever she painted came to life!

Mia painted a beautiful garden filled with colourful flowers. Suddenly, flowers of every kind bloomed right in her backyard! Mia was so happy. She painted a big tree, and it grew tall and strong, providing shade for her family.

Word of Mia’s magic paintbrush spread throughout the village. Soon, everyone came to her for help. People asked her to paint food, and delicious meals appeared on their tables. She painted clothes, and they wore beautiful new outfits.

However, not everyone was kind. A greedy man named Mr. Grumble wanted the paintbrush for himself. He tried to trick Mia into giving it to him. “I will pay you lots of money for that brush,” he said. But Mia shook her head. “I can’t sell it. It helps my friends and family.”

Mr. Grumble became angry. He decided to steal the paintbrush. One night, he sneaked into Mia’s house and took it while she was sleeping. But when he tried to paint, nothing happened! The magic only worked for Mia.

Mia woke up to find her paintbrush missing. She quickly ran to Mr. Grumble’s house. When she arrived, she saw him struggling to paint. “Give it back!” she shouted.

Mr. Grumble laughed. “Why should I? It’s mine now!”

Mia thought for a moment. She then said, “If you want to use the magic, you must use it to help others, not for yourself.” Mr. Grumble paused. He had never thought about that.

Slowly, Mr. Grumble returned the paintbrush. “I’m sorry, Mia. I was wrong,” he said. Mia smiled and took back the paintbrush. She painted a lovely garden for Mr. Grumble, and it made him happy.

From that day on, Mia used her magic paintbrush to help everyone in the village, including Mr. Grumble. They all learned that sharing and kindness were the most important things of all.

Questions to Check Understanding

  1. Who is the main character in the story?
  2. What did Mia find in the forest?
  3. What happened when Mia used the paintbrush?
  4. Why did Mr. Grumble want the paintbrush?
  5. How did Mia feel when she painted the garden?
  6. What lesson did Mia teach Mr. Grumble?
  7. What did the magic paintbrush create?
  8. Where did Mia live?
  9. Why was Mia poor?
  10. How did the story end?

Questions to Check Vocabulary

  1. What does the word “greedy” mean?
  2. What is a “paintbrush” used for?
  3. What does “bloomed” mean in the story?
  4. Can you explain the word “magical”?
  5. What does the word “strange” mean?
  6. What does it mean to “share”?
  7. What does “create” mean?
  8. Can you explain what “colourful” means?
  9. What does “help” mean in the context of the story?
  10. What does “kindness” mean?

Questions to Check Grammar

  1. Identify the subject in this sentence: “Mia painted a beautiful garden.”
  2. Is the following sentence correct? “Mr. Grumble was greedy man.” (Yes or No)
  3. Change the verb in this sentence to past tense: “Mia paints a tree.”
  4. What is the plural form of “brush”?
  5. Create a sentence using the word “happy.”
  6. Find the adjective in this sentence: “Mia was a talented painter.”
  7. Is this sentence correct? “The flowers bloom every spring.” (Yes or No)
  8. Write a sentence using “help” as a verb.
  9. What is the opposite of the word “strong”?
  10. Identify an adverb in this sentence: “Mia quickly painted the flowers.”

Questions to Check Punctuation

  1. Where does the full stop go in this sentence: “Mia found a magic paintbrush”?
  2. Does this sentence need a question mark? “What did Mia paint” (Yes or No)
  3. Where should the commas be in this list: “Mia painted flowers trees and birds”?
  4. What punctuation mark ends a question?
  5. Write a sentence with a capital letter at the beginning.
  6. Do we use quotation marks when someone speaks? (Yes or No)
  7. Where does the apostrophe go in this sentence: “Mr Grumbles paintbrush”?
  8. Write a sentence and use an exclamation mark.
  9. How do you write a date correctly with punctuation?
  10. What is the purpose of a comma in a sentence?

Answers

Understanding Questions

  1. Mia
  2. A magic paintbrush
  3. Whatever she painted came to life
  4. He wanted to use it for himself
  5. She felt happy
  6. To help others, not for himself
  7. A garden, food, clothes
  8. In a small village
  9. She could not afford good supplies
  10. Mia used the paintbrush to help everyone

Vocabulary Questions

  1. Wanting too much of something
  2. To paint
  3. To open up and grow
  4. Something that has special powers
  5. Unusual
  6. To give part of what you have to someone else
  7. To make something new
  8. Full of colours
  9. To assist or make easier
  10. Being nice and considerate to others

Grammar Questions

  1. Mia
  2. No
  3. Mia painted a tree
  4. Brushes
  5. Example: “I am happy.”
  6. Talented
  7. Yes
  8. Example: “I help my friends.”
  9. Weak
  10. Quickly

Punctuation Questions

  1. At the end of the sentence
  2. Yes
  3. “Mia painted flowers, trees, and birds.”
  4. Yes
  5. Example: “Once upon a time.”
  6. Yes
  7. “Mr. Grumble’s paintbrush.”
  8. Example: “Wow! That’s amazing!”
  9. Example: “1st January 2023.”
  10. To separate items in a list or clauses in a sentence.