The Reading Process

Factors which lead to increased comprehension of texts Creating a book rich environment Modeling and explicit instruction Needs-based instruction Establishing a home-school connection Developing motivation

The Reading process Before Reading Previews the text Activates prior knowledge Sets a purpose for reading Makes predictions

The Reading process During Reading Focuses attention Monitors their comprehension by: asking questions rereading Interacting with the text (note-taking, post-it notes. response journals) Makes personal connections Creates pictures Checks previous predictions, makes new predictions

The importance of questioning Questioning strategies allow students to comprehend what they read and to become aware of what they are and what they are not comprehending Questioning strategies help develop student’s metacognition. Students begin to internalize the ability to ask questions while reading.

The Reading process After reading Reflects on what was read. Summarizes the major ideas. Interprets and evaluates the ideas in the text. Synthesizes information from a variety of texts to produce their own opinions. Moves beyond the text and applies new information/knowledge to a broader social context.

Active readers: Activate relevant prior knowledge (schema) before, during and after reading text (Anderson and Pearson, 1984). Create visual and other sensory images from text during and after reading (Pressley, 1976). Draw inferences from text to form conclusions, make critical judgments, and create unique interpretations (Hansen 1981). Ask questions of themselves, the authors, and the texts they read (Raphael, 1984). Determine the most important ideas and themes in a text (Palinscar and Brown, 1984). Synthesize what they read (Brown, Day, and Jones, 1983).