What Good Readers Do: From A to Z
A ANTICIPATE MEANING
Good readers use their prior knowledge, experiences, and information
from the text to make predictions and use analogies to improve
comprehension.
B BECOME LIFELONG READERS
By being in the continued presence of reading modeled by parents,
teachers, schoolmates and friends, good readers develop lifelong
literacy habits.
C CHOOSE THEIR OWN READING MATERIALS
From the very early stages, good readers select a variety of books and types of literature to read.
D DO NOT FOCUS ONLY ON THE DETAILS OF PRINT
Good readers focus on larger chunks of print; as they read more
efficiently, their minds can gain more information and improve
comprehension of text.
E ELABORATE ON THE IMPORTANT PARTS OF TEXT
Good readers generate elaborations or embellishments during reading
(summaries, inferences, or note taking). These foster greater
comprehension, recall, and use of the material read.
F FOCUS ON FLUENCY BY READING
One of the best ways to become a more fluent reader is by reading a wide
range of books, magazines, newspapers and other materials.
G GET BOOKS
Good readers go to where books are. They use the library, browse in
bookstores, borrow books from friends, and give books as gifts.
H HAVE A PURPOSE FOR READING
Good readers know that reading can serve many purposes. Reading can be
informative, enjoyable, enriching, and be a useful tool to solve a
variety of problems.
I IMAGE WHEN THEY READ
To facilitate comprehension, good readers make mental pictures when they read.
J JUST SKIM SOMETIMES AND JUDICIOUSLY READ SLOWLY OTHER TIMES
Good readers shift speed depending on their purpose and the type of book or material difficulty when they are reading.
K KNOW ABOUT THEIR OWN MENTAL SKILLS
Good readers continuously appraise and self-monitor their comprehension
as they are reading. They are metacognitively aware of what they know,
what they want to find out, and how to find out.
L LISTEN AND ENJOY STORIES AND BOOKS READ ALOUD
Good readers of all ages need frequent opportunities to listen and enjoy
many stories and other texts read aloud, an important factor in helping
to build the background knowledge for success in reading.
M MAKE PERSONAL CONNECTIONS WITH READING
Good readers make links and applications between the books they read and their lives.
N NEGOTIATE MEANING BY INTEGRATING A NUMBER OF CUES OR SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Good readers orchestrate four types of cues: their background
knowledge, visual information (letter/sound associations), word and
sentence meaning, and language structure in the text.
O OFTEN SELF CORRECT
Good readers use monitoring and problem solving strategies such as using
known words and word parts, rereading, reading ahead and
cross-checking, and searching sources of information.
P PARAPHRASE PERIODICALLY
During reading, good readers put into their own words the gist of what they have been reading.
Q QUESTION
Good readers ask questions and then read to seek out the answers to those questions.
R RESPOND TO LITERATURE
Good readers gradually learn to make internal responses and personal
reflections (thoughts and discussion) to literature by first making a
variety of external responses (reconstructions, retellings, redrawings,
and rewritings).
S SHARE WITH OTHERS
Good readers are always joining together to discuss and share what they
are reading with others. Book habits are acquired naturally as a result
of these interactions.
T TAKE TIME TO READ, READ, READ
Logging lots of reading mileage, good readers take advantage of many opportunities to read both in and out of the classroom.
U USE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
Good readers use their background knowledge of the world to make
inferences, think critically, relate new discoveries to old knowledge,
and construct meaning from text.
V VALIDATE PREDICTIONS
Good readers verify their predictions as they read. Comprehension equals confirmed predictions.
W WRITE
Writing as it relates to speaking enhances both reading and writing
ability; good readers write a lot and use their learning in writing to
help in their reading.
eX EXPECT READING TO MAKE SENSE
As a priority, good readers have a meaning orientation to print, always seeking to make sense of what they read.
Y YEARN TO LEARN
Always having a book and choosing to engage in reading during leisure time Is a hallmark of a good reader.
Z ZERO IN ON LEARNING STRATEGIES WHEN THEY NEED THEM
Good readers improve their strategies and skills in the context of
reading quality books and doing authentic reading activities.
©California Reading Association
CA Reading Association
3186 D-1 Airway
Costa Mesa, CA 92 626