Before I start reading, I try to decide on the author's purpose. I can tell by the way the poster looks, how it is organized, and by reading the title that the author's purpose is to explain to the reader how the brain works. I can tell it is an explanation because it gives facts and information about the brain and uses different visuals to help me understand. Now I need to think about what I know about the brain and to think of some questions I have about how the brain works.

When I am reading in science, I start by looking at all the text features, such as headings and fact boxes, and by looking at all the visuals. I use these features to help me develop questions before I begin reading and to support checking my understanding. I ask myself, "What do I already know about the brain that might help me read this? Do I recognize some of the words?"

In this explanation, the writer knows that some scientific words are hard to understand. She has to help us pronounce and understand those words. Sometimes in words like coordinate, I have to think about the meaning by reading the sentence or looking at parts of the word. I know that order is part of the base word so I mean it must have something to do with order or organization.

What can I do if I am having difficulty understanding the information I am reading?

• I can always reread each paragraph, carefully pausing and checking that I understand.
• I can also look for details in pictures and diagrams that will help me.
• I can ask questions about things I'm wondering about and read on to find answers.

At the end of the paragraph, I paraphrase it, or put it into my own words.

How to save a file:

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1. Scan the document to your computer.
2. Have the file open and select Save As from the File menu.
3. Name your Reader's Notebook: Make Meaning file in this format: jsmith_rnmakemeaning and save the file to your Documents folder.