Whenever students read in the early years they are given strategies to use BEFORE, DURING and AFTER reading.
In order to help students better access the text we must make sure we never give students reading without WARMING THEM UP first.
We MUST remember that reading comprehension is tied very closely to what the reader brings to the page. What the reader knows BEFORE reading is really important in building understanding.
What should we do?
We must :* Activate prior knowledge.
* Give context. (Background information, make connections with what they have experienced)
* Purpose - Explain to students WHY they are reading a text.
Pre reading strategies can include:
- Discussing new vocabulary and trying to attach it to something students already know BEFORE they start reading.
- Asking students what they know about the topic and where that information came from.
- Looking at the subtitles and asking students to consider anything they know about them.
- Examining the pictures and captions to learn more about what the text is going to say.
- Checking the graphs and maps to discover how they might add meaning to the text.
- Looking at the bold words.
- Analysing who wrote the text and the audience for whom it was originally written.
- Reading the entire first paragraph and asking students what they know about the text.
- Reading the last paragraph and asking students what they know about the text.
- Reading the first sentence or first two lines in each paragraph and asking students what they now know about the text.
- Asking students to write a question that they anticipate will be answered in the text.
