----Reading Comprehension Strategies
We will be practicing these strategies throughout the school year. Try to use
these smart reading strategies at home, too!
1.Connections
What connections do I make as a reader?
Good readers notice pieces of text that relate to or remind them of:
- Their lives, past experiences, and prior knowledge
- Other books, articles, movies, songs, or pieces of writing
- Events, people, or issues
Thinking Tips :
- That reminds me of...
- This made me think of...
- I read another book that...
- This is different from...
- I remember when...
2. Visualize
Good readers create pictures in their minds while they read.
While reading, note places where you get a clear picture in your mind that
helps you understand the text:
- I can picture...
- I can see the...
- I can visualize...
- The movie in my head shows...
Use your senses to connect the characters, events, and ideas to clarify the
picture in your head.
- I can taste/hear/smell the...
- I can feel the...
3. Ask Questions
Good readers ask questions before, during, and after reading to better
understand the author and the meaning of the text.
Ask questions of the author, yourself, and the text:
- What is the author trying to say?
- What is the message of this piece?
- Do I know something about this topic?
- What do I think I will learn from this text?
- How could this be explained to someone else?
- What predictions do I have about this reading?
4. Infer
How do I read between the lines?
WHen the answers are "right there," good readers draw conclusions based on
background knowledge and clues in the text.
Ask yourself:
- I wonder why...
- I wonder how...
- I wonder if...
Find information from the text that might be clues to the answers and use
these with your background knowledge for possible answers.
5. Determine Importance
What's the big idea?
Good readers look for things that help them identify big ideas and why they
are important.
Look at text features for clues:
- Titles & headings
- Bold print
- Pictures and captions
- Graphs and charts
- Chapter objectives and questions
Thinking Tips:
- The big idea is...
- Most important information is...
- So far I've learned...
- The author is saying...
- This idea is similar to...
6. Synthesize
How do I use what I've read to create my own ideas?
Good readers combine new information from their reading with existing
knowledge in order to form new ideas or interpretations.
Synthesis is creating a single understanding from a variety of sources.
Thinking Tips:
- Compare & contrast what I'm reading with what I already know or other
sources of information
- Think of new ways to use this information
- Can connections I make across this text help me to create new
generalizations or new perspectives?