Before you read:
- Read the title and look at the photos, drawings, charts, and maps. Try to figure out what they mean without reading the text.
- Read the subheadings. Ask yourself, “What is this about?” Try to predict the topic you will be reading about.
- Read vocabulary words out loud, find out how to pronounce them (ask an adult) and ask or look up what they mean. If there are vocabulary words in the margins, or if words are highlighted in the text, they are there because they are important and because you might not know them.
While you read:
- Figure out the main idea. Usually in nonfiction it is named at the end of the first paragraph. If you own the book, underline the main idea. If not, start a mind web with the main idea in the middle.
- Figure out what details are important. Add those to your mind web. It’s easier to study a mind web than it is to study a whole lot of paragraphs.
- Highlight or write down every word you don’t understand.
- Look for clues in the nearby words.
- Ask an adult to help you.
- Or look up the words in a dictionary. Write down what they mean, and read over the words and meanings until you know them.
- If something is difficult or confusing, ask an adult to explain it.
- Define important words on your mind web.
- Summarize each paragraph into one or two sentences to be sure you understand it. If you can write down what it means, you understand.
comicphonics for early readers 