Reading for Meaning

To deepen your understanding of complex written materials, when should you do a mini-review of the material?

• At the end of the text.

• At the end of each paragraph.

• At the end of each chapter.

• After you read each sentence to check for comprehension.

What three types of questions can you ask to help you comprehend written materials?

• Open ended, closed ended, or multiple choice.

• Short answer, long answer, or true and false.

• Empirical or fact-based questions, values or opinion questions, and analytical or definition questions.

• All of the above

What is an "analogy"?

• A type of clock face.

• The linking of new information with your prior knowledge; resemblance in some particulars between things otherwise unlike.

• A comparison between two very similar items.

• A short story meant to teach a lesson or moral.

You like history, but your history textbook is very boring and you find it difficult to comprehend the material. Your friend tells you that when he reads history, he uses the directed reading - thinking activity strategy (DR-TA strategy).

Which of the following best explains what he does when he reads history?

• He reads difficult passages out-loud to help him understand.

• After reading three to five paragraphs, he writes a short summary about what he read.

• He reads one part, and then predicts what he thinks happened next.

• Before each chapter and section, he predicts what he thinks is the author's purpose for writing.

You just started reading a book that you got from the library when you were assigned to read the same book for a class. You're a little disappointed because now you have to read it, which takes some of the fun out of it. Then you remember a reading strategy question from your JROTC "Reading for Meaning" class, and you tell yourself that you will read for both understanding AND pleasure.

What question did you remember from class?

• "Why do I have to read this?"

• "How difficult is reading this going to be?"

• "What is my purpose for reading this?"

• "Why can't students choose what to read?"

You read for enjoyment, but you also read to improve your reading ability. One of your classmates, a star basketball player, says that she always sees you reading, and that she wishes she could be as good a reader as you. Then she says, "I have to go to basketball practice." Just then you realize you can use her basketball skills to help her understand how to become a better reader. Which of the following should you say?

• If you stop playing basketball, you will become a better reader.

• If you practice reading as much as basketball, then you will become a better reader.

• Since you're already good at basketball, you should practice reading instead of basketball.

• I'm good at reading, and you're good at basketball, so we all have our strengths.

What is the purpose of a word map?

• It is a graphic organizer that helps you learn new words or concepts.

• To help you understand how texts are organized

• To help you solve crossword puzzles.

• None of the above

What is a "contrast clue" in reading for meaning?

• Looking for how a new word you are learning is different from a word you know.

• Equating an unknown word with a word you already know.

• Looking for prefix and suffix clues on word construction.

• A graphic organizer that helps you learn new vocabulary.

What is the first reading strategy you use to improve your comprehension?

• Summarizing each paragraph as you read it.

• Previewing or scanning the material.

• Having someone explain the gist of the material to you.

• Writing down questions you hope to have answered in the material.

Name the four reading comprehension strategies.

• Surveying, Scanning, Summarizing, and Paraphrasing.

• Questioning, Arguing, Quoting, and Retelling.

• Directed Reading-Thinking Activity, GIST, Think-Alouds, and Question-Answer Relationships.

• None of the above