I remember at an Open House when a parent asked me to define reading in as few words as possible. After a few seconds of frantic thought I said, "Making meaning." Even as early as first grade it's important to remember that as important as decoding skills are if kids don't understand what they read, they are not really reading. In this first chapter of the book the writers introduce us to 7 keys to help students understand what they read. When I learned about these several years ago I didn't pay lots of attention to them. It wasn't until later while reading books on my own that I found myself doing some of the very things that were mentioned. The 7 keys are: 1) Creating mental images 2) Using background knowledge 3) Asking questions 4) Making inferences 5) Determining the most important ideas 6) Synthesize ideas and 7) Use "fix-up" strategies when reading. In the rest of the book each of these will be explored in more depth.
One valuable point that I took away from this chapter was how important it is to turn off the TV and spend time reading with your kids at home. A few years ago I unplugged my set and haven't watched it much since then. It's not that TV is bad or anything, but I do find myself using that time more for reading, exercising, or doing other things that are not so passive. If we want to grow readers we have to immerse them in books and language.
This is just the first chapter and there will be lots to discuss as we proceed. Don't be afraid to leave a comment and share your thoughts both about what you agree and disagree with. This is a forum for ideas so use it as you see fit. Next month the focus will be on creating mental images as you read...so stay tuned and happy reading!
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