Lesson 1: Active Reading

Read and Practice

Mark Up the Text

Open your Daybook and read page 7. After you have read page 7, turn to page 8 and read the first page of the selection by Richard Peck entitled “The Three-Century Woman.” You will then complete the lessons in this Introduction unit.

Self-Check: Ask yourself these questions as you complete page 8 in the Daybook:

1. Why do you think the words “It’s the state of the art and better than her car” are circled?

2. Why is there underlining on “you’ll keep those Whispering Oaks people from letting the media interview Grandma”?

3. What types of Response Notes do you notice on the lines to the left of the passage? (Example: Questions)

4. Would you mark other things in this text? Why?

Once you’ve written your responses, check your answers with my suggestions.

Predict

Your textbook (page 9) tells you that when you make a prediction, you are telling what you think will happen in your reading. There will be clues in the text to help you do this. You can write your predictions in the Response Notes and then go back later to see if your predictions were correct. Making predictions can help you get involved with your reading.

Self-Check: Ask yourself the question below as you complete page 9 in the Daybook. Once you’ve written your response, check your answer with my suggestion.

1. What predictions did you make, and what information did you use to make your predictions?

Question

If you ask questions while you are reading, it will help you think about what you don’t understand and make connections with what you are reading. Asking questions is a powerful reading strategy, because it keeps you focused on what you are reading. During your reading, you can ask “who?” “what?” “when?” “where?” “why?” and “how?”

Self-Check: Ask yourself the question below as you complete page 10 in the Daybook. Once you’ve written your response, check your answer with my suggestion.

1. What types of questions do you notice in the Response Notes?

Visualize

This section of your textbook tells you that when you create pictures in your mind while you are reading, you are visualizing. Creating mental pictures is one of the best ways to concentrate on what is happening while you are reading.

Self-Check: Ask yourself the question below as you complete page 11 in the Daybook. Once you’ve written your response, check your answer with my suggestion.

1. How might visualizing help you become a better reader?

Apply the Strategies

You will now practice the skills from this lesson so that you can use them through the rest of the lessons. Continue to build your active reading skills as you go. Like any new skill, active reading must be practiced. After you finish the section, review the different skills.

Self-Check: Ask yourself the questions below as you complete pages 12–16 in the Daybook. Once you’ve written your responses, check your answers with my suggestions.

1. What words, sentences, or key ideas do you want to remember?
2. What questions do you have about the story or the characters?
3. What predictions can you make about what is going to happen?
4. What pictures can you sketch in the Response Notes to capture the parts of the story?