Intermediate Comprehension Toolkit Informal Record
1 Monitor
Comprehension
Listens to the inner
conversation and leaves
tracks to hold thinking,
i.e., text coding
Name
Stops and goes back to
refocus thinking when the
mind wanders
Rereads and reads on to
clarify meaning and clear
up confusion
Stops and uses fix-up
strategies when meaning
breaks down, i.e., asks a
question
Remembers to stop, think,
and react to learn
information and expand
thinking.
*Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, Distinguished
Joliet Public Schools District 86 (June, 2014).
Name
Name
Name
Name
Intermediate Comprehension Toolkit Informal Record
2 Activate & Connect
Understands the
purpose of text and
visual features
Name
Uses features to gain
information
Merges thinking with
new information and
reacts to it ( I never
knew, I wonder, etc.)
Connects background
knowledge to learn new
information
Revises or changes
thinking on new
information or evidence
*Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, Distinguished
Joliet Public Schools District 86 (June, 2014).
Name
Name
Name
Name
Intermediate Comprehension Toolkit Informal Record
3 Ask Questions
Stops to ask questions to
wonder about the
information and better
understand it
Name
Name
Name
Recognizes that not all
questions are answered
in text
Asks questions to clarify
meaning and confusion
Reads with question(s)
in mind and uses a
variety of strategies to
try to answer it
Poses lingering
questions about the
information and big
ideas to expand thinking
*Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, Distinguished
Joliet Public Schools District 86 (June, 2014).
Name
Name
Intermediate Comprehension Toolkit Informal Record
4 Infer Meaning
Uses the context to infer
the meaning of
unfamiliar words and
concepts
Name
Merges background
knowledge with text
clues to draw
conclusions
Uses inferring to
interpret the deeper
meaning of language
Uses
inferring/visualizing to
gain meaning from text
features and visuals
Uses text evidence to
infer the answers to
questions, big ideas and
themes
*Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, Distinguished
Joliet Public Schools District 86 (June, 2014).
Name
Name
Name
Name
Intermediate Comprehension Toolkit Informal Record
5 Determine Importance
Merges thinking,
questions, and responses
with the information
(FQR note-taking)
Name
Sorts and sifts the
information to answer a
question
Codes the text to hold
thinking, paraphrase, and
record important
information
Separates interesting
details from bigger ideas
and important
information
Distinguishes between
the reader’s perspective
and the author’s
perspective
Identifies and uses
supporting details to
come up with bigger
ideas
*Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, Distinguished
Joliet Public Schools District 86 (June, 2014).
Name
Name
Name
Name
Intermediate Comprehension Toolkit Informal Record
6 Summarize &
Synthesize
Pulls out information
that relates to key ideas
and paraphrases it
briefly and accurately
Name
Merges thinking
(questions, connections,
inferences) to surface
key ideas and get the
gist
Distinguishes between
the gist and the reader’s
personal response to the
information
Synthesizes big ideas
and issues from a
collection of facts
Understands the
difference between facts
and opinions and revises
thinking in light of new
evidence
Creates a summary
response that merges
accurate text
information with the
reader’s written
response
*Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, Distinguished
Joliet Public Schools District 86 (June, 2014).
Name
Name
Name
Name