Title: Top 10 Reading
1Top 10 Reading Strategies
Karen Silvestri, Instructional Specialist Robeson
Community College
2Reading IS Thinking The purpose of reading is
understanding.
Active readers ENGAGE with the text!
3Strategic Thinking
- Think about what you read.
- Develop an awareness of your thinking.
- Use strategies to help you comprehend what you
are reading.
4Top 10 Reading Strategies
- Make Inferences Then Draw Conclusions
- Summarize and Synthesize
- Check Your Understanding
- Build Fluency
- Connect to the Text
- Ask Questions
- Expand Vocabulary
- Predict Prove
- Sense It
- Decide Whats Important
5Strategy 1 Connect to the Text
Build a Bridge from the New to the Known Ways to
connect Text to Self Text
to Text Text to World
6This reminds me of This is similar to The
differences are This part is like This setting
reminds me of This character makes me think
of I also (name something in the text that also
happened to you) I never (name something in the
text that has never happened to you)
7Strategy 2 Ask Questions
Ask yourself questions as you read! Questioning
is the strategy that keeps readers engaged. When
readers ask questions, they clarify understanding
and forge ahead to make meaning. Asking
questions is at the heart of thoughtful reading.
Harvey and Goudvis
What does this mean? What would happen if? What
will happen next? Why did the author include this?
8Why.? Why did? Who is? What would happen
if? What does this section mean? Do you think
that? How is this (detail) like this (detail)?
9Strategy 3 Expand Vocabulary
The larger the readers vocabulary (either oral
or print), the easier it is to make sense of the
text. Report of the National Reading Panel
- Highlight unknown words.
- Break confusing words down.
- Place the word in its context.
- Keep a list of new words.
- Commit to learning one new word per day.
10Strategy 4 Predict and Prove (Guess and Check)
Research suggests that when students make
predictions their understanding increases and
they are more interested in the reading
material. Fielding, Anderson, Pearson, Hanson
Good readers anticipate whats coming next.
When readers predict, they are aware when
meaning is breaking down. When an event doesnt
match a prediction, good readers rethink and
revise their thinking.
11I think that I predict that I wonder if I bet
that Reading this part makes me think that this
(detail) is about to happen. Since this happened
(detail), then I believe the next thing that is
going to happen is
12How to preview reading assignments
- Read the title.
- Check the author and the source of articles and
essays. - Read the introduction or the first paragraph.
- Read each boldface (dark print) heading.
- Read the first sentence under each major heading.
- Note any typographical aids.
- Note any graphic aids.
- Read the last paragraph or summary.
- Read quickly any end-of-article or end-of-chapter
material.
13Strategy 5 Sense It
Visualizing A Tool to Enhance
Understanding Visualizing is a comprehension
strategy that enables readers to make the words
on a page real and concrete. Keene and Zimmerman
Engage with the text by creating pictures in your
mind.
14Strategy 6 Decide Whats Important
Thoughtful readers grasp essential ideas and
important information when reading. Readers must
differentiate between less important ideas and
key ideas that are central to the meaning of the
text. Harvey and Goudvis
- Sort out the most important details.
- Highlight the key points in the text.
15Reading Strategy Tip Highlighting
- Highlight main ideas and only key supporting
details. - Avoid highlighting complete sentences.
- Use the 15-25 rule (highlight no more than
15-25). - Use the highlighter to EMPHASIZE key words.
- Look for lines that cause you to ask a question
- Look for lines that you relate to personally
- Look for lines that strike a chord in you
whether or not you know why! - Look for words that confuse you or are unfamiliar.
16Strategy 7 Make Inferences Then Draw
Conclusions
Inferring is at the intersection of taking what
is known, garnering clues from the text, and
thinking ahead to make a judgment, discern a
theme, or speculate about what is to come.Harvey
and Goudvis
- Think ahead!
- Make a guess!
- Read the clues and draw a conclusion.
17Reading Strategy Tip Annotating
- Circle unknown words
- Mark off definitions with the notation def
- Mark off examples with the notation ex
- Number lists of ideas, causes, reasons, or events
- Place asterisks () next to important passages
- Put question marks next to confusing passages
- Mark off possible test questions
- Write comments and notes in the margins
- Mark off summary statements with the notation sum
18Strategy 8 Summarize and Synthesize
Synthesizing is putting together separate parts
into a new whole.a process akin to working a
jigsaw puzzle. Harvey and Goudvis
- What you already know
- What you dont know
- What you learned from the text
19Reading Strategy Tip Summarizing
- Highlight or write brief notes on the material.
- Write one sentence that states the writers
overall concern or most important idea. - Be sure to paraphrase, using your own words
rather than those of the author. - Review the major supporting information that the
author gives to explain the major idea. - The amount of detail you include, if any, depends
on your purpose for writing the summary. - Normally, present ideas in the summary in the
same order in which they appeared in the original
material. - If the writer presents a clear opinion or
expresses an attitude toward the subject matter,
include it in your summary.
20Strategy 9 Check Your Understanding
If confusion disrupts meaning, readers need to
stop and clarify their understanding. Readers
may use a variety of strategies to fix up
comprehension when meaning goes awry. Harvey and
Goudvis
When you start to lose focus, use fix-up
strategies!
21Fix-Up Strategies
- Source Tovani, Cris. Do I Really Have to Teach
Reading? - A fix-up strategy is any strategy used by a
reader to help get unstuck when the text becomes
confusing. - Make a connection between the text and your life,
your knowledge of the world, another text. - Make a prediction.
- Stop and think about what you have already read.
- Ask yourself a question and try to answer it.
- Reflect in writing about what you have read.
22More Fix-Ups
- Use a highlighter to mark confusing passages.
- Annotate (notes in the margins).
- Use sticky notes to write notes on confusing
passages or words. - Visualize.
- Retell to someone what youve read.
- Reread.
- Adjust your reading rate slow down or speed up.
23Strategy 10 Build Fluency
Fluency is important because it frees students
to understand what they read. Report of the
National Reading Panel
Active readers are able to read with speed,
accuracy, and proper expression.
24Strengthening your comprehension
- Analyze the time and place in which you are
reading. - Rephrase each paragraph in your own words.
- Read aloud sentences or sections that are
particularly difficult. - Reread difficult or complicated sections.
- Slow down your reading rate.
- Write guide questions next to headings.
- Write a brief outline of major points.
- Highlight key ideas.
- Write notes in the margins (annotate).
- Determine if you lack background knowledge.