FCAT READING SKILL: Pre-reading Strategies 1. What to do and what to watch for: Before reading the passage thoroughly for details, there are some strategies you can use to help you to read actively. When you read actively, you will find your answers more easily, and the reading is more interesting to you. 2. Preview. Before you begin to read the passage carefully, it is a good idea to preview. Previewing is glancing quickly through the reading passage without reading the whole thing. You should do this to get a general idea of the topic or subject Sometimes the title gives you an idea of the main idea or topic. The topic is what the passage is all about. Ask yourself, What s this about? It is like finding a magazine that you want to read. You check out everything before you start reading. This is called previewing. There are three things to do when previewing. 1. Find the topic. 2. Recall what you know about that topic (prior knowledge). 3. Ask yourself questions as you go. 4. Prior knowledge. Use what you already know or prior knowledge. What you already know can help you to understand new information. What do I know about this topic? What Have I heard or read that is like this topic? What do I remember about things related to this topic? 5. Reading for a purpose. After previewing for the topic and recalling your own knowledge, you are ready to set a purpose. a) Ask yourself some questions. Why am I reading this? What do I want to find out? What is the author or passage trying to say? How does this relate to my own life and experience? b) Make a KWL chart like the one below to help with this step. Before you read, complete the sections, What I Know and What I Want to Know. After you read, complete the section, What I learned. What I Know K What I Want to Know W What I Learned L
6. SCANNING. When you read quickly to find specific information, you are Scanning. a) Scanning for Details. You might be looking for a date, fact, name, word, phrase, etc. to answer a specific question. b) Scanning for Organizational Pattern. Scanning the article will help you to see how it is organized. Knowing the organizational pattern will help you to understand what you are reading. The four most common organizational patterns are: cause and effect, comparison and contrast, spatial order, and time order.
Name PRE-READING STRATEGIES: PREVIEWING Previewing is glancing quickly through the reading without reading the whole thing to get a general idea of the topic or subject. Record your ideas, thoughts and recollections in the chart. This is just a guessing game. Are you a good guesser? (Ask yourself questions as you preview.) Reading/Text/ Chapter FIND THE TOPIC RECALL WHAT YOU KNOW MAKE PREDICTIONS Is there a Title? What do I know about the title? This reading already makes me think about Are there pictures, charts, maps, diagrams, cartoons, drawings? What do they show? What do I know about any pictures, charts, maps, diagrams, cartoons, drawings that I see? I think the setting (time or place) may have something to do with What s this reading about? What do I already know about this topic? (prior knowledge) It is just a guess, but I think the reading is probably about
Name PRE-READING STRATEGIES: PRIOR KNOWLEDGE Using what you already know (prior knowledge) helps you understand new information. What do I know about this topic? What have I heard that is like this topic? PRIOR KNOWLEDGE What have I read that is like this topic? 1 1 1 1 What things do I remember related to this topic? 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3
Name PRE-READING STRATEGIES: SETTING A PURPOSE Check out the reading (preview). Before you begin reading, set a purpose for reading. Title/Text/Topic/Chapter Why am I reading this? SETTING A PURPOSE What do I want to find out? What is the author or passage trying to say? How does this relate to my own life and experience? Before you read, complete the chart, What I Know and What I Want to Know. After you read, complete the section, What I learned. WHAT I KNOW K WHAT I WANT TO KNOW W WHAT I LEARNED L
Name PRE-READING STRATEGIES: SCANNING Scanning is reading quickly to find specific information, like details or how the reading is organized. You might be looking for a date, fact, name, word, phrase, etc. to answer a specific question. The organizational pattern of the reading can help you to understand what you are reading. The four most common organizational patterns are: cause and effect, comparison and contrast, spatial order, and time order. What I Know K What I Want to Find W What I Found (Details, Page, Paragraph) F 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8
Name PRE-READING STRATEGIES: PRIOR KNOWLEDGE QUICK WRITE, QUICK DRAW, QUICK TALK Quick Write Take 30 seconds to 1 minute to jot down what you already know on the topic. Quick Draw Take 30 seconds to 1 minute to draw pictures or symbols to show what you already know on the topic. Quick Talk Take turns (30 seconds each) in your group or with a partner to talk about what you wrote in the Quick Write and/or drew in the Quick Draw.
Name PRE-READING STRATEGIES: PRIOR KNOWLEDGE Title/Topic/Text This is what I already know about the topic in the reading: I REMEMBER I KNOW TOPIC I SAW I READ I HEARD
Name PRE-READING STRATEGIES: PREVIEW & PREDICT TITLE/TOPIC/TEXT CHECK