What Good Readers Do: Seven Steps to Better Reading

Lisa Arsenault is a high-school English teacher who is involved in
several ministry campaigns to increase literacy.

This book divides the reading process into pre-reading, reading, and
post-reading segments and provides strategies to facilitate the
reader’s ability in each area.

Before commencing reading, the reader should consider three important
questions: “Why am I reading this text?” establishes the purpose.
“What do I already know about the material?” emphasizes background
knowledge. “What details do I think the author will include in the
text?” encourages the reader to make predictions. Strategies that help
to increase comprehension while reading are chunking text in themes,
linking the text to personal experience, visualizing the chunks like a
movie running through your mind, making predictions, and asking
questions.

After reading summarize the text by paraphrasing, check your
predictions for accuracy, make sure that the questions you asked
yourself during reading have been answered satisfactorily, and then, if
necessary, refine your interpretation of the text. Graphic organizers
can also be used to establish different reading purposes: split-page
charts, sequence charts, and Venn diagrams assist with presenting
information in concise, logical formats. Cloze exercises and word
splashes promote vocabulary development. The manual concludes with a
range of extension options to explore and deepen the understanding and
appreciation of the text: oral interpretation, videotaped
interpretation, written extensions, and visual representations.
Templates for several of the strategies are included. What Good Readers
Do is recommended as a handy, well-organized reference guide.