7 Keys to Comprehension
Key 1: Create mental images: Good readers create a wide range of visual, auditory, and other
sensory images as they read, and they become emotionally involved with what they read. “What do you
see when you read those words?” or “What pictures did the author use to help you get the facts?”
Key 2: Use background knowledge: Good readers use their relevant prior knowledge before,
during, and after reading to enhance their understanding of what they’re reading. “As you were
reading, did anything remind you of your own life or about something else you have read?” or “What do
you know about this topic now that you didn’t know before you read the book?”
Key 3: Ask questions: Good readers generate questions before, during, and after reading to clarify
meaning, make predictions, and focus their attention on what’s important. “What questions do you have
about the topic before you read?” or “What questions do you have now that you have finished the
reading?”
Key 4: Make inferences: Good readers use their prior knowledge and information from what they
read to make predictions, seek answers to questions, draw conclusions, and create interpretations that
deepen their understanding of the text. “Before you read, what prediction popped into your head?” or
“Now that you have finished reading, was the article or story different from what you predicted?” or
“What message do you think the author wanted you to understand?”
Key 5: Determine the most important ideas or themes: Good readers identify key ideas or
themes as they read, and they can distinguish between important and unimportant information. “What
is important for you to remember from this part of the story or article?” or ”How will you remember the
key information from the reading?”
Key 6: Synthesize information: Good readers track their thinking as it evolves during reading, to get
the overall meaning. “What was your purpose for reading this text? How did your purpose help you
figure out what was important?” and “What is essential to remember?”
Key 7: Use “fix-up” strategies: Good readers are aware of when they understand and when they
don’t. If they have trouble understanding specific words, phrases, or longer passages, they use a wide
range of problem-solving strategies including skipping ahead, rereading, asking questions, using a
dictionary, and reading the passage aloud. “At what point did the story or article stop making sense for
you? What did you do to get back on track?”
Zimmerman, Susan, and Chryse Hutchins. 7 Keys to Comprehension: How to Help Your Kids Read It
and Get It! New York: Three Rivers Press, 2003.
7 Keys to Comprehension
Key 1: Create mental images
Key 2: Use background knowledge
Key 3: Ask questions
Key 4: Make inferences
Key 5: Determine the most important
ideas or themes
Key 6: Synthesize information
Key 7: Use “fix-up” strategies