Reading Strategies


Strategies for Successful Reading

Decoding/Phonics
Look for familiar spelling patterns and word parts to help you decode longer words.

Make & Confirm Predictions
Think about what might happen next in the story. Read to find out if you are correct. Make new predictions.

Create Mental Images
Picturing in your mind what you are reading can help you understand. Pay attention to descriptive details.

Self-Question
Learn to ask yourself good questions as you read. This will help you understand and focus on important details.

Summarize
Tell or list the main points of the selection or the main things that happened.

Read Ahead
Don’t give up! Keep on reading, the meaning may become clearer when you have more information.

Reread to Clarify
If something doesn’t make sense, you may have missed an important point. Try reading the passage again or go back to an earlier part of the selection.

Use Context to Confirm Meaning
By paying attention to the words around unfamiliar words, you can learn many new words and become a stronger reader.


Use Text Structure and Format
Find clues to meaning by looking at how the author organized the information. Look at the headings and captions.

Adjust Reading Rate
A selection that has a lot of facts and details (such as non-fiction) may have to be read more slowly than a story about a character (fiction).