Reading Aloud

This can help us understand the material we are reading because we are able to hear the words as well as see them. We may find that we remember the story better if we hear it as well as see it in print.

We may also want to read to someone we know who enjoys reading who can help us understand the story. We may also ask that person to read aloud to us or even to read aloud together.

We might try some of these things when reading aloud:

• Pay attention to the punctuation used in the reading. Stop at the end of each sentence.

• Be sure the words we are reading make sense in the context of the story.

• Use appropriate expression to suit the tone of the reading.

Take time to sound out difficult words; look for parts of the word that you know to help figure out the meaning of the word.

Take breaks to review and be sure you know what is happening in the story and to think about what might happen next.

Forming Questions

Questions you may want to ask include the following:

• Does what you are reading relate to anything from your own experience?

• Why does the writer make certain choices? For example, are there specific words or sentences that stand out?

• Is there something that is not clear to you as you read? What information should you look for to help you understand the reading better?

• What is the tone of the writing? How does the writer's tone make you feel about the topic?

Forming questions works well because it makes us think about what we are reading as we read!

Making Predictions

A strategy similar to forming questions is making predictions. When we form questions, we think about what we have already read; when we make predictions, we think about what is going to happen.

Some of the following ideas might help you to make predictions:

• Read the opening paragraphs of a story and then stop to make some predictions about what might happen in the rest of the story. The beginning of a story often contains important information to help us focus on the events that follow.

• Think about what you already know about the characters and events in the story and predict what might happen next based on that knowledge.

• Apply your own experiences and observations from similar situations in real life to make realistic predictions.

• Use your knowledge of other stories to guess at what might happen in this one.

Word Attack Strategy

When you come to a word you do not know, look closely at it and ask:

• Does it look like another word I know?

• Do I know how to say parts of it?

Try to say the word out loud and ask:

• Do the sounds of the letters spell the word?

• Does it make sense in the sentence if I read the word that way?

Reference Skills

You can use reference skillsto find out more about words by looking in the following:

• glossaries

• dictionaries

Context Clues

When you come to a word that you do not know the meaning of, read the rest of the sentence and ask:

• What meaning makes sense in the sentence or paragraph?

• Could that be what this word means?

Try to read the sentence and replace the unknown word with one that you think means the same thing. Then ask:

• Does the new word make sense in the sentence or paragraph?

• Does the unknown new word probably mean the same as the word I have come up with?