Active Readers

​What Do Active Readers Do?

By Elizabeth Rauscher

Open Ended

When you are reading, what are you thinking about?

Active reading means engaging with a text by thinking, questioning, and making connections while you read. Instead of just letting your eyes move across the page, you become a detective, searching for meaning and making the text your own.

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​What is Active Reading?

1. Preview the Text

- Read the title, headings, and subheadings

- Look at pictures, charts, or graphics

- Read the first and last paragraphs

- Scan for bold or italicized words

2. Make Predictions

- Based on your preview, what do you think this text will be about?

- What questions might be answered?

- Write down 2-3 predictions in the margins or on a separate paper

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Before Reading: Set Yourself Up for Success

Open Ended

Preview the title of the article in front of you. What predictions can you make about this article? What questions might this answer?

Step One: Ask Questions

- Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

- What does this mean?

- Why did the author include this information?

- How does this connect to what I already know?

Write at least 2 questions on your article.

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Begin Reading the Article

Step Two: Make Connections

- Text-to-Self: How does this relate to my life?

- Text-to-Text: Does this remind me of another book or article?

- Text-to-World: How does this connect to current events or history?

Write a statement for each text-to on your article.

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During Reading: Staying Engaged

Step Four: Focus on your Purpose

- Remember why you're reading this text

- Look for information that answers your questions

- Pay attention to the main ideas and supporting details

Write the main idea on the article.

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During Reading: Staying Engaged

Step Four: Visualize

- Create mental pictures of what you're reading

- Draw quick sketches in the margins if helpful

- Imagine yourself in the scene or situation

Draw one quick sketch in the margins that represents something in the text on the next slide.

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During Reading: Staying Engaged

Draw

Make a quick sketch of something that represents the article here.

1. Reread Key Sections

- Go back to confusing parts

- Reread your annotations and notes

- Focus on the most important information

2. Summarize

- Write a brief summary of the main ideas

- Use your own words

- Include the most important details and conclusions

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After Reading: Reflect and Review

Open Ended

Write a brief summary of the main ideas in the article.

Multiple Choice

According to the article, how much information have humans created in the past five years compared to all of human history?

• The same amount as most moments in history

• Twice as much as previous historical moments

• More than all of human history combined

• Half as much as previous historical moments

Multiple Choice

What does Earl Miller's research at MIT show about multitasking?

•  It helps students learn faster thinking of two things at once

• It doesn't work because the brain doesn't function that way

• It's only effective for simple tasks

• It improves memory retention for one of the ideas

Multiple Choice

According to Russ Poldrack's research, when students study while watching TV, where does the information go in their brain?

• The hippocampus

• The frontal lobe

• The striatum

• The cerebellum

Multiple Choice

What work-break cycle does the article suggest can promote efficiency?

• 10 minutes work, 2 minutes rest

• 25 minutes work, 5 minutes rest

• 1 hour work, 30 minutes rest

• 3 hours work, 10 minutes rest

Multiple Choice

What is the main benefit of uni-tasking according to the article?

• Students remember work better, get more done, and produce higher quality, more creative work

• Students complete tasks faster but with lower quality, less creative work.

• Students feel more stressed but learn more and are able to critically think.

• Students can handle more tasks at once and it can help them retain more information.