Active Reading Strategies

Active Reading

Get Engaged

Open Ended

What is active reading?

Skim the article:

• Titles and headings:

  The title of the article and the headings can give you an idea of what the article will talk about.  Before you read the article try to make predictions based off the title of the article and headings of the different sections.

• Picture, diagrams, and other visuals:

  What are they trying to show you?  What can you learn from the visuals included with the article?

Make a prediction:

• "Explosion,  Then Collapse Of A Star"

  
  

  
  

  This section could be about how an explosion helped form a star

• "A Planet Quad Led By Earth"

  
  

  This section could be about how Earth was first of the planets

Open Ended

"Planet Earth Takes Shape"

What prediction can you make based on this Title?

What do you think this section will be about?

Open Ended

How can the images, diagrams, or illustrations help you when reading an article?

Images, Diagrams, and Other Visuals

When you are looking at them, ask:

• What is the image trying to show you? 

• What can you learn from the visuals included with the article?

• What did you learn from the caption?

Ask Questions of the Images, Diagrams, and other Visuals

• What is the image trying to show you? This could be a landform on Venus

• What can you learn from the visuals included with the article? I can learn what the landform looks like.

• What did you learn from the caption? It tells me about Novae. Novae are Venus landforms that have cracks reaching out from the center.

Open Ended

What is the image trying to show you?

Open Ended

What can you learn from the visuals included with the article?

Open Ended

What did you learn from the caption?

Multiple Choice

What does it mean when you highlight something red?

• the test has caused you to react in some way.

• The text contained a keyword

• The text caused you to think of a question

• The text had a main idea

Multiple Choice

What does it mean when you highlight something purple?

• the test has caused you to react in some way.

• The text contained a keyword

• The text caused you to think of a question

• The text had a main idea

Multiple Choice

What does it mean when you highlight something green?

• the test has caused you to react in some way.

• The text contained a keyword

• The text caused you to think of a question

• The text had a main idea

Multiple Choice

What does it mean when you highlight something yellow?

• the test has caused you to react in some way.

• The text contained a keyword

• The text caused you to think of a question

• The text had a main idea

Multiple Choice

Select an example of red highlighting : reaction

• How can there be waves in space?

• Supernova: When a star blows up causing waves in space.

• In the beginning the solar system only existed as a gas cloud then formed in the solar system

• wow! I never knew that.

Multiple Choice

Select an example of purple highlighting : keyword or unknown word

• How can there be waves in space?

• Supernova: When a star blows up causing waves in space.

• In the beginning the solar system only existed as a gas cloud then formed in the solar system

• wow! I never knew that.

Multiple Choice

Select an example of green highlighting : question

• How can there be waves in space?

• Supernova: When a star blows up causing waves in space.

• In the beginning the solar system only existed as a gas cloud then formed in the solar system

• wow! I never knew that.

Multiple Choice

Select an example of yellow highlighting : main idea

• How can there be waves in space?

• Supernova: When a star blows up causing waves in space.

• In the beginning the solar system only existed as a gas cloud then formed in the solar system

• wow! I never knew that.

Open Ended

How can highlighting and note taking make you a more engaged reader?

The BIG IDEA

What is the BIG IDEA?

The BIG IDEA: What is it?

• It is the idea that is supported by each section of the article.

• It is the author's purpose for writing the article

• It is what the author what you to understand after reading the article.

Multiple Choice

The BIG IDEA is what the author wants you to ...

• understand after reading a paragraph.

• understand after reading the whole article.

Active reading Process

• 1) Skim the article for a title and headings.

• 2) Make Predictions based on the title and headings.

• 3) Closely look at the images in the article and ask questions to better understand them.

• 4) Highlight (Red, Purple, Green, & Yellow) and take notes while reading the article.

• 5) Read the article and all notes one more time

• 6) Think about the BIG IDEA. What does the author what you to understand after reading the article?

• 7) Write down the BIG IDEA

Multiple Choice

What is the first step when you are given an article to read?

• Read and annotate the article

• Skim the title and the headings and make predictions what the text will be about

• look at each visual and ask questions to better understand it

• Write down the BIG IDEA

Multiple Choice

What is the last step when you finish reading the article?

• Read and annotate the article

• Skim the title and the headings and make predictions what the text will be about

• look at each visual and ask questions to better understand it

• Read the article and your notes one more time and then Write down the BIG IDEA