What Do Good Readers Do?

I'm switching over to a new blog framework - My 2012 New Year's Resolution was to blog every week.  It is August... I missed my target.  By 216 days.  I will post every week... I will post every week.  Thanks to the teachers across the country who have encouraged me to blog.  You are always my inspiration.

Thanks to my friend and colleague, Dr. Nicki Newton, (see her awesome Math blog here.) I am going to be more diligent in posting.  

Today's topic - What Do Good Readers Do?  Share with your readers what good readers do.  Knowing what strategy to use when, will assist your students in becoming more effective readers.   Be sure to say, “This is what good readers do…” or "Good readers use this strategy, because..." or "This strategy helps me when I ______, because that's what good readers do."

It shouldn’t be a secret, yet when you ask struggling readers what good readers do, oftentimes they have no idea – the most common answer is, “They read fast.”  We must teach our students strategies that good readers use, so they can incorporate them into higher order thinking skills.   Create your own list with your students, adding to it throughout the year. You can also see list shared here at www.denise.gudwin.org.  

So what do good readers do?  Here's a list to start with...  Add to it with your students! Invite other students who are good readers to share with your students what they do, as good readers.  

Good Readers...

• use picture clues
• reread
• attempt to figure out an unknown word
• think about the meaning of the text/story
• go back to text
• visualize the story part
• form a picture in their mind
• ask themselves questions about the text
• chunk word parts
• read fluently, not word-by-word
• have a purpose for reading
• know when they don't "get it"
• discuss what they've read
• think actively about what they are reading
• summarize
• make predictions
• want to read more about this topic
• talk about what they're reading
• make connections to what they've read before
• make text-to-self connections

Until next time, share a literacy strategy.

Dr. Denise Gudwin