I is for Information finding: Building Skills How Tos

One of the key reasons we read is to gain information.  Another is for entertainment. As a student, one of the key responses to reading is to express understanding of the text.  This is shown by answering questions that demonstrate comprehension.  It may be true and false, multiple choice, short answer or essay format.  It may be drawing a picture to represent a scene or a character study.  How do you prepare to answer such questions correctly and do well academically?  You need to learn how to find the information in the text you are reading!  This can start early on.

Can they find the colour red?  Do they see the boy?  Where do they think the dog is hiding?

What is this book going to be about?  What do you think will happen next?  Who are the main characters?  What is the climax of the story?  What was the problem and how did it get resolved?

It takes a lot of discussion as we read a book to get the most out of a text. Asking questions as you read is one way to get information but you can also learn from the vocabulary, pictures and format. You can also read the back cover for a summary and look at the table of contents for clues based on the chapter titles.  When we read, we try to access our prior knowledge to give us a foundation of understanding for the book.  For example, when reading The Jungle Book, consider what you know about the setting (India's forests) and what you know about jungle life.  When you read Little House on the Prairies, consider what you know about the prairies and life in North America one hundred years ago.  If you have no background knowledge, the book can serve as your introduction OR you can do a little research to supplement the book and help you get more out of it.  

Consider if you were to pick up a book for the first time that included a lot of terminology that was foreign to you.  All of the jargon in that book would cause you to stumble as you try to pronounce complicated and unfamiliar words and the hesitations would interrupt your brain from focusing on the flow of the story and not just comprehending the text but taking it to the next level of personalizing it and incorporating the knowledge gained so that you can access it again later.   Pre-reading exercises are helpful.  Some books include a glossary of terms that they think may be new to the reader to help them with their comprehension.  Finding and using these resources are beneficial and should be encouraged.

Where do you go if you need to find out the meaning of a word or expression?  Where do you go if you need to understand the historical context of the story or the summary of the text?  There are a number of options, a teacher, a friend, google.  The important thing is that you seek knowledge and do all you can to gain understanding.  This is a general principle in life, but relevant to the world of reading also.

As we work to build literacy skills, remembering ways we can improve in the areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills are critical.  Listen to the text.  Learn to read.  Respond to it in writing.  Speak about the story and its impact.  Share the information you learned.  Use it as a foundation of curiosity and find out even more about the subject that is before your eyes. 

Learn and grow. Keep sharpening your mind and skill set.