Thinking Strategies for Reading

Good readers make connections to reading. By using thinking strategies in reading, readers are able to extend and reinforce skills while giving opportunities to create meaning by drawing on background knowledge.

Take the time to think about your book. Make responses to allow others to see your connections. You can't be wrong in your responses, so take some risks and be honest. Write about what you like or dislike, what seems confusing or unusual to you. Tell what you think something means. make predictions about what might happen later. Relate your personal experiences that connect with the plot, characters, or setting. Don't just summarize the plot, but give input. Some ideas include:

1. Connect:

• This reminds me of…
• I remember something like this that happened to me when…
• I read another book where the character…
• This is like what happens when…
• I don’t have ____, but I do have ______

2. Predict/Anticipate:

• I wonder if…
• I wonder who…
• I think I know what is coming next
• He will be in trouble if…
• I think we will learn how…

3. Summarize/Conclude

• The most important thing I’ve learned so far is…
• It didn’t say why she did that but I bet…
• I know he must be feeling…
• So far in our story…
• I have learned that…

4. Question/Monitor

• I wonder what it means when…
• I don’t understand…
• It didn’t make sense when…
• I’m going to reread that because it didn’t make sense

5. Image/Infer

• Even though it isn’t in the picture, I can see that…
• I can almost taste the…
• It sent chills down my spine when it said…
• For a minute, I thought I could smell…
• I could hear…
• I can imagine what it is like to…
• I can picture the…

6. Evaluate/Apply

• My favorite part in this chapter was…
• I really liked how the author…
• What I don’t like about this part is…
• It was really interesting to learn that…
• I am going to try this out when I...
• I wish I could…
• If I were the character, I would…