Strategies for Reading

NOTE: Ask your coordinator for more information on the specific strategies you are interested in using.

Beginner Intermediate Advanced
Print Skills

Decoding

  • Phonemic awareness and basic phonics using a structured program
  • Word families
  • Word sorts
  • Sight words

Fluency

  • Echo reading
  • To, with and by

Decoding

  • Prefixes/suffixes
  • Advanced phonics
  • Sight words

Fluency

  • Paired reading
  • Reader’s Theatre
  • Read along with tapes

Decoding

  • Compound words
  • Syllabication

Fluency

  • Reader’s Theatre
  • Silent reading
Meaning Skills

Vocabulary

  • Pre-reading unknown words
  • Word bank
  • Life skills technique
  • Fill in the blanks
  • Modified cloze

Comprehension

  • Think-alouds
  • Pre-reading
  • Question/answer

Vocabulary

  • Prefixes/suffixes
  • Pre-reading unknown words
  • Word bank
  • Cloze

Comprehension

  • DTRA
  • ReQuest

Vocabulary

  • Idioms
  • Dictionary use
  • Common root words
  • Prefixes/suffixes
  • Homographs (look the same but have different meanings – good for ESL)

Comprehension

  • Summarizing
  • Critical reading
  • SQ3R

Based on McShane, S. (2005). Applying research in reading instruction for adults: First steps for teachers. Washington, D.C.: National Center for Family Literacy and National Institute for Literacy: The Partnership for Reading. www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/applyingresearch.pdf.

Handout 6.6