Reading+Strategies

Review the reading strategies that you have been practicing:
 * Information: Reading**

‍‍**Before Reading**

 * **Activate prior knowledge** : think about what you already know about the topic—brainstorm related ideas, concepts, vocabulary, and previous experiences.
 * **Anticipation** : predict what the text will be about based on a quick scan of the passage’s title, subtitles, introductory and conclusion sentences or paragraphs, and graphics. Ask some questions that you think will be answered by the text. Decide what your purpose for reading this text is, and then dive in to reading to see if your prediction is right!

‍‍**During Reading**

 * **Track and record** : after reading a small section of material, stop and think about what that chunk was about. Look for the 5 Ws: //Who is the text about? What is the topic of the text? When are the events happening? Where are the events in the text occurring? Why is this topic important?// Write a brief statement that restates the main point of each section. Continue until you have completed the whole task—you will have excellent summary notes!
 * **Locate specific info** : “speed up and slow down!” To find specific information in a resource such as a reference such as a textbook, scan the table of contents to decide where to start reading, turn to the appropriate page, examine the headings and subheadings, and then skim through the section looking for key words and phrases related to the topic. Once you have located the appropriate section, slow down for a closer reading and use of the glossary to help you find and understand the information and supporting details (adapted from Think Literacy 2003 p80)
 * After Reading**
 * **Identify:** the main idea of the passage and any opinions/ arguments/ persuasive elements that may exist, and draw conclusions about what the information means.
 * **Make personal connections:** was your prediction accurate? Did your questions get answered? If they did, write down the answers. If they didn’t, how could you find the answers? Decide if you agree/ disagree with the author and/ or the issues in the passage. State how this information applies to you personally.

=‍‍**Reading Strategies**:=


 * Before reading a text, here are some helpful hints:**
 * Are there pictures in the text? What do the pictures tell us about the text?
 * Are there different font sizes? What is the purpose of the larger fonts?
 * Are there any bolded fonts? Why are they bolded?
 * Are some words in color? Are the colors significant?
 * Are there sections in the text? If so, how many? What is purpose of the sections?
 * Is there a headline or title? What does the headline or title suggest about the content of the text?
 * Do any punctuation marks stand out? What is the function of these punctuation marks?
 * Are there any marginal notes? What information is provided in the margin notes?
 * Are there boxes with questions at the top, bottom, sides of the text? What is the purpose of these questions?
 * Are there graphs, tables or charts? What is the purpose of these graphic organizers?


 * The next step is to ask yourself these questions BEFORE reading:**
 * What clues does the title/subtitle reveal?
 * Based on the genre of writing, how will you read this selection?
 * What expectations do you have when you read anecdotes?
 * What information do you know about the topic?
 * What information could be researched to deepen your understanding of the text?
 * Why are you reading this article? What is your goal?
 * What information do you hope this anecdote will include?
 * What questions do you hope this anecdote will answer?
 * Why do you think the author wrote this anecdote?
 * When you scan the text features - title, subtitle, headings, illustrations, captions, bold print, italicized phrases, what details can be collected to help you prepare for reading?

During reading strategies focus on skills you use to monitor your understanding of the text. Readers develop during reading strategies in order to extract meaning from text. Here are some questions to use DURING reading:
 * During Reading**

What do you understand from the paragraph you just read? Could you summarize its key ideas? What words represent the key ideas? What clues in this paragraph will help you understand that unfamiliar word? Do you need to reread the paragraph to understand what the author is saying? Do you need to slow down your reading in order to understand the ideas? What strategies can you use to unlock the meanings in this text? What images can you visualize using text details in order to build your understanding? Do you need to stop and check the dictionary for an unfamiliar word? Is it essential to know its definition in order to understand the main ideas of the article? Or can you read on?

STRATEGIES DURING READING:

1. ASK QUESTIONS: Ask yourself these types of questions:

What can I ask myself as I read this text to help me understand? Does this make sense? How does this information connect to what I already know? What does the writer say about…? What does the writer mean by…? I still need answers to the question…

2. UNDERSTAND THE TEXT: To help in your understanding of what you read, think aloud using the following prompts:

At a tricky part in the text, I… I need to pause to think about… I need to take a closer look at… Should I break the text into “chunks” I need to summarize as I read I need to discuss what I have read.

3. MAKE INFERENCES: Think aloud using the following prompts:

How can I read between the lines? Based on what I have just read, I now realize… The evidence that supports my thinking is… I can now conclude… I think… because

4. VISUALIZE: To better understand while reading, think aloud using the following prompts:

I pictured what … might look like. I created a mental image of… I used the images to help me…

5. MAKE CONNECTIONS: Ask yourself how can I use what I already know to help me understand this text? Make connections to the following:

Your own experience. To other texts you have read. To the world. Then think aloud using the following prompts: I already know about… This text reminds me of… This compares to… This text is different from… because… This section made me think about...

6. THINK TO READ: When you get to an unfamiliar word or section, do the following:

Look at photographs, diagrams, tables, or charts. Reread for meaning. Use context and clues for hints. Skip and return. Pause and ask questions.

7. TAKE GOOD NOTES by underlining or highlighting words and phrases:

Underline or highlight the main idea(s) Underline or highlight key words Underline or highlight symbols, colours …

‍‍Finding the Main Idea
The main idea of a paragraph is the point of the passage, minus all the details. It's the big picture - the Solar System vs. the planets. The football game vs. the fans, cheerleaders, quarterback, and uniforms. The Oscars vs. actors, the red carpet, designer gowns, and films.

After you've read the passage, summarize it in one sentence that includes the gist of ever idea from the paragraph. A good way to do this is to pretend you have just ten words to tell someone what the passage was about. You'd have to think broadly, so you could included every detail in just a short statement. If you read through a paragraph and you have no idea how to summarize it because there is so much information, start looking for repeated words, phrases, ideas or similar ideas.
 * How to Find the Main Idea**
 * Summarize the Passage
 * Look for Repetition of Ideas
 * Main ideas are often found at the beginning of paragraphs or in the concluding sentence.

‍‍CLUES FOR FINDING ANSWERS IN THE TEXT
ON THE LINES Some questions can be answered by “reading on the lines”; the answer is right there in the text. The question asks for literal information from the selection such as details, facts and information stated by the author. Some “question starters” that ask for literal knowledge are give, list, find, describe, tell, retell, and what. To answer a question “on the line”: • Find the words used to create the question. • Look at the other words in that sentence to find the answer.

AMONG THE LINES The answers to some questions are to be found by “reading among the lines.” This type of question has an answer in the text, but this answer requires information from more than one sentence or paragraph. Some “question starters” that ask for literal knowledge are list, compare, how, and summarize. To answer a question “among the lines”: • Find the words used to create the question. • Reread the sentences or paragraphs that contain the question words. • Look at the other words in the sentences or paragraphs to find the answer.

BETWEEN THE LINES Some questions ask you to “read between the lines”. This type of questions asks the reader to make inferences based on the ideas and information in the text. The answer might be found interpretively in the reader’s own background knowledge, but would not make sense unless the reader had read the text. Some “question starters,” that ask for inferences are why, how might, what do you think, explain, predict, and what might. To answer a question “between the lines”: • Look for key words and clues in the question. • Re-read that part of the text in which the author gives the clues needed to construct the answer. • Ask yourself: Is this what the author meant? Does this make sense?

BEYOND THE LINES The answers to some questions are not in the text at all: they are “beyond the lines.” This means searching for the answer in the reader’s own background knowledge. Some “question starters” that ask for interpretations are what can you learn from, how might you, what if, and is it fair that. To answer a question “beyond the lines”: • Read the question and identify the key words. • Identify your beliefs, experiences and knowledge that relate to the question. • Ask yourself: Would the author agree with this conclusion?