A Standard Intervention
General Standard: Active Reading
Overview: Students will understand how to read actively and the value of noting reading
strategies while reading.
Designer: Lee Lopez
Standard Summary
Identify Active Reading Strategies and understand how implementing them is the key to
deconstructing text for meaning and response. Students practice step by step instruction on what
to look for and how to make notes for future referencing.
Stage 1 – MCAS Review
Established Goals: Students, in groups of 4-6, will be guided through 2 texts (one fiction and one
non-fiction) and give instruction on note taking and active reading strategies. The teacher will
probe student understandings and clarify misunderstandings.
Question Numbers:
Tier 1 Intervention
Learning Plan: For Active Reading (Fiction & Non-Fiction)
The Goal: Active Reading keeps you in the game! It’s like solving a puzzle – it keeps you
focused and all your marks/notes help you find stuff easier later…leave a trail of bread
crumbs like Hansel and Gretel! Chop it up and break it apart, deconstruct that text! 
Procedure:
1. In Group: Ask students to preview the text. Preview text means the following:
 Read questions first. Jot simple notes about essence of question: What are you
looking for? Circle any paragraphs where the answer will be found. Ex: “In
paragraph 7…go circle paragraph 7!”
 Read the title of the story. Make a prediction about story content – write it next to
title. “Might be….” Or “This is a myth.,…or this is a true story…..”
 Read any introductory information, italics, overview, summation. Summarize
essential point of content, jot a note next to it about what it is / circle key words.
 Look for any graphics, photos, extra titles, captions. Take notes on content, or what
they might add to the story.
 Skim text: How long is it? Are there words in bold? Are there words in the text in
italics? Does anything stand out? What is the structure? Make a note.
2. Review reading strategies below. Begin reading the story. Each student read silently and
look to make these kinds of notes:
 Ask questions
 Make connections (self, text, world)
 Circle unfamiliar words and use context clues to discover meaning, make a note of
it
 Make a star or other identifying mark whenever you think you are close to an
answer to one of your questions.



Circle characters : Make a note of any description or identification (father, the boss,
the girl, angry, heartbroken
Visualize text: Note settings, characters or any visuals you “see” in your mind.
Track Plot: Make notes about the events in the story. Simple ones such as “moves
out” or “makes a wish” or “hates his brother”
3. Share your notes: Have each student share a few of the notes they took with the group.
Have students fill in some of those kinds of notes that they did not think of themselves.
4. Each student answers the question on their own. Share answers and how students figured it
out. Watch students – are they using their notes? Are they going back to hunt and search
for stuff
5. Review questions – what did we get, what did we miss?
Assessment: Your story – what it looks like at the end! Covered in notes! Correctly answered
questions.
Good to Go!


In Need of Tier 2 Intervention
Notes address most of the strategies
taught, i.e. asking questions, making
connections, identifying vocabulary in
context, etc.
Correctly answered questions.


Very little to no note-taking, unsure
of what to write on or around story
after 2 attempts
Incorrect answers to questions,
difficulty comprehending how to find
correct answer.
Tier 2 Intervention
Procedure:
Product:
Assessment:
Good to Go!
One on One Needed