Learning By Design Podcast | The Masterpiece Academy

If you want your child not only to read the words but truly understand what they read, this episode provides the blueprint. Literacy coach and educator Krishna Cart breaks down five simple, research-backed strategies parents can use at home to build real comprehension skills. No worksheets. No overwhelm. Just practical tools that work.

What This Episode Helps You Do

• Support your child’s reading growth with confidence.
• Ask purposeful questions before, during, and after reading.
• Teach the main idea and key details without frustration.
• Help your child infer, think deeply, and stay engaged.
• Turn everyday moments into literacy boosters.

Inside the Episode

Why Comprehension Matters More Than Ever

Reading isn’t just sounding out words. Children need to make sense of things, connect ideas, and think critically. Research indicates that parent involvement and thoughtful conversations during reading can significantly enhance comprehension and motivation.

The 5 Proven Strategies

1. Ask Questions Before, During, and After Reading

Purposeful questions spark thinking and keep your child engaged. Choose two or three questions and rotate them to build a routine.

Sound Bite:
“Questions turn reading into thinking. That’s where comprehension really grows.”

2. Clarify Main Idea and Key Details

Children often latch onto fun facts instead of the big picture. Learn a simple way to help them summarize in one or two sentences and support it with evidence.

Sound Bite:
“Once a child can name the big idea, everything else starts to make sense.”

3. Model & Encourage Inferencing

Inference is reading between the lines. When you think aloud, you show your child how readers connect clues with background knowledge.

Sound Bite:
“Your child learns to infer when you let them hear your thinking.”

4. Make Reading a Conversation, Not a Quiz

Reading time should feel safe and curious, not like a test. Use open-ended sentence starters to encourage more in-depth discussion.

Sound Bite:
“Shift the goal from correct answers to honest thinking.”

5. Use Everyday Reading Moments

Comprehension doesn’t only grow during story time. Recipes, signs, instructions, articles, and everyday tasks all offer chances to practice.

Sound Bite:
“Real-life reading builds real-life comprehension.”

Who This Episode Is For

• Parents who want simple ways to help at home.
• Kids who decode well but don’t always understand.
• Families building better reading habits.
• Anyone craving practical, research-based tools.

Episode Notes

• Core theme: Meaningful comprehension grows when kids connect new information to what they already know.
• Key research: Parent involvement and purposeful questions have a stronger impact on comprehension than simply reading more.
• Action tools: Question stems, main idea cards, think-alouds, and everyday literacy routines.

Want to Go Deeper? Join the Parent Literacy Workshop

Join us on November 30!

Reserve your spot today at the Family Literacy Event in One Loudoun in Ashburn, VA!

Learn how to:

• Practice high-impact question stems
• Support writing at home
• Use phonics and phonemic awareness games
• Build a strong home literacy environment
• Take home a full Parent Toolkit with guides and templates

Reserve your spottoday at Masterpiece Academy.

Final Takeaway

You don’t need to be a teacher to raise a strong reader. You just need curiosity, good questions, and consistent conversations. Episode 18 shows you exactly where to start.