The following are reading literacy skills that focus on what good readers do outside of decoding the text. There are pdf organizers linked to each area, but a conversation using the organizer as a guide is equally effective.
- Activating Prior Knowledge – This is best used with non-fiction text. The activity helps readers figure out what they already know about the topic before reading the book. KWL Chart
- Predictions – This can be used with fiction and non-fiction books. It helps readers focus on the thinking process when reading and what is being read. Questioning Tower
- Character Focus – Understanding characters by combining what is being said about them and inferring from their actions, words, and interactions with other characters. These can be used with any fiction text. Character Web Character Grid Character ID Badge Character Connection
- Story Elements – Readers learn about the elements of a story and how those elements fit together to create a story that is interesting, exciting and memorable by deconstructing it. This can be used with any genre of fiction. Story Map Plot Diagram
- Cause and Effect – This is best used with fiction, where relationships are determined between characters and events. Cause and effect is an important aspect to reading comprehension. How It Happened
- Extracting Information – This can be used with fiction and non-fiction, with a focus on finding information. Information isn’t just found in text, but can be in bedded in story, diagrams, maps, charts, and pictures. Just the Facts Super Six Scrapbook
- Making Connections – As readers, it is important that we make connections between what we are reading and different aspects of our lives. These connections can be made between what is being read and events/people in a reader’s life, what is being read and events/people from other books and what is being read and events/people in the world around us. Connecting
- Determining Theme – Why did the author write this? What lesson is presented through this story? These are the types of questions that help students understand theme. Theme is an important aspect of literacy, for it is an element that guides reading choice, teaching, and connection. The link here provides lots of examples and ways to help focus a reader on a story’s theme….and sometimes there is more than one! Theme
- Developing Insights – Thinking….this is the key when reading because it encompasses so many skills. By thinking…we are talking about insights. Insights are the moments when a reader ponders ideas and events and develops opinions about what is happening, why it is happening, and whether they agree with decisions. It is when readers assess their reactions/emotions and ask questions. Insights are usually easier to develop with longer fictional text, like novels, but some non-fiction books lend themselves well to developing insights too. Being Insightful
- Being a Critic – Providing feedback is an important skill because it requires a explanation or evidence. Readers need to be able to support their views by providing reasons for their assessment. Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down