Understanding What You Read

Reading comprehension means truly understanding the message, details, and purpose of a text. It's not just about reading the words, but grasping what the author is trying to say.

Key Strategies

• Identify Main Ideas: What is the passage mainly about?
• Find Supporting Details: What evidence backs up the main idea?
• Make Inferences: What can you figure out that's not directly stated?
• Summarize: Can you retell the passage in your own words?

Types of Questions

On the TACHS, you might see:

• Main idea or theme questions
• Detail or fact-finding questions
• Inference questions
• Vocabulary-in-context questions

Real-World Application

Strong reading comprehension skills help you understand school assignments, follow instructions, and analyze newspaper articles or books.

Sample Passage

Sara glanced at the darkening sky and hurried home, hoping to beat the storm. She knew from experience that summer storms could strike quickly.

Question:
Why did Sara hurry home?