Habits of Good Readers

Habits of Good Readers

 

Decoding Strategies

 

1.  Use your finger or a pencil eraser to track the words as you read them.

2.  If there is a word you do not know, look at the illustrations in the book for clues to what the word might be.

3.  Once you decode the word, go back to the beginning of the sentence and start again. This will help you understand what you have read.

4.  Look at the first part of the word and get your mouth ready to make that sound.

5. Make your guess as to what the word is and then ask yourself:  Does that word sound right?  Does that word make sense?

6. Break the word into chunks, either by covering some parts of it with your finger or writing the word and circling the chunks you know.  Then try to blend the chunks together.

7. If you have tried all these strategies, REALLY TRIED, ask another person to tell you what the word is.

8. If you have tried steps 1-6 and still cannot figure out the word, say the sentence and use the word "blank" to take the place of the word you do not know.  See if you can figure out what word would make sense by thinking about the meaning of the sentence and what the word starts with.

 

 Comprehension Strategies

1. Survey the Questions First 

     If you are asked to read a passage and then answer questions, like in your social studies textbook, you should read through the questions before you start reading the passage.  That way, you will already know what information you are looking for while you are reading.  Look at the example below:

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions below.
On April 16, 1867, Milton and Susan Wright welcomed their third child into their household near Millville, Indiana. The newest member of the family, Wilbur, had two older brothers to contend with: Reuchlin, 6, and Lorin, 4. Little did Susan Wright know that she had given birth to the first half of one of the world's most famous inventive partnerships. The other half of the duo, Orville, was born four years later, on August 19, 1871, in the family's newly-built home at 7 Hawthorn Street in Dayton, Ohio. Orville's sister, Katharine, was also born in that house on his third birthday.
A minister in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Milton Wright moved his family to Dayton so he could edit the church newspaper published there. The Wrights stayed in Dayton until 1878, when Milton was elected bishop and moved the family to Iowa. In 1885, they returned to the house at 7 Hawthorn Street.
As youngsters, Wilbur and Orville looked to their mother for mechanical expertise and their father for intellectual challenge. Milton brought the boys various souvenirs and trinkets he found during his travels for the church. One such trinket, a toy helicopter-like top, sparked the boys' interest in flying. In school, Wilbur excelled, and would have graduated from high school if his family had not moved during his senior year. A skating accident and his mother's illness and subsequent death kept him from attending college. Orville was an average student, known for his mischievous behavior. He quit school before his senior year to start a printing business.
 
A. In what year was Orville Wright born?
 
B. What did Wilbur and Orville’s father do for a living?
 
C. What did their father give them that sparked their interest in flying?
2.  Predict and Retell
Predicting in Textbooks:   Look at the first page of the textbook section, the title of the section and the keywords.  Ask yourself, "What might this be about?" and "What do I already know about this?"  Look at the questions at the end of the textbook section.  This will give you a good idea of what is important in the section.  Read the section.  Stop and look up from the book.  Retell what you just read in your own words.
Predicting in Trade Books:  Look at the cover of the book, the title and the back cover of the book.  The title and cover picture will give you clues as to the main idea or action in the book.  The back cover often has a summary of the book.  Ask yourself, "What might happen in this book?"  and "What do I already know about this?" Read the first part of the book.  Stop and look up from the book.  Retell what you just read in your own words.
              
Fluency Strategy
Start with a passage that is 100-200 words long and is on your grade level.  You can use a page from a textbook or a book from the library:
1.  Set a timer for 1 minute.
2.  Start the timer when you start reading.
3.  Underline the last word you read when the timer goes off.
4.  Circle or write down any words that you had trouble with.
5.  Now comes the math part:  Count the number of words you read and write that number down.  Count the number of words
    you had trouble with and write that number under the first number.  Subtract.  Your answer is the number of words you read
    read correctly per minute.
6. Read the passage three times without timing yourself.
7.  Now do steps 1-5 again and you will be amazed at the improvement.  You will also understand what you read much better
    than before.
Use the table below to see how many words per minute are expected at your grade level.
  
 
 
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