Foster Opportunities for Students to Think While Reading

One of the strategies readers need to develop is the ability to think while reading. For some this does not come naturally; this needs to be fostered by the teacher. In order to get students to think about their reading, teachers need to build in deliberate opportunities for them to think while they’re reading.

We are forever asking students to apply “context clues” when they come across a tricky word. To make this more intentional, provide each student a copy of the vertical Word Mark/bookmark. Download template. As he comes to a word that is new or tricky, the student writes down the new word and where he found it (page number/paragraph number). With each word spot, there are a couple of lines for the student to also jot down what he thinks the word means. Using context clues and his background knowledge, the student writes down what he predicts the word means and then resumes reading independently.

This is a great strategy for independent reading, sustained silent reading, literature groups, and guided reading groups. I love it because it has the students log their new words and predict what these new words mean all on their own. Once words are collected, plan time to go over these tricky words and their meanings.

Stop and Say Something

This second strategy also encourages during-reading thinking. Seat partners side by side, each with a personal copy of the day’s text. Ask the students to read silently to themselves and after a few moments, when you’ve seen the readers progressing through the text, say, “Readers, stop.” Have students put their index fingers down to hold their positions in the text. Tell readers to turn to their partners and say something about the reading. You want to intentionally stop students and ask them to have a thought, ask a question, make a connection, summarize the text so far, identify what’s interesting, or what doesn’t make sense. It could be any thought at all related to the text.

After that something was shared, simply say, “Readers, resume reading.” Students return to independent, silent reading until you again say, “Stop and say something to your partner about the reading.” Each of these stops could include both partners saying something about the reading, or ask Reader A to say something to Reader B about the reading. At the next stop, Reader B would say something to Reader A. This is not to be a long discussion between the pair. It’s just an opportunity to share a thought.

NOTE: Consider your high ability readers who are naturally reading and thinking simultaneously. If you stop them too often, they will get annoyed. So, be conscious of the frequency of stops. You want to do it enough for your strugglers but not so much that you turn off your high ability students. Or consider differentiating this and only doing it within smaller groups.