Hi!  Did you enjoy February vacation?  Good, now it's time to get back in the swing of things.  Vacation is nice, but whenever there's a change in the routine, it takes a little extra effort to get back on track. 

That said, did you know that researchers say that it takes a minimum of 21 days, or repetitions, to form a habit or routine?  Yes, anything from starting an exercise or other health program, to remembering to read a chapter a day, a minimum number of pages in a book, or to practice your math problems, they all take practice, repetition, and DEDICATION!

Be dedicated to yourself, on improving your skills, and reaching your goals.  Don't let a day off take you off track, keep going and you are certain to meet with success.

Have a great day!

The Last Piece of the Puzzle!

Okay, so now we have the final piece of the reading puzzle, which is simply:  putting it all together. 
Once you've completed your pre-reading and during-reading activities, you are ready to answer those comprehension questions or write that paper. 

Even if a few days have gone by, if you followed the tips, you will be able to go back to the text, review your notes, highlighting, etc., and be confident that you have found the answers you need to respond to the text successfully.

Good luck and remember to read "actively"!!

"Active" Reading Part Two

Here's part two of the Active Reading Trilogy!  Are you ready?  We call it the During Reading stage, and it is when you actually read the book, article, paragraph, etc.

What makes this part "active" is that while you are reading, you are:

• highlighting important information
• underlining new or difficult vocabulary
• circling clues that help you understand new information and vocabulary
• and sometimes, writing in the margins (only if you own the reading material, or using a photocopy). 

You are also:

• making and confirming predictions 
• asking questions using post-it notes
• and otherwise connecting to the text you are reading
• text-to-text (connections to other material you have read)
• text-to-self (connections to your life and experiences)
• text-to-world (connections to what happens in the world)

Depending on where you are, what you are reading, and what supplies you have with you, you may do some of these activities while reading, or all. 

"Active" reading will help you focus, and help you understand what you are reading. 
Give it a shot, you have nothing to lose, and let us know what you think!

Pre-reading

Hey there!  Did you know that even before you start reading page one of that new book, or the first sentence in that magazine article, that you are already using a strategy that good readers always use?

That's right, you're pre-reading!  Pre-reading involves various activities that you go through whether you are reading for fun, or reading for homework or classwork.  This process helps you determine the purpose for reading, and makes you an "active" reader.  Here are some examples of pre-reading:

1. Reading the front and back covers, inside the book jacket, and look at pictures on the covers or within the book
2. Reading captions (the info describing photos or pictures), titles and subtitles
3. Making predictions about what the story or article is about, thinking "out loud" about what might happen

Now that you've had a snippet of the reading process, stay tuned for more info!  Meanwhile, happy reading!