Reading Comprehension
Kindergarten · English · Study Guide
Learn how to understand a story by finding the who, what, and where.
Reading is not just about saying the words out loud — it is about understanding what the words mean! Reading comprehension means understanding what you just read. When you truly comprehend a story, you can answer questions about it, talk about it, and even retell it to someone else.
When you read a story or your teacher reads aloud, try to notice three big things: Who is the story about? (That is the character.) Where does the story happen? (That is the setting.) What happens in the story? (That is the events.) These three questions — who, where, and what — are the keys to understanding almost any story.
There is another trick called making a picture in your mind. As you listen to or read a story, try to see it in your imagination like a movie. When the book says 'a little red house at the edge of a forest,' picture that house! Making mental pictures helps you remember and understand stories much better.
After reading, you can check your comprehension by retelling the story in your own words. Start with who was in the story, then where it happened, then what happened first, next, and last. If you can do that, you have truly understood what you read — and that is what reading is really all about!
Key terms
- comprehension
- Understanding what you read or hear — not just saying the words, but knowing their meaning
- character
- The person or animal that a story is mostly about
- setting
- Where and when a story takes place
- events
- The things that happen in a story — what the characters do
- retelling
- Telling a story back in your own words after you have read or heard it
Flashcards
- comprehension
- Understanding what you read — the whole point of reading!
- character
- The person or animal the story is about — answers the WHO question
- setting
- Where and when the story takes place — answers the WHERE question
- events
- What happens in the story — answers the WHAT question
- retelling
- Telling the story back in your own words — proves you understood it
- mental picture
- Imagining what is happening in the story as you read — like a movie in your head
Practice questions
What does 'reading comprehension' mean?
- Reading out loud fast
- Understanding what you read
- Counting the words
- Spelling the words
Show answer
Answer: Understanding what you read
Comprehension is about meaning, not speed or mechanics. A good reader understands the story, not just the words.
The setting of a story tells us where and when it happens.
Show answer
Answer: True
Setting answers both where (the place) and when (the time period or time of day) a story happens.
The person or animal that a story is mostly about is called the ___ .
Show answer
Answer: character
A character is the person or animal that a story focuses on — the who of the story.
What does retelling a story mean?
- Reading it again
- Writing new words
- Telling it in your own words
- Drawing a picture
Show answer
Answer: Telling it in your own words
Retelling means you summarize what happened in your own words — it is the best proof that you understood the story.
You only comprehend a story if you can answer who, what, and where questions about it.
Show answer
Answer: True
Being able to answer who (character), where (setting), and what (events) questions shows that you truly understood what you read.
Fun facts
- Research shows that reading just 20 minutes a day exposes a child to about 1.8 million words per year — that builds vocabulary incredibly fast!
- When your brain reads a vivid story, the same parts light up as when you actually experience those things in real life — reading is like a mental adventure!
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