READING STRATEGIES CHEAT SHEET!!!!!!

Look at this “cheat sheet” every time you need a quick reminder about what the
reading strategies are and how to use them!
READING DEFINITION JUMP-OFFS
STRATEGY
1. TEXT • Text-to-Self (T-S): --This character reminds me
CONNECTIONS Comparing the text to your of (myself, a friend, a family
own life. member) because...
• Text-to-Text (T-T): --I am like/different from this
Comparing the text to character because...
another text (book, movie, --This person, place, event,
music, poetry, newspaper, reminds me of...
play, etc). --This book reminds me of
• Text-to-World (T-W): another book I have read
Comparing the text to the because...
world (history, current --As compared to other books
event, or social issues) (by this author, on the same
topic), I think this book is...
--This book makes me think
about an important social
issue, current event, period in
history....because...
2. PREDICTIONS • To make an educated --I predict that...because
guess about what will
happen next in the text
using facts and prior
knowledge.
3. QUESTIONING • Thick Questions: --A thin question that I have
questions that address big about this book is....
issues in the text and do --A thick question that I have
not necessarily have a about this book is...
specific/clear answer. --What does this word mean?
They usually start with ---Why does the character act
why? How come? I in this way?
wonder? --What is the message that
• Thin Questions: the author is trying to get at?
questions asked to clarify -How come she left the town
confusion, understand meeting?
words, or simple I wonder...
concepts. They can
usually be answered with
a number, or a few simple
words.
4. VISUALIZING • Making a movie in your --While reading this scene I
mind as you read. Imagine saw/felt/heard/smelled/tasted.
what you would see, hear, ..
smell, taste, or feel if you or
were in the situation in --Draw a picture using as
 described in the text.
5.SUMMARIZING/ • To describe the main
CLARIFYING events of a text in your
own words.
6. INFERENCE • When readers use facts,
clues, and images to
create their own meaning
from the text.
(Read between the lines!)
-What is the message?
What is the character feeling? because...
Thinking?
many details as you can!)
--My book is mostly about...
--The main idea in my book is
that...
--The big ideas in this book
were...
--The most important word,
phrase, idea, illustration in
this book was
--The most exciting part of
this book was
--To summarize the text, I
would say...
--If I were in this situation I
would...
--I think the character acted
this way because...
--I think the character feels
(emotion) because...
--I think the message the
author is trying to convey is...
--I think one important theme
in this book is...because...
--I think the author wrote this
book to...