ABC's of Reading
(Adapted from What Good Reader's Do by the California Reading Association)
A NTICIPATE MEANING - use prior experiences and information from text to make predictions
B ECOME LIFELONG READERS - by being in the presence of reading & writing with parents, teachers, & schoolmates, good readers develop lifelong literacy habits
C HOOSE YOUR OWN BOOKS - good readers select a variety of books & literature
D O NOT READ EVERY WORD OR LETTER -good readers focus on the larger more meaningful chunks of text
E LABORATE ON IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE TEXT -good readers generate elaborations during reading which helps them comprehend, recall, and make use of the material read
F OCUS ON FLUENCY BY READING - reading a familiar book over & over helps build fluency
G ET BOOKS - good readers go to the library, browse the bookstores, borrow books from friends, and give books as gifts
H AVE a PURPOSE FOR READING - good readers know that reading can serve many purposes. Reading can be informational, enjoyable, enriching, & a useful tool for solving problems
I MAGE WHEN YOU READ -good readers make mental pictures as they read
J UST SKIM SOMETIMES & READ SLOWLY OTHER TIMES -good readers shift speeds depending on their purpose and the type of book they are reading
K NOW YOUR MENTAL SKILLS -good readers continually evaluate & self monitor their comprehension as they are reading. They are aware of what they know, what they want to know, and how to do that.
L ISTEN & ENJOY STORIES & BOOKS BEING READ OUT LOUD -listening to stories read aloud by parents, teachers, and other students help build a background for becoming a good reader
M AKE PERSONAL CONNECTIONS - good readers make connections between the literature they are reading and their own lives
N EGOTIATE MEANING BY INTEGRATING a NUMBER OF CUES OR SOURCES OF INFORMATION - good readers use & cross-check four types of cues: their knowledge of the world; oral language (what sounds right); word meanings; visual information in the text (letter/sound association)
O FTEN SELF CORRECT - good readers use monitoring & problem solving strategies such as skipping unknown words & coming back to them, rereading, chunking, reading ahead, & using outside sources
P ARAPHRASE PERIODICALLY - good readers put what is happening in the book into their own words
Q UESTION - good readers ask questions and then search for the answers
R ESOND TO LITERATURE - good readers make internal responses and personal reflections to literature by making external responses such as retellings, drawings, summaries, etc...
S HARE WITH OTHERS - good readers join together to discuss & share what they are reading with others
T AKE TIME TO READ, READ, READ - good readers log in lots of reading mileage by taking advantage of opportunities inside & outside of class to read
U SE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE - good readers use their background, knowledge, experiences, and knowledge of the world to make inferences, think critically, relate new discoveries to old knowledge, & construct meaning from text
V ALIDATE PREDICTIONS - good readers verify their predictions as they read. Were they right? Were they wrong? Why?
W RITE - writing about reading helps to enhance both reading & writing abilities
E X PECT READING TO MAKE SENSE - good readers always seek to make sense of what they read
Y EARN TO READ - a good reader always has a book on hand and chooses to read during leisure time
Z ERO IN ON LEARNING STRATEGIES WHEN YOU NEED THEM - good readers use strategies & skills to comprehend what is read