Details are easy to miss when a student is reading quickly in order to get on to more fun and exciting tasks. Reading for details often becomes a boring and monotonous task that can make your student tired and less attentive. Have her try these suggestions to help her focus on and capture the important details as she reads.
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Before you start reading a new chapter in your textbook or novel, pay attention to new vocabulary words, important concepts, names, and dates.
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As you read, do so actively in order to answer the questions in your teacher’s study guide, the questions at the end of the chapter, or to answer questions you have about the bolded headers. Use the active reading method outlined here.
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Ask yourself questions about the bolded headers: what, who, when, where, how and why?
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As you read, highlight or underline key details (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How) in different colors or use a form to capture this detail.
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Highlighting works whether you are using a regular text or an e-book.
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If you can’t highlight in your textbook, use colored tape flags to mark specific information in the text: red flags for main ideas, blue flags for dates, yellow for important people, and green for important events.
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Prioritize the information you attend to in a certain passage. First, read for facts [names, dates]. Second, read for important themes. Finally, read for cause/effect and to compare/contrast ideas.
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Ask yourself, “What is the author trying to communicate about the information in this passage?”
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The traits of a person, place, or thing?
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How to solve a specific problem?
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What’s wrong with an idea or concept?
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How two people, places, or things compare?
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The cause and effects of a specific action?
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If the author’s purpose is to show cause/effect or compare/contrast, read my other posts in this series to learn more.
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(c) 2009-2019, Monte W. Davenport, Ph.D.
