Strategies Good Readers Use

Create mental images - Make a movie in your mind! A good reader can picture the action of the story, can describe what characters look like, where the story takes place, etc. A reader that is connecting with the story is aware of the sensory images in the writing: the smells, sights, sounds, and textures of the story.

Ask questions -

A good reader does not wait for a teacher or textbook to ask questions.

A good reader wonders what will happen next?
Why did the author choose that word?
Why did the character make that choice?

When you ask your child questions about the stories, or when you model out loud the kinds of questions they might be thinking of, be sure to ask questions that make your child think. Don't just ask what the character did, but why! Play the I Wonder game. Imagine alternate solutions to problems.

Make and confirm predictions -

Before you read, predict what will happen based on the title or cover illustrations. Continue to make and check your predictions as you read. Discuss why the author made that choice. When you are finished, predict what would happen next if the story continued.

Make inferences -

Read between the lines. Go beyond what is written on the page. Use all of the information the author gives you to form pictures, make predictions, and make connections between what you as a reader have experienced and what is happening in the story.

Determine the main idea -

A good reader can sort out all of the information and figure out what is important and what is not. Particularly in nonfiction texts it is important to have a purpose for reading. Look for facts. Read with specific

questions in mind. Understand how the information is organized in the book.

For more ideas try reading 7 Keys to Comprehension: How to Help Your Kids Read It and Get It! by Susan Zimmerman and Chryse Hutchins.