Picture Stories Towards Enhanced Reading Comprehension Skills

Abstract

Reading is fundamental to functioning in today's society. There are many adults who cannot read well enough to understand the instructions on a medicine bottle. That is a scary thought - especially for their children. Filling out applications becomes impossible without help. Reading road or warning signs is difficult. Even following a map becomes a chore. Day-to-day activities that many people take for granted become a source of frustration, anger and fear.

Reading is a vital skill in finding a good job. Many well-paying jobs require reading as a part of job performance. There are reports and memos which must be read and responded to. Poor reading skills increase the amount of time it takes to absorb and react in the workplace. A person is limited in what they can accomplish without good reading and comprehension skills.

Why is reading important? It is how we discover new things. Books, magazines and even the Internet are great learning tools which require the ability to read and understand what is read. A person who knows how to read can educate themselves in any area of life they are interested in. We live in an age where we overflow with information, but reading is the main way to take advantage of it.

Reading develops the creative side of people. When reading to children, stop every once in a while and ask them what they think is going to happen next. Get them thinking about the story. When it is finished, ask if they could think of a better ending or anything that would have improved it. If they really liked the story, encourage them to illustrate it with their own drawings or to make up a different story with the same characters. Get the creative juices flowing!

Reading is fundamental in developing a good self-image. Non-readers or poor readers often have low opinions of themselves and their abilities. Oftentimes, they feel as if the world is against them. They feel isolated [everybody else can read - which isn't true] and behavior problems can surface. They can perform poorly in other subjects because they cannot read and understand the material.  Often the reader tends to "give up."

There is an old saying, "The pen is mightier than the sword." Ideas written down have changed the destiny of men and nations for better or worse. The flow of ideas cannot be stopped. We need to read and research to build on the good ideas and expose the bad ideas before they bring destruction. Only by reading can we be armed in this never-ending, life-and-death struggle.

Picture stories are enjoyable, they set the scene or context, they inform us, they interest us, and they are a key resource. To be even more specific, picture stories are also common in everyday life. Look at the cartoon strips in newspapers or comic books and the enjoyment which we derive from them.

Picture stories are often neglected or used in a very predictable way in learning, usually as a starting point for a narrative speaking and ultimately writing activity, but they can also be of key importance in the communicative and interactive reading lesson.

As well as enjoying pictures they also form a key resource for accessing the different learning styles that each student has. Using pictures really appeals to visual learners who may suffer in a speaking and listening based classroom. They also offer an opportunity for movement and a multi-dimensional perspective which will reach our kinaesthetic learners.

Pictures aren't based on level. Of course we can choose certain pictures to access a certain area of vocabulary if we wish but any picture can be the base of any kind of activity at any level. Reading stories can restrict our students but an elementary learner can access the most complex story through pictures so lower levels don't 'miss out' on the 'exciting' stories that the higher levels are looking at.

Of course, as we take our enjoyment from pictures in everyday life so our students take enjoyment from the pictures in the story. They will add a touch of intrigue to the class and make the lesson much more dynamic as imaginations are aroused. This is especially useful with those students who find it difficult to use their imaginations. The picture story provides a support and ideas which the students can then build on more easily than inventing their own story all together.

Having realized the value of pictures in enhancing the child’s comprehension of a reading text, this study has proposed an innovation in instruction using picture stories.

Finally, why is reading important? Reading is important because words - spoken and written - are the building blocks of life. You are, right now, the result of words that you have heard or read and believed about yourself. What you become in the future will depend on the words you believe about yourself now. People, families, relationships, and even nations are built from words.