Reading Comprehension Strategies

Teach students CRITICAL THINKING strategies to help students EVALUATE ideas when reading.

Evaluating is more than just forming an opinion. It’s about making an informed opinion or decision.

Use this lesson to give students a process to help them think critically about the information they read.

4 PRO TIPS to use the Evaluating Reading Strategy:

1. Restate part of a sentence from the text as a question that includes… a modal verb (Should… Could … Would… …might…) or a value word (better/worst, more/less, etc…)

2. Clarify the criteria for evaluating. Define the underlying concept word. Make a checklist. Narrow down the list. Identify deal breakers.

3. Play with the words to find other ideas. Ask a similar question, opposite question, or simpler question.

4. Start with the other side. Try to be open-minded. How might the other side be correct?

Teach 4 PRO TIPS to help students ask the BEST questions when reading to improve comprehension.

High-interest video / slideshow lesson – perfect for your next English Language Arts class.

Students learn how to ask better questions, so they stay engaged while they read.

Active reading strategies can show students how to gain a deeper understanding of the text they’re reading.

How to Ask (Better) Questions – 4 PRO TIPS

1. Don’t ask a question you already know the answer to.

2. Try to answer your own question. Use evidence from the text.

3. Ask lots of questions. Include higher-order thinking questions (why or how / would or might)

4. Stop after every heading or paragraph and ask a question.

The Active Reading Strategies Lesson includes strategies and handouts that work with any text! UPDATE: Dec 19, 2022 Improve reading comprehension with just the click of a button! (No, obviously not. But, Evaluating is one of the reading strategies explored in the “Say Something” handout.) FREE until Dec 19, 2022 at 11:59 PM Part 1….

Finding the Main Idea is more than just figuring out what general point the author is trying to make.

It’s about recognizing that we can come up with several main ideas, but the “best” main idea has strong support from the entire article.

How to EVALUATE and FIND THE BEST MAIN IDEA (4 PRO TIPS):

1. Focus on the BIG PICTURE (the entire article). Summarize the entire article in a word or phrase. What general point is the author trying to make?

2. Look for clues in key spots. (How is the text organized?)

3. Think about each paragraph. What is this paragraph about? (Where is the main idea in the paragraph? Beginning? Middle? End?) What role does this paragraph play? 

4. Find the “best” main idea. The main idea is NOT always directly stated. The best idea has strong support from the beginning, middle, and end of the entire article.

Teach students HOW to monitor understanding and clarify thinking when reading.

There’s more to figuring out what’s going on in a text than just simply re-reading.

4 PRO TIPS: How to Monitor and Repair Comprehension

1. Read a paragraph and SAY SOMETHING: Ask a question, Make a connection, Make an inference, Form an opinion

2. Does your SAY SOMETHING make sense with stuff you know about the world? If not, re-read the paragraph. Use PEEP to clarify your thinking.

3. Does your SAY SOMETHING make sense with stuff you already read in this text? If not, re-read the paragraph. Re-read the other stuff you already read.Use PEEP to figure out why it doesn’t make sense.

4. Use PEEP: Point, Evidence, Explanation, Point