Reading Strategy Objectives, Mrs. Judy Araujo, M.Ed., CAGS

Strategy #2: Problem-Solving New Words

Strategy #3: Maintaining Fluency

Strategy #4: Comprehension Strategies

Predict
Make Connections
Infer
Ask Questions
Summarize
Evaluate/Synthesize
Subtext
Visualize
Retell
Close Reading
PLUS SKILLS…

Strategy #5: Noticing Nonfiction Text Features

Strategy 1

Detecting and Correcting Errors / Monitoring for Understanding

GOAL: To know when you’re right, to see when you’re wrong, to see when you don’t know, and to know how to fix it.

WHY? To make sense of the reading.

Today I will:

Use fix-up strategies to correct decoding errors; the best way is to sound out the words.
Pause, reread, and then continue reading, and think about what I’ve shared.
Ask myself: Does it sound right? Does it look right? Does it make sense?
Discuss where the error occurred and how I resolved it.

My teacher will say: (Pick a few to write on the board and focus on them.)

Something wasn’t quite right. Can you find your error?
What do you know that might help?
I noticed you looked at the picture to help you read that word.
You looked carefully at the word while pointing to ensure your voice matched. Good for you!
How did you know that word was_____?
I liked how you solved that word!
I noticed you stopped for a moment. Were you thinking about the story when you fixed that part?
It might be that. . . Could it be anything else?
Try that again and think about what would make sense.
You said ______. What’s wrong?
When ______ didn’t sound right, you went back to fix it. Good for you!
That looks like the word, but does that make sense?
How did you figure it out?
What information do you remember?
Did the passage make sense?
Did a word or phrase stump you?
Reread that section and see if you remember more.
Look for a character’s name, a specific place, or other relevant details to identify what to reread.
Have you previewed the chapter?
What do you already know about this topic, author, or genre?
You checked that your reading made sense.
You read the material aloud as if you understood it.
You checked several ways to make sure you had the right word.
When ______ didn’t sound right, you went back to fix it.
You reread that part to check that word. Did it work?
I noticed you were thinking about the story as you were reading.
Please show me where you fixed that problem.
How did you figure it out?
Why did you do that?
You said ______. Then you told ______. Why?
How did you know what the word was?

Ticket to Leave: How will what you learned today help you to read other things?

Reading Strategy Objectives Strategy 2

Problem-Solving New Words

GOAL: To use multiple sources of information to figure out new words; to be flexible in problem-solving.

WHY? To read for meaning.

Today I will:

Use meaning and sentence structure to anticipate new words (context clues).
Notice chunks, word parts (prefixes, suffixes, roots), and syllables.

My teacher will say: (Pick a few to write on the board and focus on them.)

Is there another word that might work here?
Look at the beginning. Look at the ending.
What do you know that might help you?
That was almost right. Try that again.
What good reader strategy could you try here?
Are there any little words in this word? (chunks)
What parts of the word do you know?
Reread and get your mouth ready to say the word.
What is another word that might fit/make sense here?
Look at the root word/prefix/suffix.
Read ahead to figure out the meaning of the word.

Ticket to Leave: How will what you learned today help you to read other things?

Reading Strategy Objectives

Strategy 3

Maintaining Fluency

GOAL: To read a text accurately, at an appropriate rate, with expression and complete attention to meaning.

WHY? Reading is thinking. If we aren’t reading fluently, we are losing comprehension.

Today I will:

Rapidly process the words and pictures.
Read smoothly in meaningful phrases.
Read with expression.
Read with pacing that sounds like talking.

My teacher will say: (Pick a few to write on the board and focus on them.)

Please put the words together so they sound like talking.
Did that sound like the way we talk?
Lower your voice when you see the period.
Raise your voice when you see the question mark.
Take a short breath when you see the comma.
Show feelings/emotions when you see the exclamation point. Use emphasis.
Make it sound like the characters are talking.

Ticket to Leave: How will what you learned today help you to read other things?

Reading Strategy Objectives

Comprehension Strategies

Strategy 4A

Expanding Meaning By Predicting

GOAL: To deepen understanding using comprehension strategies.

WHY? To get our minds ready to read and give us a purpose to read.

Today I will:

Consider the title and illustrations, and make an initial prediction. (If it’s nonfiction, I will consider what I will learn using the table of contents and scanning through the nonfiction text features.)
Think about the title, illustrations, and what I’ve read so far. Has my prediction been confirmed? Will I change my prediction?
I will provide evidence to support my prediction.

My teacher will say: (Pick a few to write on the board and focus on.)

What made you come up with that prediction?
How have your ideas changed?
What evidence either confirmed your prediction or made you change your prediction?
What do you think might happen next?
What information from the text did you use to predict?
Could you please make your predictions more specific?
I like the way you used specific details for evidence.

Ticket to Leave:

How will what you learned today help you to read other things?

Reading Strategy Objectives Strategy 4B

Expanding Meaning By Making Connections

GOAL: To deepen understanding using comprehension strategies.

WHY? Using what we already know can help us better understand.

Today I will:

Think about how this text is related to what I already know, whether it’s my own life, another text, something on the news, or another book by the same author.
Consider the details and sequence of events. I will list details and events, and I will make connections between them.
Notice differences and similarities between characters using a Venn diagram.
Write down my personal feelings as the character goes through events.

My teacher will say: (Pick a few to write on the board and focus on.)

How does the story make you feel?
Have you ever had similar experiences?
Does the book remind you of another book, or does a character remind you of someone in your life?
How are the characters, setting, and problems connected to your life or other stories you’ve read?
What does the story make you wonder?
What surprised you?
How do you relate to one of the characters?
How is the family in the story similar to your family?
Have you read another book by this author?
I liked the way you connected your life to the story.

Ticket to Leave: How will what you learned today help you to read other things?

Reading Strategy Objectives Strategy 4C

Expanding Meaning By Inferring

GOAL: To deepen understanding using comprehension strategies.

WHY? Authors show ~ not tell. We must infer to answer the questions not explicitly stated in the text.

Today I will:

Think about what is implied or not directly stated.
Use my own experiences (prior knowledge) to gain a deeper understanding of a character.
Infer the meaning of unfamiliar words, settings, explanations for events, feelings, pronouns, the author’s message, or the lesson in the text.
Fill in these blanks: Maybe. . . I think. . . It could be. . . It’s because. . . Perhaps. . . It means that. . . I’m guessing. . .

My teacher will say: (Pick a few to write on the board and focus on.)

What is the author’s message?
What is the story really about?
Do you think the title is appropriate for the story?
What does the story mean to you?
Why did the author write the story?
When the character said “__________,” what is really meant?
What did you learn from the character’s words on this page?
What do your inner thoughts show you about the character?
Can you infer what the character might do based on this event?
Think of 3 decisions a character made and explain what the decisions taught you about the character.
What specific adjectives or phrases describe the character’s behavior?
How are these characters alike? Different?
What effect resulted from that event? Decision? Conflict?

Ticket to Leave: How will what you learned today help you to read other things?

Fun Inferring Practice! Read these sentences and discuss the character and setting. Then, conclude and make predictions!

Sue blew out the candles and got presents.
Mary plays her flute for two hours every day.
The boat drifted in the middle of the lake.
John ran into the street without looking.
Meg was the star pitcher, but she had a broken finger.
We bought tickets and some popcorn.
I forgot to set my alarm this morning.
When I woke up, the yard was covered with branches and leaves.
Yesterday, we cleaned out our desks and took everything home.
Everyone stopped when the referee blew the whistle.

Reading Strategy Objectives Strategy 4D

Expanding Meaning By Asking Questions Of Self Before, During, and After Reading

GOAL: To deepen understanding using comprehension strategies.

WHY? We ask questions to clarify, stay involved, read with a purpose, and deepen comprehension.

Today I will:

Ask myself who/what each paragraph was about as I read.
Ask questions that can be answered as I read or after reading.
Ask questions about the title, setting, characters, problem, resolution, and message.
Search for information in my text.
Adjust my reading rate to locate information by rereading confusing areas, skimming, and scanning to identify and verify answers.
If the text allows, underline proof of answers.

My teacher will say: (Pick a few to write on the board and focus on.)

Where did you find the answer to that question?
Were all your questions answered in the text, or do you still have unanswered questions?
How will you get the answers?
What do you already know that might help you?
What will happen next?
How will the character solve their problem?
What have you learned that will help you understand a character? Decision? Conflict?
What did you learn from the picture? Diagram? Chart?
Did you read the caption?
I appreciated how you raised a question and then continued to explore the answer.
Here are the answers. What questions can you create?

Ticket to Leave: How will what you learned today help you to read other things?

Unit of Study – Asking Questions.pdf

Reading Strategy Objectives Strategy 4E

Expanding Meaning By Summarizing

GOAL: To deepen understanding using comprehension strategies.

WHY? To check for understanding.

Today I will:

Organize information by stating the central ideas or the most essential parts of the story in my own words.
Determine what is essential and omit unnecessary details.
Keep it brief.

My teacher will say: (Pick a few to write on the board and focus on.)

Does your summary include only the main ideas and most important parts?
Tell me about what you’ve read.
What is the main idea?
Can you provide some details?
Did that make sense?
Are you retelling or summarizing?
Choose 2 or 3 key events to summarize.
Explain the main events in your own words.
What is the purpose of the chapter?
What can you find in the text to help you set a purpose?
Can you separate the facts from the conclusions you made in your summary?
Give several effects of the event.
Can you illustrate how these two summaries are similar and distinct?

Ticket to Leave: How will what you learned today help you to read other things?

Reading Strategy Objectives Strategy 4F

Expanding Meaning By Evaluating/Synthesizing

GOAL: To deepen understanding using comprehension strategies.

WHY? As a reader, I can judge and react to a text.

Today I will ask myself:

How do I feel about what I just read?
Do I agree or disagree with it?
Am I learning what I wanted to know?
How good a job has the author done?
What do I think about the author’s style?

My teacher will say:

What made you think this way?
Does anyone have any additional thoughts on that idea?

Ticket to Leave: How will what you learned today help you to read other things?

Synthesis Unit.doc

Reading Strategy Objectives Strategy 4G

Expanding Meaning By Subtexting

GOAL: To deepen understanding using comprehension strategies.

WHY? We can better relate to a character by immersing ourselves in their point of view.

Today I will:

Put myself in a character’s shoes.
Become the character by expressing what the character truly feels.

My teacher will say:

What made you think this way?
Does anyone have any additional thoughts on that idea?

Ticket to Leave: How will what you learned today help you to read other things?

Reading Strategy Objectives Strategy 4H

Expanding Meaning By Visualizing

GOAL: To deepen understanding using comprehension strategies.

WHY? Visualizing helps keep us engaged, makes texts more personal and memorable, and aids in recalling details after reading.

Today I will:

Create a movie in my mind about what is truly happening in the text.
Pay extra attention to the adjectives and adverbs used.
Use my senses and emotions as I picture the characters, setting, and events.

My teacher will say: (Pick a few to write on the board and focus on.)

What did you visualize or picture?
Did you get a clearer picture in your mind?
How could the pictures help you?
Tell me what you saw when you read this part.
How did the character walk? Dress? Describe their appearance.
Can you find parts in the story that help you know what a place or character is like?
What story details helped you create a mental image?
Where did you have trouble making mental pictures?
Create a graphic organizer that includes the senses of seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and feeling.

Ticket to Leave: How will what you learned today help you to read other things?

Unit of Study – Sensory Images.pdf

Teachers can adapt Nancibell’s Visualizing/Verbalizing approach by instructing students to form mental pictures as they read, starting with word-by-word, then whole sentences, paragraphs, and finally whole pages. Start with the noun in the first sentence – for example, dog. The dog ran. Have the student thoroughly describe what they visualize for the dog. Ask the student questions about the dog’s size, color, shape, mood, background, time of day, and sound. Tell the student, “Your words make me picture… Now tell me what the running looks like…” When the student becomes proficient in word-by-word visualization, progress to larger chunks, such as sentence visualization, paragraph visualization, and page visualization. The student must be very descriptive. Ask about what they visualize, size, color, shape, mood, number, background, time of day, sound, and perspective.

Reading Strategy Objectives Strategy 4I

Expanding Meaning By Retelling

GOAL: To deepen understanding using comprehension strategies.

WHY? To create a detailed mental image. Retelling helps us to become better writers.

Today I will:

Retell the entire story in detail and in order.
Include the characters, setting, details about the events, the problem, and the ending.
If I listen to a retelling, I will judge if enough information was given.

My teacher will say:

Is that enough information?

Ticket to Leave: How will what you learned today help you to read other things?

Reading Strategy Objectives Strategy 4J

Expanding Meaning By Close Reading

GOAL: To deepen understanding of complex texts by using comprehension strategies.

WHY? To comprehend complex texts by marking up the pages. Close reading helps us to determine the main ideas and details.

Today I will:

Read the text 3 times: 1st-time ~ to get the gist of it, 2nd time ~ to annotate using these symbols:

FREE placemat created by Beryl Bailey on TPT.

3rd time ~ to better comprehend and to be able to answer questions, cite evidence, state main ideas/details, make connections, and more.

My teacher will say:

What evidence in the text made you answer that way?

Ticket to Leave: How will what you learned today help you to read other things?

Reading Strategy Objectives

Additional reading skills to work on. . .

The main idea of a paragraph is usually stated in the first or last sentence because the first sentence is usually the topic sentence, and the last sentence is usually the summarizing sentence. If the main idea is unstated, circle the most repeated words and put them in a sentence to state the main idea!

Activating Schema or Background Knowledge

Expanding Meaning by Determining Importance

Unit of study – Determining Importance.pdf

Reading Strategy Objectives

Strategy 5

Noticing Nonfiction Text Features

GOAL: To understand that nonfiction text features serve to enhance comprehension.

WHY? To learn information.

Today I will:

Preview text for features.
Explain how the feature aids in understanding.
Read at a slower pace.
Reference features during and after reading.

My teacher will say:

Tell me about ________. How do you know?
What on the page might help you?

Ticket to Leave: How will what you learned today help you to read other things?

Reading Strategy Objectives

Questions:

Comprehension Questions for Leveled Texts and Comprehension Strategies and Questioning Stems
Before, During, and After Strategies – Strategies Organizational Chart and Reading Rockets
Reading strategies by level

Posters:

Graphic Organizers:

Elements of Explicit Comprehension Skill Instruction ~ use ALL of these as you teach each strategy! (By Nancy Boyles, 2017)

Link – Show how today’s lesson connects to yesterday’s lesson. Then, explain how learning this material applies to today.

Explain – What to do and how to do it. Show an exemplar.

Model – Provide 1 example. Involve students.

Pause and Prompt—Pause to retrieve evidence. For example, “How does this detail. . .”

Practice ~ with Feedback – Oral practice, graphic organizers, accountable talk, and constant feedback.

Independence – The goal for all. Remove all scaffolds over time.

Reflection – Reflect on the learning. What did you do? How did it go? What will you work on tomorrow?

Also, see:

* Reading Comprehension Strategies and * Mentor Texts for Reading Strategies!

Edited on 10/05/2025

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Strategy #1: Detecting and Correcting Errors

Detecting and Correcting Errors / Monitoring for Understanding

Problem-Solving New Words

Maintaining Fluency

Comprehension Strategies

Noticing Nonfiction Text Features

Also, see:

* Reading Comprehension Strategies and * Mentor Texts for Reading Strategies!