Becoming an Active Reader To really appreciate literature you have to be able to understand what you're reading. The strategies that we will learn today can help you unlock the meaning of all kinds of texts.

Preview Preview: look at the title, the pictures, and the first paragraph. What do they tell you about what you’re about to read?

Set a Purpose Set a Purpose: Know why you are reading- for information, for enjoyment, or to understand a process. When you set a purpose for reading, you’re defining your specific reading goals and deciding what you, as a reader, need to do to meet those goals. Having a clear purpose in mind can help you choose texts to read and get the most out of them. Often you will have multiple purposes for reading, and they may even change as you read.

Connect Connect: Think about whether the characters or situations remind you of people or experiences in your own life.

Use Prior Knowledge Use Prior Knowledge: Jot down what you already know about a topic. Use these notes to help you make sense of what you read.

Predict Predict: Guess what will happen next. Look for details in the selection that serve as clues Predictions are educated guesses about what will happen next in a story. You make predictions based on a combination of prior knowledge and information in the text. When you get new information as you read, you may need to adjust the predictions you made earlier. Don’t worry if your predictions aren’t always correct- part of the fun of reading is being surprised.

Visualize Visualize: Picture the scene in your mind, using the writer’s descriptions of settings, characters, and events.

Monitor Monitor: Check your understanding as you read. Read a passage of the text, such as a paragraph or section. Then pause. Ask yourself, “What just happened?” or “What did the writer just explain?” Answer in your own words. If you are able to answer well in your own words, continue reading. If you are unable to answer, go to step 4. Use the “fix-it” strategies to “repair” your comprehension.

Fix-It Strategies What Happened? How Do I Fix It? First, try to figure out why you didn’t get the meaning from the text. Ask yourself the following questions: When you’ve figured out what caused your difficulty, use these strategies to get back on track: 1.Did you read to fast? 1. Read the passage again more slowly and carefully. 2. Are there unfamiliar words in the passage? 2. Try to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words. Use a dictionary if necessary. 3. Have new ideas been introduced? 3. Consult a reference source, such as an encyclopedia or trustworthy website, if there are ideas you don’t understand. 4. Did you forget key information from earlier in the text? 4. Re-read earlier passages to refresh your memory about key details.

Make Inferences Make Inferences: Make logical guesses about characters and events by considering details in the text and your own experiences. Use the details from the text. + What you know = Inference (educated guess)

Try It Open your literature books to page 13. With your group members read the short story “The Circuit” As a group discuss and answer the “ Close Read” questions along the right hand side of the text. Record your answers on a piece of paper. Every group member should write down his/her own answers.