Prereading

Prereading exercises can be categorized into two types: "in-text" prereading and "out-of-text" prereading.  Both types of prereading activities (in-text and out-of-text) are valuable for adolescent readers. In-text prereading, as one might imagine, focuses on prereading exercises that can be done inside of a text like scanning titles and analyzing visuals. Out-of-text prereading activities, then, happen outside of the text like surveys and interviews. Once we select texts for our students to read, we should decide on the types of prereading exercises we want to assign.

With purposeful planning and lots of practice, students will begin to view prereading as a natural step in the reading process and begin to preread with greater proficiency. Typically, prereading activities like scanning a text and making predictions can be done in a few minutes. The predictions students make are meaningless, however, unless we teach them how to build the appropriate schema for the texts they read.

Start slow. Guide students to reading aids and text features that will lead them to make accurate predictions. Model how to preread and verbalize the thought process so students can learn how competent readers preread.

Prereading builds schema (or a conceptual framework) in students' minds that helps them organize and process new knowledge. When students are given time to preview key concepts in a chapter or learn about an author's experiences, they can begin to make connections that are critical to their learning.

Prereading should also be used to engage students in the learning. Having students watch a demonstration in class or view a quick video at home will peak their interests, increasing their motivation to read the texts we assign. Explore the resources on this page to learn more about "Prereading."

Checking In: What do students know about the reading strategy?

When introducing or reviewing a literacy strategy, check-in with the students and find out what they know about the strategy. Here are some ways to assess students' prior knowledge of "Prereading."

Teachers could...

• ask students to talk about prereading strategies that they have used in their content area classes.
• have students reflect on what they know about "Prereading."
• hand out a text and ask students, "What should we do to prepare for this reading?" These types of questions will help teachers identify what students know (and don't know) about prereading.

Assessing the Skill: What have students learned about the reading strategy?

When assessing students' knowledge of "Prereading," teachers could...

• quiz students on specific prereading strategies that they have learned. This will help determine what they know and what they still need to learn.
• assess verbally what students' know about the strategy.
• ask questions like, "How would you preread this text?" You could also ask, "How could we use this strategy with other texts?"
• engage students in a cognitive exercise. Ask students to explain why readers preread. Answers will vary, but it will let teachers evaluate what they know about prereading.

Assessing Content Knowledge: What do students know about the content?

If we are going to invest time teaching reading strategies, we should have some idea of how the reading strategy is improving students' comprehension of a text. When assessing students' knowledge of the content, teachers could...

• develop a short series of multiple choice questions that assess students' knowledge of the content. The questions should focus on the reading purpose (or task).
• craft short answer prompts that ask students to articulate--in writing--their knowledge of the content. Short answer prompts should also focus on the reading purpose.
• engage students in a formal conversation like a Socratic seminar, assessing students' knowledge through verbal performance.
• assign a brief, one to two page paper that asks students to account for the name of the source, relevant source information, main ideas in the text, author's purpose, and his or her intended audience.

Developing a Reading Purpose

When developing prereading activities, think about what students should know and and be able to do as a result of their prereading. For example, do we want them to know something about the author before they read the text? If so, our prereading efforts should focus on reading the introduction to the author (if available) or having students engage in a brief online research project where they research the author's personal, professional, and academic experiences.

On the other hand, if we want to expose our students to the vocabulary in the chapter or section, we should have our students scan for key vocabulary and preview their definitions. We might want students to get a feel for what's in the chapter or unit. In this case, our prereading activities should guide students to explore reading aids like visuals, titles, subtitles, captions, bold words, and other text features that will help them prepare for the reading. 

Selecting a Text

When teaching "Prereading" strategies, provide opportunities for students to apply the strategies to various types of texts. Prereading an article is far different from prereading a section in a textbook. "Prereading" strategies can be used with all texts, but the decisions about prereading will depend on the texts themselves.

Pacing and Supporting the Lesson

Provide multiple opportunities for students to practice various "Prereading" strategies.

• Spend 10-15 minutes each time explicitly teaching the strategy.  Eventually, students should make decisions about prereading with little to no guidance.
• Develop creative "out-of-text" activities that help students think about and learn the key concepts in a text.
• Allow students to work together and talk about their prereading. We could ask, "What is the best way to preread this text?" Or, "What do we learn about the text from the "Prereading" strategies?"
• Have students explain the importance of the strategy, "Prereading."

Learning the Skill

When introducing "Prereading" consider the following approaches.

• Provide time in class for students to learn and practice the strategy.
• Use the "Strategy Slides" to introduce "In-text" and "Out-of-text" prereading strategies.
• Use a document camera or overhead projector to model how to do various "Prereading" strategies. For example, you can model for students how to scan titles, visuals, and paragraphs and make a prediction. Teach students to write their predictions on the text, on a sticky note, or in their notes.
• Focus on one or two strategies at a time.
  

Developing the Skill

When deepening students' understanding of the skill, consider the following approaches.

• Ask students to write about or discuss their prereading decisions. You could ask, "How did you preread the text? Why did you make these decisions?"
• Have students think about their prereading. What are they learning from their prereading? How is the strategy improving their comprehension?
• Have students run prereading activities. Students can take turns workings under a document camera, demonstrating for the class how they preread.

Mastering the Skill

Mastery of any skill takes time, lots of practice, and a solid understanding of how to do it. Consider applying some of the following approaches when developing students' mastery of "Prereading."

• Give students a text with little instruction and ask them how they would preread the text.
• Ask students how they would use the skill in all their classes. For instance, what does prereading look like for math textbooks? What reading aids are available in science and social science textbooks?
• Teach students how to use the strategy in various reading situations like state and local exams.

School Wide

In order to make a strategy transferable through a department and across a school, the name of the strategy must stay the same and it must be implemented and talked about in the same way. Although reading purposes may change from class to class, unit to unit, the work behind a strategy must be predictable and consistent for our students. When a set of effective literacy strategies are implemented throughout the school day, students gain a deep knowledge of how to use the strategy, when to use it, and most importantly, why to use it. The goal for school-wide literacy, therefore, is to develop students' mastery of a select set of strategies so that they can independently and strategically employ them in rigorous academic and professional environments.

English Description

In the English classroom, prereading can be done to engage students in poems, short stories, novels, and the various non-fiction articles that are read in class. When prereading poems, short stories, and articles, students should scan the title, read the author information (if available), and make a prediction. Students reading shorter works could also read the first and last paragraphs/ sections in a poem to get a better idea of what the story (or poem) is about.

When reading novels, students should read the title and make a prediction. Then, they could read the back of the novel or research the author’s personal and professional experiences and make some informed guesses about what the novel is about or why the author wrote the novel.

Math Description

In Math, students can preread a new section or unit in the textbook. Students should spend time previewing unit vocabulary, concepts, and learning outcomes. Students should scan graphics, captions, headings, and examples in order to get some idea about the content in the chapter. While previewing the chapter, students should ask questions like, “What do I know about this chapter/ unit?” or “How does this chapter relate or build on the previous unit?” 

Try giving students a problem from a new unit of study and ask them to work on the problem in small groups. Encourage students to apply what they know about math to the new problem. This engaging activity works well as an “into” or prereading activity. 

Anticipation guides work well in math, too. Create a list of statements, questions, or problems and have students respond to the list. You can write true/false statements, ask yes/no questions, or test students' knowledge by asking them to apply what they know about math to new concepts/ideas.

Science Description

There are many opportunities to preread in science class. While reading the science textbook, students scan titles, subtitles, bold words, and the various visuals in the chapter. Students could also preview key concepts and vocabulary and then apply those words and concepts as they scan images in the chapter. Because there is so much information in one chapter, we recommend teachers utilize prereading strategies for each section in the chapter.

Outside the text, science teachers could engage students in various experiments and demonstrations in order to build students’ background knowledge. Through interactive learning, students can develop the schema needed to comprehend the challenging ideas in the science textbook.

The science classroom is also a perfect place for anticipation guides. This prereading activity increases student engagement while teaching basic concepts in an upcoming chapter. Creating a guide is simple. Create a list of true/false statements (the more outrageous the better), and/ or a list of yes/no questions that you want your students to think about before reading a text. Once you have the list of statements or questions, simply drop them into a multi-column chart. The questions are placed in the left column and the answers in the right. All possible answers are provided, making it easy for students to circle the answer they think is correct.

Social Science Description

Social science students read a variety of non-fiction texts as part of their curriculum. The textbook, however, functions as the primary text for the class. To successfully preread the textbook, students should scan the reading aids like chapter outcomes, focus questions, section summaries, and bold words. Students could also make connections between the titles and subtitles and the various images in the text. 

You might also try an anticipation guide. This prereading tool can increase student engagement while teaching them some of the basic concepts they will encounter in the upcoming unit or chapter. Anticipation guides are easy to create and take students only a few minutes to complete.

How do I create an anticipation guide? Creating a guide is simple. Create a list of true/false statements (the more outrageous the better), or a list of questions  that you want your students to think about before reading a text (you should be able to answer the questions with a yes/no/maybe response). Once you have the list of statements or questions, simply drop them into a multi-column chart. The questions are placed in the left column and the answers in the right. All possible answers are provided, making it easy for students to circle the answer they think is correct.

Standardized Exams Description

Prereading is an essential test taking skill. It only takes a few seconds to preread and the results are well worth the time. Prereading during high stakes exams improves students’ performance and keeps them focused on the lengthier reading passages. Students should preread anytime there is a passage that they have to read and comprehend. 

When testing in math, science, and social science, students should preview the test, getting a feel for the overall length of the exam and scan the questions to get a feel for the types of questions being asked. The more students know about the exam, the better their scores will be.