Reading Strategies

Extending vocabulary What is it? Essentially it is building your vocabulary and your recognition of new and unfamiliar words. How do I do it? As you read, underline or highlight words that you have never seen before or do not understand. Use context clues to help you define the word. If this doesn’t work, find the definition in a dictionary. Write the definition beside the word in the margin and re- read the section with the new word in it. Keep track of your extended vocabulary. Create a word wall in your notebook and apply this strategy to each article you read.

Skimming and scanning What is it? Skimming means to read quickly- horizontally- through the text to get an understanding of the main idea. Scanning means to read quickly- vertically or diagonally to find single words, facts, dates, names or details. How do I do it? Before you read an article, skim it for main idea, scan it for facts and dates. This will help you better understand the text as a whole when you read it. You should also skim and scan to help you answer questions after reading.

Using context to find meaning What is it? Using context means to find clues from the text to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words and concepts. http://education-ortal.com/academy/lesson/how-to-use-context-to-determine-the-meaning-of-words.html#lesson

Identify most/least important ideas and information WHY? Successful readers are able to determine relevant vs. irrelevant details when reading informational texts. Less successful readers tend to lump all details into the same together. Being able to sort important facts from the less important ones is a critical skill in developing deeper understanding of content area reading. HOW? After reading, list as many facts/details from a piece of content text as you can recall. After listing them, sort the facts/details into two piles: Relevant and Irrelevant based on the original purpose for reading.