THE FOUR Ps

Purpose
Preview
Prior Knowledge
Predict

READING SKILLS
WEEK 1

Prepared by CMDU
 Does this sound like you?
• “My mind wanders when I’m reading. I don’t
seem to understand what I’m reading, and I can’t
remember any of it.”

• “I can’t find the important material in the

textbook.”

• “I can’t keep up with my reading assignments,

so I cram the night before a test.”
Be an Active Reader
In this course, you are going to learn some strategies to be a better, a more
active reader.
 Our first strategy is a Pre-reading strategy. If you spend a few minutes
BEFORE reading any difficult material, you can feel more motivated
to read it.

In this way, you can understand better and remember what you read.

It is like looking at a map first when you are driving to a new place
(or at least turn on your GPS) so you don’t waste time getting lost or
it is like watching a movie trailer.

What is Pre-reading?
 When you approach a new academic reading, it’s best
to use the 4P’s (purpose, preview, prior knowledge,
and predict) so you don’t struggle so much to figure
out what the authors want to say or how they plan to
say it.

Why 4’P’s?
 Why are you reading? Knowing your reading goals can
motivate you to read.

It will also determine how carefully you need to read and

what reading strategies you can use.

Ask yourself these questions before you read.

Are you looking for general main ideas or specific details, or both?
Are you going to discuss what you read in class, take a test, use what
you read in an essay? Or are you just reading for pleasure?
How does this reading task tie into the unit or the whole course?

1. PURPOSE
 Spend a few minutes looking at visual clues to the author’s
main idea, supporting points, and organization of
ideas. Depending on the type of reading, look at some, or all, of
the following elements:

Title
Introductory information about the author and/or selection
First and last paragraphs
First sentence of body paragraphs
Headings and subheadings
Italics, bold print, numbers, symbols
Comprehension questions or, other after-reading assignment
Photos, graphics, charts, tables

2. PREVIEW
 What do you already know about this topic? 

Using your own background knowledge and

experiences can help stimulate your interest and
increase your comprehension.

3. PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
 After previewing a text, you can begin to make guesses about what the
writer wants to say. These predictions are important in motivating you
and keep you focused while reading.

When you make predictions, you make educated guesses about what’s to
come in a text. The process looks like this:

What I know + story clues = prediction

For example, if you previewed a passage called “Leaders of the Pack,” you
might predict that the story would be about presidents, kings, or even dogs.

4. PREDICT
 What will happen if he doesn’t go to school?

What will happen if he goes to school?

Read the cartoons and answer the questions to

make predictions
 STUDENT A:

STUDENT B:

STUDENT C:

Say what each student will do during the term

time at school
Thanks for reading!
You’ll do more practice with your teacher.
Don’t forget to do your quiz!