Characteristics of Effective and Less Effective Readers
EFFECTIVE READERS
Before Reading:
have goals in mind and know their purpose for reading
preview text—title, pictures, headings, drawings
reflect (and often share) what they know about the
topic
make predictions about the text
use various strategies that suit the text (fiction, nonfiction)
may decide to read all, some, or none of the text
During Reading:
continue to reflect on the text, anticipate, and make
predictions
confirm or correct predictions
monitor comprehension
use fix-up strategies when comprehension breaks
down
read selectively by deciding what to read carefully,
quickly, what not to read, and what to reread
use text structures and text features to support
meaning
generate questions about text
react intellectually and emotionally to text (reader
response)
LESS EFFECTIVE READERS
Before Reading:
do not know why they are reading
start reading without thinking about the topic
do not preview the text
After Reading:
decide if goals were achieved
reflect on how text matched or did not match predictions
compare characters, incidents, content (nonfiction) to
self, real life, and other books
summarize major idea(s)
may seek additional information
react to text intellectually and/or emotionally (reader
response)
After Reading:
do not know what they have read
do not confirm or correct predictions
do not make predictions
read all text (e.g., fiction and nonfiction) the same way
do not think about how much they will read
During Reading:
may not know whether or not they understand the
text
do not confirm or correct predictions
do not monitor their own comprehension
seldom use fix-up strategies
often give up or read on without understanding
meaning—the text is not revisited
may not use text structures and text features to support meaning
rarely generate questions about text
frequently do not make personal connections to the
text
do not make personal connections
do not summarize major ideas
do not seek additional information
frequently do not react to text intellectually and/or
emotionally
Fluent readers know which Reading strategies to implement, and how and when to use them. They use this skill to
support and monitor their reading comprehension. This awareness and monitoring—or thinking about their thinking—is
known as metacognition.
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Reading Comprehension: Strategies That Work