Every time my students read, I ask them an important question. Is what you read informational (expository) or did it have a beginning, middle, and an end (narrative)? From their answer I give them a fill-in-the-blank graphic organizer form that they can use to take notes from the passage they read.(See Ten Minutes to Better Study Skills)
This step helps them to utilize and internalize what they have read. The next step is to have them write a summary paragraph of what they read. I have them use the notes they took. Finally, I have my students answer the questions that relate to the story or passage, checking their comprehension.