Reading is a transaction between the text and the reader. As students read, they search for and construct meaning based on what they bring to the text and what the text brings to them.
It is important to develop fluent and proficient readers who are knowledgeable about the reading process. Effective readers are active readers who use a repertoire of comprehension strategies before, during, and after interacting with texts. Proficient readers bring their backgrounds to the reading, have a plan for comprehending a range of texts, interact with the texts (building interpretations as they read), and shape their responses based on their reading.
Before reading
Strategic readers preview the text by looking at the title and the text to evoke relevant thoughts, memories, and associations. They build background by questioning themselves to see what they already know about the topic, the form in which the topic is presented, and the vocabulary that might communicate the ideas about the topic. They set purposes for reading by asking themselves what they want to learn or experience by reading the selection.
During reading
Strategic readers create a dialogue with the author, striving to reformulate what the author is saying. They check their understanding of the text by paraphrasing the author’s words and they monitor it by imagining, inferring, predicting, and confirming. They integrate their new understanding with existing knowledge. They are continually revising their purposes for reading as they read.
After reading
Strategic readers summarize what they have been reading and contemplate their first impressions. They reflect and take second looks to develop more thoughtful and critical interpretations of the text. Finally, they make applications of the ideas encountered in the text by extending these ideas to broader perspectives.
