Are you looking for strategies to help students who have trouble identifying supporting details while reading? If so, keep reading.

1. Get the learner to find the main idea of each paragraph. Then have the learner list all information from the paragraph that relates to the main idea.

2. Teach the learner mapping techniques to find supporting details.

3. Give the learner a diagram in which supporting details are like the legs of a bug. The learner can learn to make “bug notes” in this way: An oval shape is the bug’s body on which the teacher writes the main idea of a paragraph. Then each supporting detail is written on a line coming out from the oval. These represent the bug’s legs. The number of legs each bug has depends on the number of supporting details there are for a given topic.

4. Get the learner to pretend to be a detective and play the game Prove It. After reading a selection, the main idea is determined and written on the smartboard. The learner must “prove it” by telling the supporting details that were discovered in the reading selection.

5. Praise the learner for identifying supporting details: (a) give the learner a concrete reward (e.g., privileges such as leading the line, handing out learning materials, 10 minutes of free time, etc.) or (b) give the learner an informal reward (e.g., praise, handshake, smile, etc.).

6. Converse with the learner to explain: (a) what the learner is doing wrong and (b) what the learner should be doing.

7. Connect with parents (e.g., notes home, phone calls, etc.) to disseminate information about the learner’s progress. The parents may reinforce the learner at home for discovering supporting details at school.

8. Get the learner to question any directions, explanations, and instructions not grasped.

9. Assess the appropriateness of the task to ascertain (a) if the task is too complicated and (b) if the duration of time scheduled to finish the task is sufficient.

10. Select a peer to model discovering supporting details for the learner and to assist the learner with instructions, etc.

11. Indicate what is to be done for the conclusion of the task (e.g., indicate definite starting and stopping points, indicate minimum requirements, etc.).

12. Get the learner to be a peer tutor to teach another learner a concept they have learned.

13. Consider using AI to teach reading comprehension.

14. Consider using Alexa to teach reading skills.

15. Try using one of our many apps designed to teach literacy skills and help students with reading issues:

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