24. Make up and ditto simple crossword puzzles involving
 words recently taught.

 25. Line the bottom of a large box with white paper. Turn
 the box on its side. Allow small groups to show (and
 read captions) filmstrips against the white back of the
 box.

 26. Encourage the checking-out of children's books for
 "reading to your children (brothers, nieces, neigh-
 bor's child)."


 SOME TECHNIQUES FOR DEVELOPING COMPREHENSION

 The key to building comprehension is questioning. Students learn
 to seek certain understandings by the type of question asked. Unfor-
 tunately, much of the material prepared for readers at the first three
 stages of reading contains questions that deal only with literal mean-
 ing. This helps little in developing mature readers or mature thinkers.
 It is therefore necessary for the teacher to devise questions to
 promote the higher thinking skills. If the teacher habituates the
 student to look for answers for several different types of questions,
 then the student will learn to read the same type of material for differ-
 ent levels of comprehension.

 Students should be taught to seek out and think out the answers
to three different types of questions. This is vital to the development
of adequate comprehension. First, the students should learn to deal
with questions of direct reference. The answers to this type question
are found directly in the textual material and are stated in the same
words as used in the text. For example: Where did John go? In the
text is printed, "John went to Miami to visit his parents." Miami, of
course, is the answer Second, students must learn to deal with ques-
tions of indirect reference. The answers to these questions may be
found in the text in slightly different words from those in the ques-
tions. For example: Was John brave? In the text we find, "John
courageously faced the consequences." Thus, we know the answer to be
yes. Third, students must learn to deal with questions that can only
be answered by drawing inferences. These are answered by deriving ideas
not stated in the selection, but for which the selection provides a
sound basis for inferring such answers. The third type of questioning
is necessary for the development of mature readers. Other techniques
for improving comprehension are given throughout this book. However,
the real key to developing power in reading is facility in answering
the third type of question. Training in doing so can begin at the
introductory level beginning with easy inferences.

 1. Change the punctuation in a paragraph and have the
 students note how the meaning is changed.


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