Strategies to use before reading

There are many different strategies readers use prior to reading, as they read, and after they read.  Listed below are a few strategies to practice and to help build better comprehension skills.

Before reading I should:

&    Look at the front and back cover of the book.

&    Preview any pictures in the book.

&    Make predictions about the book.

o       What do I already know about this topic? 

o       What do I want to know about this topic or type of book?

o       Ask yourself, “What do I think this book is about?”

o       Ask yourself, “What do I think will happen in this book?”

&    Skim the first few pages of the book to see if there are vocabulary words you do not know.

o       If you see words you do not know, read the sentence that the word is in.  Can you figure out the meaning of the word?

o       If not, read the sentences before and after the sentence you just read with the unknown vocabulary word.  Then use the context clues to help you determine the meaning of the word.