Steps for Excellent Reading

Comprehension

Step 1: Read Actively

Reading Actively—Summary

Steps in Summary:1. Note the subject area • prose fiction• humanities• social sciences• natural sciences from which the

passage comes by reading the heading.

Steps in Summary:1. Note the subject area (prose

fiction, humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences) from which the passage comes by reading the heading.

2. Make an inference as to the genre of the passage ( or ) by reading the heading.

Steps in Summary:1. Note the subject area (prose

fiction, humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences) from which the passage comes by reading the heading.

2. Make an inference as to the genre of the passage (fiction or nonfiction) by reading the heading.

Steps in Summary:1. Note the subject area (prose fiction,

humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences) from which the passage comes by reading the heading.

2. Make an inference as to the genre of the passage (fiction or nonfiction) by reading the heading.

3. Predict the purpose (to , to , to ) of the passage by determining the type of passage.

Steps in Summary:1. Note the subject area (prose fiction,

humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences) from which the passage comes by reading the heading.

2. Make an inference as to the genre of the passage (fiction or nonfiction) by reading the heading.

3. Predict the purpose (to inform, to persuade, to entertain) of the passage by determining the type of passage.

Steps in Summary:4. Read the passage, highlighting

each important detail.5. As you read each paragraph and

highlight the details, summarize each paragraph with a paragraph summary statement that identifies the topic and what the author is saying about the topic.

Reading Actively—Question the Author

Steps in Question the Author:

Once you have your paragraph summary statements, Question the Author with the two important questions:6. What does the author want me to

know (main idea)?7. Why does the author want me to

know this (purpose)?

Step 2:Examine the Question

Stems

The question stem is the part of the question that comes before the answer choice.

• The first part of Step 2 involves identifying the question type.

• Before you can identify the question type, you need to understand what the question is asking.

• Restating the question stem in your own words will ensure that you understand the question.

1. The purpose of the passage is to convey the idea that:

What is the purpose of the passage?

2. The author believes the sinking of the Titanic contributed more to the safety of ocean travel than its success would have because:

Why did the sinking of the Titanic help ocean safety

more than its success would have?