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Checklist for Reading Purposes
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Reading to Be Informed
Before you read:
- Determine what you want to learn or find out from the material.
- Look over what you will read.
- Skim to find out how the author has chosen to present the material.
- Ask yourself what you already know about the topic(s) the author will cover.
- Jot some predictions on paper about what you expect to learn from the text.
As you read:
- Underline, highlight, or take notes to help you construct meaning and recall important information.
- Ask yourself continually, `Do I understand what I just read and do I see how it fits?'
- Pay attention to titles, chapter, and subheadings.
- Examine any tables, illustrations, bold-face print, underlining, colored print, captions, glossaries, and other aids the author has provided.
- Pause during your reading to reflect upon and organize new information and link it to what you already know.
- When you don't understand something, review your notes to see where you got off track, reread the passage, talk to another person, or consult such resources as a dictionary.
After you read:
- Summarize what you have read by restating main ideas from the text.
- Evaluate your notes and understanding.
- Reread any passages that you did not understand.
- Apply new ideas from the text to broader situations to extend thinking.
- Evaluate the ideas presented in the text.
- Jot down any questions you still have about the topic.
- Use study strategies for notetaking, locating, and remembering to improve learning in the subject area.
Reading to Perform a Task
Before you read:
- Determine what you want to be able to do.
- Skim to find out how the author has chosen to present the material.
- Determine if the directions are organized in a way that would be easy for you to follow.
As you read:
- Read all of the directions once to get a general sense of the task you are being asked to perform.
- Read the materials again to learn the specific directions.
- Summarize each direction on paper in your own words or illustrations.
- Pay close attention to the illustrations or diagrams the author has provided.
- Pause after each direction you read, and make a picture in your mind of what you are supposed to do.
- When you come to something important that you don't understand, try rereading it, or ask someone else for help if you can.
- Use resources such as a dictionary to look up important words that you don't understand.
- Think ahead about any difficulty you might have in being able to perform the task.
After you read:
- Review your summary of the directions by comparing them to the original materials.
- Revise your ideas as necessary.
- Perform the task.
Reading for Literary Experience
Before you read:
- Set a purpose for reading.
- Preview the material to generate questions you would like answered.
- Think about the title, pictures, and ideas to help you to predict what the selection is about.
As you read:
- Stop and retell the main events to see if you understand what has happened.
- See if you can answer any of the questions you asked before you started to read.
- Continue to predict the outcome of the reading as you move through the material.
- Reread some parts or read ahead to see if you can figure out what is happening if things aren't making sense.
- Think about how the author uses special words or phrases to communicate.
- Use context clues or a dictionary to help you determine the meaning of unknown words.
- Think about how your own experience compares to the characters' experiences.
After you read:
- See if you met your purposes for reading.
- Think about what questions you still have about the story.
- Consider whether the plot is realistic.