📖 Introduction
Imagine you are about to go on a journey. Before you leave, you decide where you are going and what you need to take. During the journey, you pay attention to road signs and directions. When you arrive, you think about what you have learned from the trip.
Reading works in a similar way. Good readers prepare before they read, think carefully while they are reading and reflect on what they have read afterwards. These are called before, during and after reading strategies.
In this lesson, you’ll learn simple strategies that will help you understand texts better and become a more confident reader.
🎯 What You’ll Learn
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
- explain the purpose of before, during and after reading strategies.
- use strategies to improve understanding while reading.
- ask and answer questions about a text.
- summarise and reflect on what you have read.
💡 Let’s Explore
Why Use Reading Strategies?
Reading strategies help you:
- understand difficult texts,
- remember important information,
- stay focused while reading,
- think critically about what you read,
- become a more confident reader.
Good readers actively think before, during and after reading.
Before Reading
Before you begin reading, prepare yourself by looking for clues about the text.
Things You Can Do
✔ Read the title.
✔ Look at the pictures, headings or diagrams.
✔ Think about what you already know about the topic.
✔ Predict what the passage might be about.
✔ Ask yourself questions such as:
- What do I expect to learn?
- What do I already know?
Example
Title: The Life of Sea Turtles
Before reading, you might predict that the passage will explain where sea turtles live, what they eat and how they survive.
During Reading
While reading, stay active by thinking about the information.
Things You Can Do
✔ Read carefully.
✔ Look for unfamiliar words.
✔ Use context clues to understand new vocabulary.
✔ Ask questions while reading.
✔ Check whether your predictions were correct.
✔ Identify the main idea and important details.
Example
While reading about volcanoes, you notice that the text explains how eruptions happen.
You stop for a moment and ask yourself,
“Why do volcanoes erupt?”
Thinking about questions like this improves understanding.
After Reading
After finishing the passage, think about what you have learned.
Things You Can Do
✔ Summarise the main idea.
✔ Identify the most important facts.
✔ Answer questions about the passage.
✔ Discuss what you learned.
✔ Connect the information to real life.
Example
After reading a story about honesty, you might ask yourself,
“What lesson did the main character learn?”
Thinking about the message helps you remember the story.
🌟 Example
Read the title:
Saving Our Forests
Before Reading
You predict that the passage will explain why forests are important.
During Reading
You underline key ideas about protecting trees and wildlife.
After Reading
You summarise the passage by saying:
“Forests are important because they provide homes for animals, clean the air and supply useful resources. Everyone should help protect them.”
🌍 Real-Life Example
During a class reading activity, Mrs. Wilson asked her learners to read an article about recycling.
Before reading, they looked at the pictures and guessed what the article would discuss.
While reading, they highlighted important facts and wrote down unfamiliar words.
After reading, they worked in groups to summarise the article and shared one new thing they had learned.
Using these strategies helped the class understand the article much better.
💡 Tips for Better Reading
✔ Read the title before you begin.
✔ Make sensible predictions.
✔ Ask questions as you read.
✔ Highlight important ideas.
✔ Review what you have learned after reading.
✔ Discuss the text with others.
✨ Quick Tips
📖 Good readers prepare before they read.
💭 Think and ask questions while reading.
📝 Summarise the main ideas after reading.
🌟 Reading strategies help you understand and remember more.
🎯 Let’s Practise!
Read the passage before answering Questions 1–8.
A Visit to the Aquarium
Last Saturday, Noah and his family visited an aquarium. Before entering, Noah looked at the map and predicted which sea animals he would see. During the visit, he carefully read the information beside each exhibit and asked questions about the animals. After returning home, he told his friends what he had learned and wrote a short report about his favourite sea creature.
A. Choose the Correct Answer
1. What did Noah do before entering the aquarium?
A. He bought food.
B. He watched a film.
C. He looked at the map and made predictions.
D. He wrote a report.
2. What did Noah do during the visit?
A. He ignored the information.
B. He carefully read the displays and asked questions.
C. He went home early.
D. He played football.
3. What did Noah do after the visit?
A. He forgot everything he learned.
B. He slept all day.
C. He bought another ticket.
D. He shared what he had learned and wrote a report.
B. True or False
4. Looking at titles and pictures before reading can help you predict what a text is about.
5. Good readers stop thinking once they finish reading a passage.
C. Short Answer
6. Why is it helpful to make predictions before reading?
7. Name three things you can do while reading to improve your understanding.
8. After reading a story, how can writing a summary help you remember what you have learned?
Answers: 1 C 2 B 3 D 4 True 5 False