Thinking About How You Read

Fix-up Strategi

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Metacognition:Thinking About How You Think

Before you can truly improve your reading skills, you need

to understand what happens in good readers’ minds while

they read.

You may even do these You may even do these things already. things already. You just donYou just don’’t know it…t know it…yetyet..

Metacognition Continued…

• Good readers have developed helpful strategies for reading.

• Strategies help readers understand, connect to, and determine the

importance of what they are reading.

• They also visualize, ask questions about, and read between the lines of

their text.

Why Use Strategies?

Strategies are your plan of attack when reading.

Strategies help you Strategies help you realize realize HOWHOW you are you are thinking so that you can thinking so that you can think more deeply and think more deeply and more consciously.more consciously.

Signs that you are not comprehending the text

• The current page has nothing to do with what you thought the big picture or author’s purpose was for the text.

• You cannot summarize the last few paragraphs or pages.

• Characters appear and you cannot remember who they are.

• The pictures inside your mind stop forming or moving.

• Your questions and inferences are not getting answered.

• Your mind wanders from the text; you read it but are thinking about something else.

Word Attack

1. Look at the pictures - 1. Look at the pictures - use the pictures to get use the pictures to get information that may information that may help you figure out the help you figure out the wordword 2. 2. Sound blending Sound blending

(look at the beginning (look at the beginning letters, look at the ending letters, look at the ending letters)letters)3. Use a Dictionary3. Use a Dictionary

4. Read Aloud4. Read Aloud

5. Ask for help5. Ask for help

Comprehension Fix-Up Strategies

• Make a Connection• Make a Prediction• Stop and Think about what you have already read• Ask a Question • Reflect in Writing• Visualize• Use Text Features• Retell what you’ve read• Reread• Notice Patterns in Text Structure• Adjust Your Reading Rate

Comprehension Fix-Up Strategies

1. Make a 1. Make a connection connection How does your….How does your…. Connect with…Connect with…

YourselfYourself

Other textsOther texts

The worldThe worldTextText

Comprehension Fix-Up Strategies

2. Make a 2. Make a PredictionPrediction As you read, think about As you read, think about

what might happen what might happen nextnext. . You should You should constantlyconstantly be making be making inferencesinferences and and predictionspredictions about about the plot!the plot!

When an event doesn’t match a prediction, good readers rethink and revise their thinking.

Comprehension Fix-Up Strategies

– Every so often, stop and think about what you have read.

** If you don’t remember anything you have

read, why continue? Pause and summarize in your head.

– Stopping and thinking gives readers time to synthesize new information. It allows them to ask questions, visualize, and determine what is important in the text.

3. 3. Stop and Think Stop and Think About What You Have Already About What You Have Already ReadRead

Comprehension Fix-Up Strategies

4. Ask 4. Ask questionsquestions

If you ask If you ask questions as you questions as you read, you will be read, you will be more more actively actively engaged engaged with the with the text. text.

You will be You will be looking for looking for answers to your answers to your questions, and will questions, and will remember what remember what you read.you read.

Comprehension Fix-Up Strategies

–Writing down what they think about what they’ve read allows readers to clarify their thinking.

– It is an opportunity to reflect. Readers better understand their reading when they have written about it.

– The writing may be a summary or a response. Sometimes just jotting down a few notes will clarify meaning.

5. 5. ReflectReflect in Writingin Writing

Comprehension Fix-Up Strategies

They use movies, television, and life to help them picture what is happening.

6. 6. VisualizeVisualize

When a reader can visualize what is happening, comprehension improves.

Good readers readers create images in their head to help them make sense of what the words are saying.

7. Use Text Features

• Text Features help the author convey intent. They help the reader determine what is important and what the author values.

• Text features give the reader insight into voice and how the author wants the piece to sound.

Key WordsKey WordsBold PrintBold Print

Italicized WordsItalicized Words

CAPITAL LETTERSCAPITAL LETTERSPunctuationPunctuation!!!!

8. Retell what you’ve read

Taking a moment to retell what has been read helps you to reflect on the text.

When readers can’t retell what they read, it is an indication that their mind has wandered and confusion has set in.

8. Reread the text

BUT…you don’t have to reread everything!

Sometimes rereading a portion of the text – a sentence, or even just a word – can help you understand.

It is It is OKOK to to reread text reread text that you’ve that you’ve

already read.already read.

9. Notice Patterns in Text Structure

Recognizing how a piece is organized helps readers locate information more quickly.

Most texts have specific organizational patterns.

10. Adjust Your Reading Rate

*It is okay to read faster when something is familiar.

Good readers select a rate based on the difficulty of the material, their purpose in reading it, and their familiarity with the topic.

*Slow down when the *Slow down when the material gets material gets difficultdifficult!!

Ask for Help

• If the fix-up strategies aren’t working or you don’t know which one to use…ask for help!

REMEMBERREMEMBER::

You may be using some or all You may be using some or all of these strategies already. of these strategies already. You just may not know it. You just may not know it. However, as you learn to read However, as you learn to read more complicated materials, more complicated materials, you WILL NEED to use these you WILL NEED to use these strategies purposefully. strategies purposefully.

SO PRACTICE!SO PRACTICE!