Helping with Reading

Not all students can understand what they have read. Good readers use some of the following strategies, and they can be used to help weak readers improve.

Before Reading — whet the appetite

• Preview the text. Look at any titles, pictures, or the print. Look for clues that might indicate what is ahead. Ask the student what they anticipate is going to happen from the clues that they observe.

• Ask them what they already know about what they are reading.

• Set a purpose for reading. Student should ask questions about what they want to learn as they are reading.

During Reading — know what is happening

• The student should be able to paraphrase what they have read. Start with paragraphs, then pages, and then chapters.

• Use context clues to determine what difficult words mean. Look for the answers in the surrounding text.

After Reading — review what has been said or what happened and why

• Summarize what has been said. Try to summarize content first and then summarize ideas and theme.

• Evaluate the ideas in the text. Ask whether the student agrees or likes what is going on. Get them involved in the thoughts of the writer.

• Apply the ideas to other situations. Make links to other stories that have been covered or that are within the student's experience.

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