This document provides an overview of strategies to use before, during, and after reading non-fiction texts. Some key strategies discussed include using KWL charts and activating prior knowledge before reading. During reading, the document recommends strategies like think-alouds, asking questions, making connections and visualizing. After reading, teachers should have students reflect, summarize what they learned, and question the author. The goal is to engage students with the text and improve comprehension at each stage of the reading process.

1. Before, During & After Reading
Strategies for Non-fiction Books
Critical Assignment 1
RED 4348
By: Maggie Bustamante

2. Before Reading Strategies
1) Preview Text
2) KWL chart
3) Pre-teach vocabulary
4) Activate prior knowledge
5) Make predictions

3. Preview Text
• Previewing a text important part of the “before reading” process because it
activates the students background knowledge on a particular topic.
• Previewing a text also helps the reader make connections with the text before
even reading it.
• Previewing the text may include:
1) Looking at the title
2) Identifying who is the author?
3) What pictures can you find in the text? Describe them.

4. K-W-L Chart
• K-W-L charts are graphic
organizers that help organize
information before, during and after
a lesson. Personally, I like to do it
before because it engages
students with a new topic while
activating their prior knowledge. In
addition, the K-W-L chart helps
monitor students learning
throughout a particular lesson.

5. Pre-Teach Vocabulary
Possible Sentences
• Possible sentences is a pre-reading
vocabulary strategy in which
activates students prior knowledge
about the text at hand. Before
reading, students are provided with
a short list of new vocabulary words
from the reading. Students will be
asked to create a meaningful
sentence based on what they
believe the text will be about for
each new vocabulary word. At the
end of the reading, students will be
able to check if their sentences were
correct or need revision.
Why introduce Vocabulary words
before a text?
• By introducing new vocabulary
word to students, you will be
helping them understand the text
during the reading rather than
having students figure out a word
while the reading is being taken
place.

6. Activate Prior Knowledge
• Activating students prior knowledge can help students understand the new content at
hand. It may also motivate them to learn the new content if they realize they actually know
a little about it in the first place. There are many ways to enhance prior knowledge,
however one of my favorites is Think-Pair-Share.
• Think-Pair-Share is a learning strategy where students work together to solve a problem or
answer a question about a particular reading. Students are required to think individually,
answer, share their ideas with their classmates and discuss ideas with their partner or next
door neighbor.
• T : (Think) Teachers begin by asking a specific question about the text. Students "think"
about what they know or have learned about the topic.
P : (Pair) Each student should be paired with another student or a small group.
S : (Share) Students share their thinking with their partner. Teachers expand the "share"
into a whole-class discussion.

7. Making Predictions
• Making predictions is a
reading strategy in which
readers may use
information such as titles,
illustrations, diagrams and
their own experiences in
order to predict what they
will be reading about.

8. During Reading Strategies
1. Think out Louds
2. Ask questions
3. Make connections
4. Visualize
5. Partner reading

9. Think Alouds
Why use Think Alouds?
• Think Alouds help students learn to
monitor their thinking as they read.
• Students are directed by a series of
questions in which they think about and
answer while reading.
• The more students practice this
technique, the more they are able to
generate their own questions in order to
comprehend the text at hand.
How to use Think Alouds
• Teachers are able to model the Think
Alouds, discuss how good readers often
re-read a sentence for clarification.
• Teachers are able to demonstrate how to
look for context clues to make sense of
what they are reading.
• Teachers are able to slow down the
reading process and show students how
to monitor their understanding throughout
the reading.

10. Ask Questions During Reading
• Similarly to Think Alouds,
questioning during a reading can
be beneficial because you are
enhancing comprehension.
• The teacher may guide the
questions and ask the following:
What is the author telling me in this
paragraph? What has been the main
purpose so far? What have I learned
so far?

11. Making Connections
Why Make Connection with a text? How?
• Making connections help readers understand how
characters feel and understand what motivates them
throughout their actions. It also makes the reader
engages and keeps them from becoming bored
throughout a reading.
• In order to help students make connections, teachers
may use guided questions such as
What does this remind me of in my life?
What is this similar to in my life?
What does this remind me of in another book I’ve read?
What does this remind me of in the real world?

12. Visualize
• This strategy refers to the ability of creating a mental picture in our heads
based on the text being read or heard.
• Readers may use information from the text, in order to make an image of
what is being taken place, thus, enhancing comprehension.
• Teachers may demonstrate an illustration based on the text in order to show
students how to create a mental picture.

13. Partner Reading
What is Partner Reading?
• Partner Reading is a learning
strategy in which two students
work together to read an assigned
text. The partner reading strategy
allows students to take turns
reading and provide each other
with feedback while monitoring
comprehension.
• Partner Reading offers teachers
the opportunity to circulate in the
class, observe students and offer
individual remediation.
How to use Partner Reading?
Teachers choose a reading
Create pairs within the
classroom. Generally,
identifying students that
require help and pair them
with students that may help
learn those skills
Model the procedure
Have one member be the
“coach” and one the “player.
Ask the stronger reader to
begin first then rotate after 5
minutes.

14. After Reading Strategies
1. Reflect on what you read
2. Frame Routine
3. Summarize/story map
4. Question the Author
5. Exit slip

15. Reflect on what you have Read
• It is important for students to be able to reflect on what was read in order to
check for comprehension.
• Teacher may use guided questions or graphic organizers to check
understanding.
Ex.
Can you Identify the maid idea of the text?
Did you learn anything new?
What was the authors purpose?

16. Frame Routine
• The Frame Routine is a strategy
designed to assist students as they
organize topics, main ideas and
details about a reading.
• Frames routine allows students to
identify the main ideas and
supporting details after a reading.
As they list them on a Frame
graphic organizer, comprehension
tends to increase. The Frame
Routine is flexible and can be used
with all content area.

17. Summarize
Why teach summarizing to
students?
• Summarizing teaches
students how to identify the
most important ideas in a
text and how to ignore
irrelevant information.
Teaching students to
summarize improves their
memory for what is read.
Summarization strategies
can be used in almost every
content area.
How to use summarizing after
Reading.
• After the reading ask the
students the following
questions:
What are the main ideas?
What are the most important
details we need to keep in
mind with supporting details?
What information was
unnecessary? Have them use
key words or phrases to
identify the main points from
the text.
Teacher may also use story
maps for summarization

18. Question the Author
What is questioning the Author?
• Question the Author is a comprehension
after reading strategy that requires
students to pose questions that
challenge their understanding and
clarifies their knowledge.
How to apply
• Select a passage that is both
interesting and can spur a good
conversation.
• Decide appropriate stopping points
where you think your students need to
delve deeper and gain a greater
understanding.
• Create queries (questions to
encourage critical thinking) for each
stopping point.
• Ex: What is the author trying to say?
• Ex: Why do you think the author used
the following phrase?
• Ex: Does this make sense to you?

20. Exit Slip
• The Exit-Slip strategy requires students to write responses to questions
provided at the end of class. This helps students reflect on what they have
learned. Exit slips are easy writing technique that may be included in your
content while requiring students to think critically.

21. References
• http://www.adlit.org/strategy_library/
• http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies
• https://www.deanza.edu/studentsuccess/wrc/pdf/cas_dla_previewing.pdf
• http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/think-pair-share
• https://sites.google.com/a/alaska.edu/diane-kardash/Home/making-connections
• http://www.adlit.org/strategies/19796/
• https://www.google.com/search?q=questioning+the+author+reading+strategy&so
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