Reading and Writing Strategies

10 Tips to Make You a Better Student

Mr. Brian PfefferSaturday School, 2011

What am I going to Learn?

You will learn 10 Strategies to help you read and write like an expert.

You will be able to speak more intelligently by using “Sentence Starters.”

You will learn to use the magic word “BECAUSE”

You will learn high-school language to help you engage, enjoy, and educate yourself.

Why Should I Learn This?

Many students have difficulty remembering what they read.

Students who do not use Reading and Writing Strategies will continue to be bored, upset, and annoyed by what they read and write.

If you can train your brain to do these 10 Steps, YOU WILL IMPROVE your grades and CST Scores. GUARANTEED!

#1: Make Connections

Think of ways that the text reminds you of things you already know. (Access background knowledge)

This could be an experience, other story, book, movie, song. Anything you know about.

Start your sentences with: “This story reminds me of...”

OR: “I can relate to ____________ because...”

#2: Ask Questions

Think of questions while you read and write.

Find out exactly WHERE you get confused. Is it vocabulary? Is it boredom? Is it confusion? Monitor yourself.

Start your questions with: “I wonder why...” “Does this mean...” or “What about...”

#3. Make Smart Predictions

Guess what will happen later in the text/story/movie.

Use clues based on what has already happened. (Foreshadowing)

Start your sentences with: “I think _________ will happen because ________”, or “This might be about....”

#4. Make INTERPRETATIONS

Many times, a story doesn’t tell you EVERY LITTLE DETAIL. You have to think: what does this really mean?

This is a crucial skill that separates super students from DOPES.

Start your sentences with: “Maybe the author is trying to say...” or “The message here might be...” or “This means...”

#5. Analyze the Author’s Craft

Choose your favorite lines from the text and highlight them.

This will help organize your thoughts around what you understood or what you liked

Start your sentences with: “A golden line for me was....” or “I like how the author uses _______ to show...”

#6. Evaluate

YOU BE THE JUDGE! Did you like the text? Why or why not? That’s called EVALUATION.

Start your sentences with “What I like/dislike about the text is _________ because...” or “My opinion is ______ because...”

#7. Revise you Reading

REVISE = LOOK AGAIN. Read the text a second time. How did your thoughts/ideas change.

Think about your friends. Did you hate them when you first met them???

Start your sentences with: “At first, I thought ________, now I think....” or “I’m getting a different picture now because...”

#8. Challenge the Text

The author of the text is not perfect. It’s true that NOTHING IS PERFECT (except for King Taco)

How would you change the text to make it better? Cooler? More interesting?

Start your sentences with: “This could/could not happen because...” or “Why did the author do ________ instead of _______?”

#9. Go Beyond

Think BIG. What does the text really mean?

What can we learn from it? What is the message or theme?

Start your sentences with: “People need to.....” or “Life is like this when...”

#10. Visualize (Illustrate it!)

Draw a picture of what you see in your mind!

This is not for kiddies, it’s for COLLEGE SMART PEOPLE!

Even if you are not a super-good artist, illustrations and visualizations can help you think about more details and get you thinking about the text.