Reading in schools takes up more than 80% of the school day. Finding meaning in any text requires us to think about how we think.** We must once again use these four basic elements:
| Plan and Organize
skim and preview tasks breakdown the parts decide how to proceed |
Self-Monitor
check your progress troubleshoot problems ask for help when truly ‘stuck’ |
| Self Reflect
assess our strategies Think-Pair-Share-Compare with others |
Direct Our Own Learning
know what we know know what we need to move forward |
In reading we must look also across 5 reading components: pre-read, read, reread, summarize, and evaluate. Our focusing/questioning strategies may include the following
Pre-Read
- Examine the cover, tile, illustrations, main headings, etc. What the text about?
- Understand your purpose. What might you learn from this topic?
- What invited you to be curious about this text?
- How does it fit into what you already know about this topic?
Reading
- What are the main ideas in what you are reading?
- In fiction who are the main characters, setting, etc.?
- In non fiction what is the focus of the author?
- What is the author’s motive in writing this?
- What images/personal movies help you understand this writing?
Reread
- What additional information do you find when you reread the text?
- What notes/mind maps/outlines have you made to help you process the information?
Summarize
- What are the most important events/ideas in what you are reading?
- What are the most important why, who, what, when, where, and how?
- How clear is the intent or theme of the text?
Evaluate
- Why did the author write this selection? Explain your opinion. Back it up with facts from the selection.
- For non fiction what is the author’s source of information? How valid is it?
- What are your personal thoughts on the selection?
** These skills will take time to implement, but with practice they will help students become independent thinkers.