Reciprocal Reading - A structured approach to teaching reading comprehension strategies

At St. Mary's, we believe that comprehension of a text is vital. As a result of this staff have been trained in the use of 'Reciprocal Reading.' Reciprocal reading is a structured approach to teaching strategies (questioning, clarifying, summarising and predicting) that students can use to improve their reading comprehension.

Reciprocal reading is a method used to help develop pupils’ reading and critical thinking abilities, among other things. Because it’s a group activity, it will also help to promote listening and talking skills as they work with their classmates to unpick the meaning behind a text. It’s sometimes called ‘reading detectives’ or ‘book detectives’, which is a fun way to get children interested in the act of textual analysis.

Reciprocal reading texts can be anything from short non-fiction passages to long adventure novels. Using a variety of texts is perfect for helping children learn how to apply these techniques in different situations. It also allows you to differentiate reading activities in class so that nobody gets frustrated with the difficulty of the questions, even as they work on the same overall task.