The strategy of comparing and contrasting actively engages students in giving definition to and refining concepts and information, which in turn bolsters comprehension and retention and leads to successful learning across the curriculum.
Connecting to prior knowledge underpins comprehension. Readers who are able to connect their prior knowledge to what they are learning will make links that give meaning to the content.
By determining importance, readers are able to bring order to the information and ideas they encounter at every turn of the page. Once readers can determine the big ideas and important facts, they can concentrate on what is crucial to their understanding.
Our students make inferences when they create meaning or draw a conclusion that isn't directly stated in the text. Teaching our students to make inferences helps them to discover deeper meaning in the texts they read and to make logical predictions.
Predicting is an active process that engages students in thinking about what they are reading and sets the stage for what they are going to read.
Like adjusting a microscope, setting a purpose helps readers focus in on relevant information. Setting a purpose is especially important in nonfiction reading—the kind of reading most prevalent in school and life.
Summarizing is a true badge of understanding. When we teach our students to summarize, they are able to pick out the essential points and organize ideas sequentially, showing that they understand both the substance and the essence of what they are reading.
Visualizing—creating pictures in the mind while reading—is a skill that fosters comprehension by helping students perceive and retain what they are reading, and proficiency in this skill is what makes reading a pleasure!