Good Readers

              Good readers are active readers. The following are characteristics of good readers:

• They have clear goals in mind for their reading. While they read they evaluate whether or not the text and reading of it are meeting their goals.
• They look over the text before they read, noting things such as structure of the text.
• They make frequent predictions about what will occur next.
• They construct, revise, and question the meaning they make while they read.
• They try to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words and concepts in the text.
• They draw from, compare, and integrate their prior knowledge with material in the text.
• They think about the author of the text, the authors style, beliefs, and intentions.
• They monitor their understanding of the text they are reading.
• They evaluate the text's quality and value.
• They can construct and revise summaries of what they have read.

               Teachers can assist their children in becoming good readers by:

• Creating a supportive and encouraging environment that includes various genres of text, challenging tasks, and collaborative learning structures to increase students' motivation to read and comprehend text.
• Providing clear explanations and modeling how to perform a repertoire of strategies that promote comprehension monitoring and foster comprehension.
• Engaging students in constructive conversations with teachers and peers.
• Providing comprehension strategy instruction that is deeply connected throughout the curriculum.
• Creating print-rich environments that have a variety of literacy materials that support instruction readily accessible.

Every child has the opportunity to become a good reader, it's up to you to make the difference!

 Johnson, D. (2009). The joy of children's literature. (2 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.