Monitoring+Comprehension

Think Your Way Through the Text ===__Following Your Inner Conversation__: Listen to the voice in your head and leave tracks of your thinking. ===

===Active readers jot down notes of their thinking on Post-its. We call this leaving tracks of thinking just like animals do when they scurry along the beach or in the snow. That way we can see what the readers were thinking even after they have finished reading. ===

I don’t write down everything or I’d never get through the text. Following my inner conversation takes me deeper into my reading.

Visualize. You might draw a picture or symbol of what you’re reading to better understand it.
 * Here’s how I imagine this event.
 * So, the earth travels around the sun, like this…
 * What if…

Ask Questions. You might raise questions like…
 * What does this word mean?
 * Why did the author include this event?
 * When did all of this happen?
 * What is the purpose of this recommendation?

Make Connections. You might find the text reminds you of something.
 * I felt like this once, when I…
 * This reminds me of another situation where...
 * I see this happening all the time in...

Re-Read. You might need to take a second look at a piece of the text to clarify meaning.
 * OK, so how does what I just read connect with the first paragraph?
 * Huh, I really didn’t get that statement. I think I need to read it again.
 * What is the context of that statement?

Explore Inferences. You might figure out something from the text, even though the text doesn’t come right out and say it.
 * Hmmmm…so it seems this author is really passionate about this topic.
 * So…if hurricanes are this dangerous, maybe the city needs to set aside more money for shelters.
 * How might my personal perspective alter my interpretation of text?

Determine Important Ideas. You might identify the main point of the reading and notice how it is addressed in different ways.
 * The big idea here seems to support the connection between carbon dioxide and climate change.
 * Oh, I get it; these two historians actually agree about this issue.

Summarize Evaluate Synthesize. You might show your understanding of the reading by putting an idea into your own words.
 * So, what the author seems to be saying is…
 * Here are the differences between the essential and the non-essential information in this reading.
 * How does this information fit with what I already know?

Analyze Structure. You might identify the connection between the content of the reading and how the information is presented.
 * The text structure of this reading seems to have a cause and effect format.
 * I have found several text features that reinforce the point the author is trying to make.

To better use your inner voice, and understand what you read you can: 1. Stop reading and think 2. Pause at the end of the page 3. Question what might happen next 4. Compare what the character does, to what you would do 5. Slow down  6. Compare the setting to some place you know 7. Reread if you suddenly realize you don't know what you just read 8. Make a prediction 9. Read slower <span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; color: #800080; display: block; font-family: "Comic Sans MS",cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: justify;">10.If some of this list sounds like it is repeated, thank your inner voice for paying attention.