Reading Strategies

1. Reading Strategies How to be a Critical Reader

2. Reader’s Need a Purpose • The main reason why reading is important is to learn about the world and its people. • By learning about others, we can also learn about ourselves.

3. Make and Confirm Predictions • Follow these 3 easy steps 1. Look for clues about what characters feel or think, what the author’s purpose for writing is, and what the intended result might be. 2. Predict what the outcome might be. Imagine characters are real or connect the information to your own life. 3. Check it Out Read on to find out if you were right. Locate evidence that confirms your prediction.

4. Prediction Did it happen? Evidence 1. What do you think is going to be the most useful lesson from this book? 2. How could this help you during your freshman year?

5. News Feature • Human interest story • Provide details about real people, their thoughts, opinions, and problems.

6. Preview and Set a Purpose • Look at the titles and subtitles • Study the photos and captions • Ask a question that gives you a personal reason to read.

7. Create a 5-W Chart • Answering the 5 W’s as you read will help to answer the question you posed and remind you of important information you might have missed. • Who? • What? • When? • Where? Why?

8. Identifying Main Ideas and Details • Turn section headings (sub titles) into a question. • As you read, collect important details that pertain to your section question. • Review the details, and answer the section question. This will be the main idea! • Determine what is important to remember.

9. Reflective Essay Take a look at the man (or woman) in the mirror

10. The Prompt • A prompt is a question that you must answer in your writing. • For your reflective writing, you will be looking at your positive and negative habits. You will need to include the following in your essay: • An introductory paragraph • A body paragraph focusing on a negative habit • A body paragraph focusing on a positive habit • A concluding paragraph

11. Pre-Writing • Review your “Who Are You” and “Before We Begin” worksheets. • Identify 2-3 positive habits • Identify 2-3 Negative habits • For each habit, create a brainstorm of specific times you used these habits.

12. Idea Web • My cousin didn’t do the dishes • My dog chewed up my slippers • Driving in traffic • Andrew talking over me • My brother wrecked my car Losing my temper

13. Narrow it Down • Choose one example that best exemplifies your bad habit. EXAMPLE: From the previous slide, I would choose the time that I lost my temper when it wasn’t really called for… Which would you choose? • My cousin didn’t do the dishes • My dog chewed up my slippers • Driving in traffic • Andrew talking over me • My brother wrecked my car

14. Elaborate (Be More Specific) • You can use the same idea web or a timeline. • Came home from a long day of work. • Birdie (my dog) jumped all over me because she was happy. • I saw my slippers all slobbery and tattered. • I yelled at her and locked her outside for the rest of the afternoon.

15. Reflect • Once you have narrowed down your focus and provided specific details, it is time to reflect or think about the situation. Bad Habit: How was this negative? Why didn’t it make me feel better/happy? What could I have done differently? Good Habit: How was this positive? Why did it make me feel better/happy? How can I continue to nurture this habit?

16. Body Paragraphs • Provide support and explanations. • Start with a topic sentence 1. Introduce the focus of that specific paragraph. 2. Does NOT explain • Provide supporting details 1. Your example should be specific and prove your topic sentence. • Concluding sentence connects your example to your thesis. 1. This should be your reflection!

17. Quotations • A quotation is simply someone else’s words or ideas. • In writing, you are often required to provide textual support or quotations from the story or book you are reading. • When you use someone else’s words or ideas, you must give them credit. If you don’t, you would be guilty of plagiarism. • An easy way to give the author credit is through a citation.

18. Author Named in Parentheses • If a signal phrase does not name the author, put the author’s last name in parentheses along with the page number. Use no punctuation between the name and the page number. • “The cause of Poe’s death remains in doubt” (Silverman 129).

19. MLA Format • 1 inch margins (use the red lines as a guide) • Heading in the top left hand corner (Name, Teacher, Class, Date) • Header (Last name and Page number) in top right hand corner) • Double Space (skip lines) • Title is centered (no underline or larger font)

20. MLA Example Lizarraga 1

21. The Introduction • The first sentence in your introduction should be broad, introduce the topic of your essay, and grab the reader’s attention. • The next 2-3 sentences should provide background information and transition into the specific focus of your essay. • The last sentence is the thesis. A thesis previews the specific focus of your essay.

22. The Conclusion • The first sentence reviews your specific focus (re-state thesis). • The next 2-3 sentences should reflect on each body paragraph. • The last sentence should be a broad statement about the importance of your topic.