1.1 Reading Rules!

Learning Targets

By the end of lessons 1.1 to 1.4, you should be able to say YES to the following questions.

• Can I construct meaningful personal connections to what I am reading?
  
• Can I understand the importance of reading strategies before, after, and during reading?
  
• Can I implement reading strategies to improve my reading experience and understanding of my online instructions?
• Can I implement reading strategies to improve my reading experience and understanding of literature within my course?

Reading Rules!

Words are all around us all the time! 

Reading is not only an important skill for school, but for life in general. From reading the ingredients listed on your cereal box to the instructions for putting anything together -- we read every day!

You need to be able to understand words to understand sentences. You need to remember what you read as you go along. You need to build up a "big picture" of the accumulated information in your mind. The following pages will give you tips on how to be an effective reader.

Before, During, & After Reading Strategies

When you read, you must use more than your eyes. You MUST use your brain.

Reading is an ACTIVE process. Giving all your attention (and enthusiasm!) to reading will allow you to enjoy and understand what you are reading at a higher level. This will help you not only in English class, but any class or activity you do that involves reading.

When you are reading for school, often you should essentially read the material three times. The first time, you are skimming the text and looking at images to get a feel for what you are getting yourself into.

The second time, you are using strategies to process and take a deeper look at the material. The third time, you are tying up loose ends, exploring structure, and making conclusions about all the new information you have just soaked in.

The following three lessons offer strategies for before, during, and after reading. You should use these tips to help you with reading your online course instructions as well as the specific literature you will be working with. This unit will help you be a better reader…so read on!

Whole-Body Listening & Reading

There are some videos you have to watch in this course, and you want to do more than sit in front of the screen. You want your brain engaged. You want to be whole-body listening. Watch Cookie Monster as he demonstrates (because you can NEVER be too old for cookie monster!).

When you watch videos or listen to audio, you can also use the same before, after, and during strategies as you use when reading. This video is focused on listening, but you want to be "whole-body reading" too.

What Do Good Readers Do?

Brainstorm what you do before, during, and after reading to help you understand what you are reading or have read. What do other people do?

Whenever you see the icon below, it means you must go to the Learning Guide and complete the worksheet related to what you have just learned.

Your first task is titled Brainstorm. You will find it right near the beginning of your Learning Guide.

Before you complete your task, with your home facilitator, read the first page (or cover page) of the Learning Guide. It explains the job of the student and the job of the home facilitator.

Then, you are ready to do your brainstorm! It's a challenging concept to put into words. Do your best!

Have fun!