Purpose-driven Reading

Select Texts Purposefully
Tier 1 (Skill-based Instruction)
The text...
- lends itself well to the teaching of specific reading strateiges or other academic skills;
- offers opportunities for students to rehearse or assess specific reading strategies; or,
- expands students’ understanding of how language and or text structures influence meaning.

Tier 2 (Relevancy and Motivation)
The text...
- relates to the course objectives/ learning outcomes;
- develops or extends course concepts;
- illustrates effective, sophisticated writing;
- challenges students both linguistically and cognitively; or
- develops students’ cultural literacy.

Articulate the Purpose for Reading
State the purpose verbally or in writing

Using a Text to Set a Purpose
Titles and Subtitles
How can I rewrite the title into a question?
How can I use words from the title to create new questions?
How can I use subtitles to guide my reading?
How can I use the titles to ask larger, more thematic questions?

Focus/ Review Questions
Are there focus questions at the beginning or end of the chapter, section, or article?
How can I use these focus or review questions to guide/ focus my reading?
What new questions can I ask based on the focus questions?
What words or phrases do I need to understand before I read?
What do I need to know in order to answer these questions?

Key Concepts
Does the text provide key concepts at the beginning or end of the selection?
How can I use the themes or key concepts to guide my reading?
How can I rewrite the key concepts into focus questions?

Previews and Summaries
Does the text provide previews or summaries?
How can I rewrite the previews or summaries into focus questions?
What key information is discussed in these summaries?  What will I need to know?
What words or phrases will be essential to my reading?