Science 1.2 Active Reading Strategies

Inference

A conclusion based on what you learn and what you already know.

Summary

A short sentence giving the main idea of something.

Activating Prior Knowledge

Activate means "to turn on" prior knowledge is information you already know about a subject.

Asking questions

Activate readers ask questions. Questions often start with the words. who, what, where, when, why and how. What is the main point? Why is this important ? How does this work?

Making mental images

Create pictures in your mind based on something you read or hear. Example: If you read a poem with the words "watery grave" and "deadly sea storm" You might picture a dark, angry ocean tossing a sinking ship.

Summarizing

Give the main idea of something, given as a short statement.

Using text features and visual cues

Look for what an author uses in the text or on the page to get your attention. Example: Text features can include bold print text boxes, and titles. visual cues include pictures and lists.

Make predictions

Make a guess about what is going to happen. This guess is usually based on information, observations, experiences, or feelings.

Prediction

Make a guess about what will likely happen in the future.

Drawing inferences

Make conclusions based on what you read and what you already know. Example: If you saw the phrase "eight reading strategies" and then saw that there were eight more pages you could make an inference that each page would include one reading strategies.

Monitor and apply fix -up strategies

To Monitor means to check to make sure that what you are reading makes sense. A fix -up strategy is something you can use to make sure you understand what you are reading. If you read an article that said someone lost 100 pounds in two weeks you would probably think there was a mistake.