Understanding Reading Comprehension

Hello, Year 3! Today, we are going to learn about reading comprehension. This means understanding what we read. It’s like being a detective! We look for clues in the words to find out what the story means.

Why is Reading Comprehension Important?

When we understand what we read, we can enjoy stories more. We can answer questions about them and talk about them with our friends and family.

Key Rules for Good Comprehension

  1. Read Carefully: Take your time to read the words.
  2. Look for Clues: Pay attention to the pictures and the words.
  3. Ask Questions: Think about what is happening in the story.
  4. Summarise: Try to say the story in your own words.

Tips and Tricks

  • Visualise: Imagine what is happening in your mind.
  • Reread: If you don’t understand, read it again.
  • Discuss: Talk about the story with someone else. It helps!

A Short Story: “The Brave Little Mouse”

Once upon a time, in a sunny meadow, there lived a little mouse named Max. Max was not like other mice; he was very brave. One day, while exploring, he found a big, dark cave.

“What’s inside?” Max wondered. All the other mice said, “Stay away! It’s scary!” But Max was curious. He took a deep breath and tiptoed into the cave.

Inside, it was dark and quiet. Max’s heart raced, but he kept going. Suddenly, he heard a loud noise! It was a lion, sleeping on a pile of leaves. Max froze.

“Should I run away?” he thought. But then he remembered how brave he was. Instead of running, he whispered, “Excuse me, Mr Lion!”

The lion opened one eye and looked at Max. “What do you want, little mouse?” he roared.

Max’s voice trembled, but he said, “I wanted to see if you were hungry. I can help you find food, if you want.”

The lion was surprised. “You would help me?” he asked.

Max nodded. “Yes! Together we can find delicious berries and nuts!”

The lion smiled. “Thank you, brave little mouse!” They became the best of friends. From that day on, Max and the lion explored the meadow together, teaching each other about bravery and friendship.

Questions to Check Understanding

  1. What is the name of the brave little mouse?
  2. What did Max find while exploring?
  3. Why did the other mice tell Max to stay away from the cave?
  4. What animal did Max meet inside the cave?
  5. How did Max feel when he first entered the cave?
  6. What did Max offer to the lion?
  7. How did the lion react when Max talked to him?
  8. What did Max and the lion do together after they became friends?
  9. What lesson did Max learn from his adventure?
  10. Why do you think Max is called brave?

Questions to Check Vocabulary

  1. What does “curious” mean?
  2. What does “brave” mean?
  3. Can you explain what “explore” means?
  4. What is a “meadow”?
  5. What does it mean to “tiptoe”?
  6. What is a “cave”?
  7. What does “tremble” mean?
  8. Can you describe what “delicious” means?
  9. What does “react” mean?
  10. What is a “friendship”?

Questions to Check Grammar

  1. What is the subject of the sentence: “Max was very brave”?
  2. Can you find the verb in the sentence: “The lion smiled”?
  3. How do you change “mouse” to plural?
  4. What is the past tense of “find”?
  5. Can you make a sentence using the word “together”?
  6. What word tells us more about Max: “brave” or “mouse”?
  7. How would you write a question about the cave?
  8. What is an adjective in the sentence: “Max is a brave little mouse”?
  9. Can you write a sentence with “and”?
  10. What is the difference between “lion” and “lions”?

Questions to Check Punctuation

  1. Where does a full stop go in a sentence?
  2. Can you find the capital letter in the sentence: “Max is a brave mouse”?
  3. How do we show a question at the end of a sentence?
  4. Where do we put commas in lists?
  5. Can you write a sentence using an exclamation mark?
  6. What punctuation do we use for dialogue?
  7. How would you punctuate this sentence: “Max said hello to the lion”?
  8. What do we call the mark that goes at the end of a question?
  9. Can you find the mistake in this sentence: “the lion was sleeping”?
  10. How do you write a sentence that shows excitement?

Answers

Understanding Questions

  1. Max
  2. A big, dark cave
  3. Because it was scary
  4. A lion
  5. Scared
  6. To help find food
  7. Surprised
  8. Explored the meadow
  9. Bravery and friendship
  10. Because he was brave

Vocabulary Questions

  1. Wanting to know more
  2. Not afraid
  3. To look around
  4. A field with grass and flowers
  5. To walk quietly
  6. A hollow place in the ground
  7. To shake
  8. Tasty
  9. To respond
  10. A close connection with someone

Grammar Questions

  1. Max
  2. Smiled
  3. Mice
  4. Found
  5. Max and the lion are friends.
  6. “Brave”
  7. What is in the cave?
  8. Brave
  9. Max and the lion went to the meadow.
  10. “Lion” is singular, “lions” is plural.

Punctuation Questions

  1. At the end
  2. Max
  3. With a question mark (?)
  4. Between items
  5. Wow!
  6. Quotation marks (” “)
  7. Max said, “Hello to the lion.”
  8. Question mark (?)
  9. The “t” should be capitalised.
  10. Use an exclamation mark!