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Reading Success Strategies

Reading

Before Reading Strategies:

  1. Tap Prior Knowledge
    • Ask students to free write what they know about different topics/concepts you list for a chapter.
    • Ask students to write statements in response to the KWL strategy:
      • What do I Know?
      • What do I Want to learn?
      • What have I Learned? (during or after reading- see "react to the text" below)
    Fun Fact! What students already know about topics is an indicator of how well they'll learn!
  2. Pre-teach Important Concepts What's the most central thing students should take from this reading? What's difficult about it? Why?
    • Provide overviews using visual aids/visual data tools.
    • Ask students to create a glossary or wiki of keywords (BB tools have both).
    Fun Fact! A reader must know 85% of the words in a text to fully comprehend it.
  3. Read with a Purpose Readers who approach a text with a clear purpose may be more successful in making sense of what they read and obtaining relevant information. How?
    • Ask students to post a "reading focus" statement or prediction.
    • Ask students to create an annotation guide which includes supporting details.

During Reading Strategies:

  1. Find the big picture Ask students to
    • Skim the chapter noting headings and subheadings.
    • Create an idea map of main idea and major supporting details.
  2. React to the text Reacting to a text is one of the most effective ways to understand and retain information from a reading. How? Ask students to:
    • Connect ideas with something already known or previously experienced. How does this relate to your life? Something you've seen, heard or read before?
    • Make a simple comments, "How could this happen?" "How amazing that they figured this out"
    • Make a complex comment, "What would happen if... "
  3. Annotate for comprehension more than "taking notes" - there's strategy behind good annotation. How? Ask students to:
    • Turn headings and subheadings into questions to answer as they read.
    • Restate main ideas in their own words using complete sentences.
    • Find support for those main ideas.
    • Summarize paragraphs or sections in their own words.
    • Read with class- or instructor-created annotation guide.
    • Create visual aids as they read.

After Reading Strategies:

  1. Ask students to answer simple follow-up questions, and then put in groups to compare/contrast
    • What was surprising to you?
    • What was confusing to you?
    • What was important?
    • What vocabulary words are essential to your understanding of the material?
  2. Provide follow-up discussions Ask students to make connections to the text.
    • How does this relate to your life?
    • What was confusing to you?
    Fun Fact! Reading comprehension strategies all revolve around a reader's awareness of interacting with the text.

 


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