1 There are many ways to help you in
understanding things you read.
2 Here are some examples of ways that Christopher uses to help him in his reading.
3 The first one is what his teacher calls
prior knowledge. This means that as you read you think -what do I already know if anything about this
topic? Christopher says it helps him
remember if he has ever read anything about it before. Then he uses that and tries to learn something new as he reads.
4 The second way is to question as you read. Think to yourself- what is the
author trying to tell me, before, during and after you read? Christopher likes to say- “Self, what is it I am trying to learn as I read this? Can I
repeat it after I read it?”
5 The third and Christopher says the most fun is to make a picture in your
mind while you read. He says that if it is a story, you can even make a movie in your
mind! Teachers use the
term visualize your reading.
6 The fourth
strategy or
technique that Christopher
learned from his teacher is to
infer. This one means that Christopher has to use clues in the reading to
figure out what is really going on or what the
author really means in the story.
7 The most
favorite way for Christopher to get more out of what he has read is to
summarize the reading. He tells his friends who may be struggling with this to tell what’s important in a
sentence or two after you read.
8 Christopher likes to reread his passages or stories more than one time when he knows he is going to be tested over them or asked questions about them. He says he also takes notes and sometimes uses more than one way to help him read better.
9 He had a hard time with reading when he was in first and second
grade, but now since he uses these “magic tricks” to reading, he loves reading!