Painless Reading Comprehension - Darolyn “Lyn” Jones Ed.D. 2021

Warm up for reading
Preparations for reading

Did completing the Anticipation Guide, part of the KWHL Chart, and the Eye Think Guide help to make your reading of Agnes Vogel’s heroic tale easier? Was your reading brain warmed up? That’s right—warmed up! When it’s cold outside, you often go out and start your car before you get in. Starting the car and letting it run allows the engine to warm up, which melts the snow and ice, makes the inside warm and toasty, and helps the engine and car run more efficiently. By warming up the car, you ensure a better performance from your vehicle once you put it into drive.

How many of you warm up or stretch out before you play basketball, volleyball, soccer, or some other sport? You all do! It’s important to warm up your muscles before working them hard. If you don’t warm up first, you could get injured! Also, if your muscles aren’t warm, you won’t play as well.

The same is true for reading. If you don’t warm up your reading brain to the ideas you are going to be reading about, then you may not perform as well. If you think about what you are reading before you read it, you can avoid a brain cramp and be guaranteed a smoother performance.

Reflect on what you have learned!

1. Which one of the before-reading ideas worked best for you?

2. Could you warm up better with Determine, Decide, and Deduce or the Anticipation Guide?

3. Was the KWHL Chart or the Eye Think Guide easier to use?

4. Which ones will you add to your toolbox and use again?

5. Why do you think they were easier for you?

BRAIN TICKLERSSet # 1

Use the strategies you just read about to answer the following questions. You will find the answers at the end of the chapter.

1. Before you begin reading, you should

a. decide whether or not you want to read the text.

b. determine your purpose, decide the genre, and deduce the time.

c. decide the audience, determine the length, and deduce the genre.

d. deduce the purpose and time and determine the genre.

2. Reading organizers help you to visualize your reading. Reading organizers are like

a. glue because they help your brain stick to the words.

b. paper because they show what you think.

c. paintbrushes because they illustrate the words.

d. lines that connect the dots.

3. It is important to think about what you know about a topic before you read. A KWHL Chart helps organize your thoughts before you read. What does the KWHL stand for?

a. Key, Wish, Hope, Link

b. Know, Will, Have, Learn

c. Key, Went, Help, Low

d. Know, Want, How, Learn

(Answers are on page 24.)