Strategies for Successful Reading: Improve Your Reading Comprehension Skills

Many learners face the same problem when reading. They can read each individual word, but when they've finished a paragraph or a page, they can't remember what they read. The secret is that "good readers" aren't born, they're made. Readers use a variety of strategies while they're reading to stay focused and remember what they read, even if they don't realize they're doing it! In this class, we'll learn eight different strategies that can help any learner improve their reading comprehension skills and enjoy reading.

Each week, learners will be introduced to a new reading strategy. I follow an I do/We do/You do model, which means that each learner will slowly gain more independence throughout each class and then will be ready to complete the activity on their own after class. We will first practice the strategy of the week using a combination of interactive Nearpod lessons, handouts, and guided practice. Then, learners will be encouraged to discuss the strategy with each other and use breakout rooms and think-pair-share style activities to move toward independent reading. After class, learners will be asked to use this reading strategy with their own chosen book and then report back the next week to discuss how it went.

Each 55 minute class will be broken down as follows:
10 minutes: Warm-up, socialization, and discussion of the previous week's strategy
5-10 minutes: Introduction of weekly strategy
5-10 minutes: Demonstration of weekly strategy by the teacher. I will do a "think-aloud," where I read a text and use the strategy while vocalizing all of my internal thoughts to show learners how the strategy works.
10-15 minutes: Guided practice. We continue the "think-aloud," but with input from students. We will work together to use the strategy to gain meaning from the text.
10 minutes: Partner/group work. Learners will work together to use the strategy on a different text with input and assistance from the teacher when needed.
10 minutes: Wrap-up, final questions, and explanation of assignment for the week.

Strategy Schedule:
Week One - Identifying Unknown Words

Week Two - Re-reading

Week Three - Making inferences

Week Four - Visualizing

Week Five - Summarizing

Week Six - Dialogue with the Text

Week Seven - Charting Cause and Effect

Week Eight - Making Predictions

It is important that learners come to the class with a book they want to read. This can be fiction or non-fiction. It is more important that the learner is interested in the book than that the book is on any particular reading level. Learners will use this book to practice the reading strategies learned in each class. If a learner is having trouble finding a book they are interested in, they can contact me for recommendations based on their interests. 

We will be using Nearpod during class, so learners will need to have a second device such as a phone or tablet to access the slides and activities.