TX PACT ELAs and Reading 7-12 (731)

Previewing involves scanning text features before reading. Examine titles, headings, subheadings, bold or italicized terms, images, captions, charts, and summaries. Previewing activates prior knowledge and establishes reading purpose.

Activating prior knowledge connects new information to existing understanding. Consider what you already know about the topic, what questions you have, and how the topic relates to personal experience.

Setting purpose focuses attention and improves comprehension. Ask: Am I reading for general understanding, specific information, critical analysis, or entertainment? Purpose determines reading speed and strategy selection.

Making predictions engages readers actively. Use text features, titles, and prior knowledge to anticipate content. Predictions create a framework for organizing new information.

Questioning establishes an active reading stance. Generate questions about the topic, the author's purpose, and expected content. Questions guide attention during reading.

Monitoring comprehension involves tracking understanding while reading. Effective readers recognize confusion immediately and apply fix-up strategies. Ask: Does this make sense? Can I summarize what I just read? Are my predictions confirmed?

Visualizing creates mental images from text descriptions. Visualization enhances comprehension of narrative texts, spatial relationships, and process descriptions.

Making inferences fills gaps in explicit information. Readers combine text evidence with prior knowledge to understand implied meanings, character motivations, and cause-effect relationships.

Asking questions during reading clarifies meaning and deepens understanding. Question types include clarifying questions (What does this mean?), connection questions (How does this relate to earlier information?), and evaluative questions (Do I agree with this claim?).

Determining importance distinguishes main ideas from supporting details. Identify topic sentences, repeated concepts, and information that supports the author's thesis.

Synthesizing combines information from multiple sections or sources to form new understanding. Synthesis involves seeing relationships among ideas and integrating new information with prior knowledge.

Annotating engages readers actively through marking text. Effective annotations include underlining main ideas, circling unfamiliar vocabulary, writing marginal notes, and using symbols to indicate reactions (question marks for confusion, exclamation points for important ideas).

Summarizing condenses text to essential ideas. Effective summaries identify the main idea, include only crucial supporting details, maintain logical organization, and use the reader's own words.

Reflecting considers how new information connects to prior knowledge, challenges existing beliefs, or applies to real-world situations.

Evaluating assesses the text's effectiveness, credibility, and value. Consider whether arguments are logical, evidence is sufficient, and conclusions are justified.

Discussing with others exposes readers to alternative interpretations and deepens understanding through articulating ideas.

Skimming provides a quick overview. Move eyes rapidly over text, reading titles, first sentences of paragraphs, and topic sentences. Skimming determines whether text is relevant and identifies organizational patterns.

Scanning locates specific information quickly. Search for key words, names, dates, or numbers without reading surrounding text. Scanning answers specific questions efficiently.

Close reading examines text carefully and analytically. Read slowly, annotate, reread difficult passages, and analyze author's choices. Close reading supports critical analysis and deep comprehension.

Critical reading evaluates arguments, identifies bias, and assesses evidence quality. Question author's claims, examine logic, and consider alternative perspectives.