Unit 2 - Lesson 1: Introducing Reading Strategies

Big Ideas of the Lesson

There are a variety of strategies good readers use to help them understand what they read.
Good readers are metacognitive -- they think about their own thinking while they read.
Good readers think about what they are reading by summarizing, predicting, questioning,
clarifying, and visualizing.
Good readers connect what they are reading to what they already know or have already
experienced.
Good readers monitor their own understanding as they read and notice confusion.
Good readers use different strategies when they are confused, such as using context clues
to make sense of what they read, re-reading, asking questions, or using textual aids
(pictures, tables, glossaries, etc.).

LessonAbstract:
This lesson focuses students to concrete reading comprehension skills. The teacher introduces
and models a technique known as a Think-Aloud. This technique is incorporated throughout the
course as it is a research-tested method to help students become more aware of their thinking as
they read. Students practice their first think-aloud of the year with a partner and write reflectively
about the process.
Content Expectations1: 7 - H1.2.1; H1.2.2
Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies: RH.6-8.2 and 4;
WHST.6-8.4 and 10
Key Concepts
evidence
metacognition
social institutions

1 The language of the content expectations and the common core standards can be found in the Reference
Section at the end of the lesson.