Tips to being an active reader

Preview the Text

Preview the Cover

• Bet you’ve heard the old saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”–But actually you can!

Preview the Cover

• Look at the cover and ask yourself these questions:– What clues about the story to I get from the title?– What clues about the story do I get from the

pictures on the front and back cover?– Who wrote the book? Have I read books by this

author before?– How is the story described in the inside the jacket

flaps?

Preview the Title

• If you are reading a novel look at the title and ask yourself the following questions:–What does the title mean?–What reasons could the writer have for

choosing the title?–Based on the title what do I predict will

happen in the story?

Some other good things to preview before you read

• Preview the Table of Contents• Preview Any Pictures,

Illustrations, Photographs, Charts or Maps• Preview Captions

Make Predictions

• As you read, your brain is always trying to figure out what’s coming next in the story. • As a result you make predictions

before you read and while you read.

Make Predictions

• If you are reading a novel or a story, ask yourself the following questions:–“Based on what I know and clues in the

story, what do I think will happen next?”–How accurate were my predictions?”–What new predictions can I make using

the facts I just read?

Make Predictions

•Let’s practice previewing and making predictions!

The Supreme Court: The Highest Court in the Land

• 1. Preview the passage.• 2. Make predictions• 3. Read the passage to confirm or

change your predictions.

Set a Purpose for Reading

• Why are you reading?– To confirm– To discover opinions– To get facts– To get instructions– To have fun– To learn new information– To learn new vocabulary– To review notes

Setting a Purpose for Reading Shapes the Way You Read

• When you read to study, you read slowly so you understand and remember the material.

• If you are reading to be entertained, you read more quickly and might even skim over parts of the story in your haste to see how it turns out.

Build Your Own Terrarium

• Why would you want to read this?– To confirm– To discover opinions– To get facts– To get instructions– To have fun– To learn new information– To learn new vocabulary– To review notes

Baby in a Crib

• Why would you want to read this?– To confirm– To discover opinions– To get facts– To get instructions– To have fun– To learn new information– To learn new vocabulary– To review notes

Use What You Know

• You can use what you know to make your reading easier and more fun!

• Connecting new facts with prior knowledge helps you remember new information when you study it.

• After you preview, predict, and set a purpose for reading, take a few minutes to jot down notes about what you already know about the passage.

Use What You Know

• You can arrange your ideas on a KWL chart like this one:

What I Know What I Want to Know What I Learned

The Statue of LibertyWhat I Know What I Want to Know What I Learned

Skim the Text

• Skimming is a very fast method of reading that lets you glance at a passage to get the main idea or to find key points.

• Skimming isn’t a substitute for a complete reading. Skim before you read the text…not instead of reading it.

Skim the Text• Follow these steps as you skim read:– 1. Preview the text by looking at the title, subheadings,

pictures, and captions.– 2. Make predictions and set a purpose for reading.– 3. Start skimming by running your eyes across the page.

Try to read as fast as you can.– 4. Focus on key words. These will be nouns and verbs.– 5. Look for facts you need. These will often be in the first

and last sentences.– 6. Pause at the end of every passage to restate the

meaning in your own words.

A Night to Remember

• Skim the following passage to get a general idea of its meaning.

• What is the general idea?

Find the Main Idea

• “What’s your point?”• When you find the main idea, you know the

author’s point.• This helps you understand the whole passage

more clearly.• The stated main idea is a paragraph is also

called the topic sentence.

Find a Stated Main Idea

• Use the following steps to find the stated main idea in a paragraph:– 1. Find the topic or subject of the paragraph.– 2. Look for a sentence that tells about the topic. It

will explain what the entire paragraph is about.– 3. Check to see if the sentence tells what the

paragraph is about.

Let’s look at examples of main ideas found in the beginning,

middle, and end of paragraphs then give it a try.

Find an Unstated Main Idea

• Follow these steps:–1. Find the topic or subject of the

paragraph.–2. Look for details that relate to the

topic.–3. Make an educated guess about the

main idea from the details.

Egypt, Land of Pyramids

• Give it a try:– 1. Find the topic or subject of the paragraph.

– 2. Look for details that relate to the topic.

– 3. Make an educated guess about the main idea from the details.

Find Key Details

• Be a detective and find clues. These clues are details, words that tell who, what, when , where, why, and how.

• Details are small pieces of information that support the main idea.

• Details tell about people, events, things, time, objects, situations, or the way something happened.

Find Key Details

• Details will fall into these 6 main categories:– 1. Examples– 2. Facts– 3. Statistics– 4. Reasons– 5. Definitions– 6. Descriptions

Find Key Details

• Follow these steps to find the key details in a paragraph:– Step 1: Identify the topic– Step 2: Identify the main idea– Step 3: Find details that back up the main idea

Blue Jeans

• Let’s use this graphic organizer to help find details:

Main Ideas:

Who?

What?

Where?

How?

When?

Why?

Girl Scout National Centers

• Let’s use this graphic organizer to help find details:

Main Ideas:

Who?

What?

Where?

How?

When?

Why?

Summarize What You Read

• To summarize, find the most important information and restate it in your own words.

• Be sure you have included all the important details by answering these questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How?

Keeping an Eye on the Weather

• Let’s practice– 1. Preview the passage, make predictions, set a

purpose, and read the passage.– 2. Find the main idea and important details.– 3. Explain them in your own words– 4. Skim the passage again to make sure you have

included all the important points.– 5. Begin your summary by stating the main idea.

Then summarize the key details.

USE SQ3R

•Survey– Preview the text by reading the title, headings,

illustrations, and captions. Based on your survey, make predictions about the contents. Then skim the passage to get its overalls meaning.

USE SQ3R

•Question– As you survey and skim, ask questions about the

material and what you find. Start by turning the title in a question. For example, look back at the passage “ Keeping an Eye on the Weather.” Turn this in the question “How do we keep an eye on the weather?” As you read , look for the answer to this question.

USE SQ3R

•Read– Read the passage and continue making and

revising predictions. Try to find the main idea by looking at the topic sentence and details in each paragraph.

USE SQ3R

•Recite– After you finish reading, look back over the

passage. Focus on the title, headings, and topic sentences. Summarize the material in your head, reducing what you read to a few sentences. Then recite or say your summary aloud.

USE SQ3R

•Review– Review by looking back at your predictions. Were

they on target? If so, find details you used to make them. If not, figure where and why you guessed incorrectly.

Jim Thorpe

• Let’s practice:– Survey– Question– Read– Recite– Review