Project ACCEL, MSU
Read It Strategy Lesson
Lesson, Cuecards and Read-It Log
4. Read-It Strategy
Lesson
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University
Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log
Read It
A Framework of 4 Strategies that
Strategic Readers and Writers Use
when they are reading Challenging
Expository Text
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Summarize (Category and 3-4 details
Question
Clarify
Connect
Purpose:
 Make Reading an Active Process of

Interacting with Text (vs. passive)
Reading becomes Search for
Understanding – Monitoring
 Readers Learn to Regulate

Understanding
Using Reading Log to Write down
information for later
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University
Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log

© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University
Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log
Prompts to Support Use of Read-It Strategies
Summarize
Question
Name the main idea or category –
what is this mostly about?
Ask (or write) a question
about the main idea.
Identify 3-4 key details or
evidence that support that idea
Share, write, ask a text
structure question
Restate, write, summarize, share
the main idea and details in your
own words
Ask questions that make
others think: “What if? Why?”
Another perspective is …
Strategy 1
Clarify
Connect and Predict
Identify unclear words? Ideas?
Vocabulary?
Fix-it Up: Think what makes sense
• Look for parts, suffixes, affixes
• Read the sentence before &
after
• Look for context clues,
definition, example, explanation
Share or write clarifications Strategy 3
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Strategy 2
Connect ideas to self, text,
world
Think what you know about the
topics (lessons, books,
experience)
Predict what the author will
discuss next
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University
Strategy 4
Read-It Log
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University
Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log
Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log
Read-It: Partner/Mental Reading and Read-It Log
Objectives
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Summarize main ideas and related details
Generate questions
Clarify your thoughts
Generate connections
Predict upcoming information
Materials
 Text
 Partner
 During Reading Log
 Any textbook
INTRODUCE Partner/Mental Reading Log
Preview the Lesson
Today I’m going to explain and model a Read It Log and show you how to use it. Effective
readers (and writers) use a variety of strategies during and after the learning process. We are
going to use 5 during reading strategies that will help you become an effective reader.
Purpose Statement: Introduce Partner/Mental Reading Log
The Read It Log is designed to help you learn and remember five reading strategies while you
read or study, alone or with a partner.
These five strategies are (put up overhead): (a) Summarize; (b) Question; (c) Clarify; (d)
Connect; and (e) Predict.
Introduce and Describe Partner/Mental Reading Log
Do you remember our Dresser or Closet example? (put up an overhead) Have you ever looked
into a messy closet or a messy drawer and you couldn’t find anything?
When you organize your room or desk, you put related things together. You might put all your
socks in one drawer to help you organize your things; or in the case of your desk, you might
put related papers in a folder or notebook to help you organize and find your work.
Good Readers are Organized
In a similar way, good readers also are organized. In their heads or in written notes, they put
related ideas together to make it easier to store, remember, learn, and retrieve things.
Sometimes readers do this mentally, and sometimes they make notes to help them store,
organize and remember the information. They Organize the information.
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University
Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log
The Read-It log helps you find the organization within and across paragraph. It can help you
analyze and remember information. It can help you study for a test, such as in social studies
and science. It offers a system for labeling, storing, and putting related ideas together. When it
is completely filled out, it helps you in four ways.
1. First, in the first two columns, you can see notes relating to the main idea categories
and details of a chapter or section. That is your summary of the important ideas in the
chapter.
2. Section, in the question column (with the question mark on the person’s head), you
will write questions that you can ask yourself when you study for a test. Sometimes the
answer to those questions will appear in the first two columns. So it is a good way to
study for the test by self-testing and self-questioning yourself over the information. You
can also ask text structure questions to get at deeper meanings and help you
understand the information more completely.
3. In the third column, you will be able to clarify new vocabulary or ideas that you do not
understand or are not clearly explained. You will be able to ask others the meaning of
those words or ideas.
4. In the fourth column, you are going to try to connect the ideas to what you already
know from other books, chapters, yourself, and the world.
5. Finally, you predict what you will read next.
We are going to review these five strategies and try them out with a partner. You’ll share your
part with a larger study group. Then we’ll discuss them as a class.
1. Summarize : Topic and 3-4 details – What is this text all about?
The first two columns on your log is your summary area. You are going to determine what a
portion of the text is mostly about. It’s the category or main idea of a small chunk of text, such as
a paragraph. If we were thinking about the example of the dresser drawer, the main category is
the label that we would put on front of the drawer to tell us what is in the drawer – and what we
can put in the drawer. That label tells what’s inside or what is special about those items. The
summary is a short statement/word for a set of related ideas.
Strategy Rationale for Summary Strategy:
Good readers are always looking for clues in the passage that help them know what the
text is about. Good readers try to identify the main topic. This is the main idea or
summary label. Sometimes the author will give you a clue in a subheading. The author
might put words in bold. At other times, you might find several words in a paragraph
that refer to the same thing. Good readers are always searching for clues and asking
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University
Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log
themselves: “What is this passage or paragraph mostly about?” “What is the category
that tells what this is about?” When we read, we act like reading detectives who sift
through the sets of ideas to identify the label for the ideas in each paragraph. We
search for the organization by reading and rereading the details and figuring out
the main ideas and categories that the author has used. We’re uncovering the
author’s map of main ideas and details. If we don’t find one, we’ll use the clues to
invent our own. The picture at the top of the Summarize column is a symbol to remind
you to organize the paragraphs as you would organize the file folders or objects in a
cabinet or dresser drawer.
Discuss HOW to summarize
 Sometimes the author gives you a clue to help you identify the main idea
category. The author will repeat words or statement. That help tells you that it is
important.
 Sometimes the author will use words like ‘types’, ‘parts’, ‘topics’, or ‘numbers’ to
help you know what it is important to know. For example, an author might say
there are four parts … Then you listen for the four parts or the details related to
those parts. As an example, the author might say ‘types’ of clouds’, or ‘types of
storms’. Or the author might say that a person accomplished ‘four outcomes’
during their presidency. Then you read or listen for those things. The category
would be called “Types of _____” or “Parts of a ________”. The details would be
the instances, types of parts.
 Sometimes the author puts several important ideas in a piece of text rather than a
single main idea. For example, a social studies textbook author might talk about a
particular country’s climate and provide several details about the climate in the
same paragraph where he provides several details about plants and trees. Then
you record both ideas, ‘climate’ and ‘plant life’ as main ideas in separate
categories. So if a category is too big, we break it into two smaller main ideas.
 Sometimes the author doesn’t provide any clues but details. Then you read
through the clues and ask what do all the details have in common? What are the
details mostly about?
Model. Make an overhead of a section of the text. Model and think-aloud as you guide
students in identifying the main idea for sections of the text. Think aloud as you identify
topics based on headings, subheadings, repeated words, bold or italicized texts, and captions.
Point out the clues you use to identify possible topics. Read through the details in the
paragraph, and model how you infer the main idea category from the details. Articulate your
thinking. Show students how to identify and search for the main idea in your think-aloud.
You can highlight the main ideas and later transfer the main ideas to the Reading Log
(overhead), or summarize the main ideas immediately. Discuss types of clues you use to
identify details and summarize.
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University
Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log
1. Think aloud as you look for and point out cue words and phrases that identify main
ideas
 Numbered ideas
 Words such as kinds, types, sections, parts
 Note the big ideas around key words, e.g., “Parts of an ant”. “Types of
storms”
2. Look for fonts and print clues that signal important ideas
 Bold-faced type
 Italicized type
 Underlined words
 Color print
 Bullets
3. Invent a main idea or category when none is provided or identify two main ideas when
the information in a section of text is too broad and has too many details. Ask
yourself – What is this mostly about?
 What’s the big idea or theme?
 Are there two or more details about that idea?
4. Model the self-questions that you ask yourself
 Does this main idea represent the most important idea?
 Is this main idea supported by several details?
 What main idea label or category best describes these details?
Strategy Rationale for Adding Details:
Good readers are also looking for details that support the main idea. This helps them
comprehend by remembering the important information. Good readers are always
searching for details by asking themselves: “What is this passage or paragraph mostly
about? What details provide information about this subtopic or main idea”?
 Related details give specific and important facts about the main idea or subtopic. They
support the main idea. They provide bits or pieces of information that are related to the main
idea or summary.
 To identify details, listen or read. Ask yourself, does the idea provide more information about
the main idea? Is it an example, fact, or detail that gives supporting information to the
summary
 Distinguish important details from what’s interesting. Is it an important or critical idea to
remember? Does it provide additional information that helps me understand the summary?
 Details may include:
 Words in a list or series
 Different print styles (bolded, italicized, underlined text)
 Words that follow cue words, e.g., If it says “parts of ….”, then the
details are the parts that follow.
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University
Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log

Model. Make an overhead of a section of the text.
Model and think-aloud as you guide students in identifying the details related to the
summary for . Think aloud as you identify main ideas (Category/Topic column) and 3-4
details that support the summary. Point out the clues you use to identify details. Articulate
your thinking. You can underline the details in a different color and highlight main ideas or
record main ideas in the margins. If students have a copy of the text, they can underline and
highlight too. Later they can dictate the ideas as you transfer the summary and details to the
Reading Log (overhead).
Guided Practice/Partner Read and Partner Share
Ask students to work with a partner to fill out the Summarize columns on their Read It Log.
Tell them to explain their reasoning for choosing the category/topic and detail columns. Tell
them that they should be prepared to explain their decisions and reasons to others.
Pair-Share.
Ask students to work and share with a partner. Students should talk about what they have
generated. Each should fill out their Summarize column.
Class-Share.
Ask students to share some of their ideas. Record their responses in the second row (and
more) of the Reading Log. Talk about this as a strategy. Discuss differences and reasons.
Explain that this is a tool to help them study and learn the material.
As closure, ask Students to look back at the first two columns and provide a succinct
summary that includes the topic + 4-5 related details. The summary might take the
form of: …. The topic of this section is _______________, and the text explained that
detail 1 , detail 2 , detail 3 , and detail 4 .
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University
Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log
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The summary answers the question: What did you learn about the topic?
How does summarizing help you study and learn the information?
Can you summarize if you do not have the Read It! Log? How?
When would you summarize?
2. Question: Big Idea – My question about this topic is……….?
Strategy Rationale for Question Strategy:
When you read, a second important strategy is to read to ask questions and find the
answers to question. Questions are very important , because they help you find answers
that are interesting or important. It helps you know when the author has answered your
questions, and when you need to read further to get the answers to your questions. The
act of asking questions is a good way to check to see if you understand the material. If you
read the question column, for example, it should help you self-test to prepare for a test.
College students use this strategy all the time to prepare to learn the material for their
college classes.
Good readers also ask questions while they read in order to check their understanding.
When they do not understand the material, the reread.
Finally, good readers read between the lines to ask text structure questions. The text
structures have little symbols at the bottom of the page to help you remember the various
text structures. Across several paragraphs, for example, you might find that the author has
organized categories as you might in a concept map or classification scheme. The author
might have presented information within several sections (or across chapters) that lend
themselves to compare/contrast. For example, you might compare or contrast the Greeks
and the Romans (social studies), or mammals and birds (science).
Good readers record the questions they have. In this log, we are going to record several
types of question.
Questions about the Main Idea/Category Questionstion n
One type of question is about the main idea or category. In this case, you simply look back
at the category topic, and turn that idea into a question using one of the question words,
such as “What, When, Where, How, Why” (point out question words near the bottom of
the page). For example (refer back to the summarize rows and model for first row) “My
question about this topic is ____________” . When I answer that question, I might find the
answer in the detail columns.
Questions about the Text Structure
When questioning the text you should also try to generate questions using text structure.
These are deeper types of questions that help us understand the information across sections,
chapters, and paragraphs of the book. We can look at information and ask questions based on
the types of patterns that authors and readers use to organize the information.
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University
Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log
The common types of text structures are as follows:
Type
Problem/Solution
Organization
Description
There is a problem and it
gets solved through specific
actions or attempts
Venn Diagram
Alike/Differences between
two or more people or
things
Classification/List
A list or classification of
items or topics, such as the
parts of an animal or plant,
or a taxonomy. Order is not
important.
Position
The positions or multiple
perspectives of different
People on an issue
The sequential steps of a
process, in which the order
of steps is important in
achieving a particular result.
Sequence
Steps in Process
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
Keywords
Problem, solution, solve,
dilemma
Alike, similar, both,
different, contrast,
unlike, similarly,
differently, however,
First, second, third,
fourth, type, example
Position, viewpoint,
perspective, argument,
debate, agree, disagree
First, second, third,
fourth, fifth, etc.
Look back at the information in the map and text. Even if the author doesn’t organize his
or her information in this way, we can read the text and infer these relationships and
patterns.
 We can compare and contrast the information with things, objects, or people
that we already know. For example, if we are reading about a president, we
might ask, “How is this president like or different than another president?”
 We can look for causes and effects. For example, we might ask what caused
people to behave a certain way and what happened as a result? Such as “What
are causes of the Revolutionary War?”
 We can ask questions about problems and solutions. For example, if a passage
is about endangered species, we can ask “What are some possible solutions to
saving this endangered animal?”
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University
Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log

Finally, we can look at a passage to understand the perspectives of the
multiple participants in the situation. For example, I might ask a question
about “What are the different positions in this debate?” “What are the
arguments for and against these various positions?”
What types of questions can we ask based on these organizational patterns?
Note
You can either read the next 1-2 paragraphs and have students just apply the question
strategy, or work from the paragraphs that have just been read. You might just focus on the
question strategy as you read aloud the text.
Guided Practice
Pair-Share. Ask students to work in pairs to read and identify their own questions and ask
them to share with a partner and compare. Invite the pairs to fill out the log.
Class-Share. Ask partners (or individuals) to share some of their questions. Record their
responses in the class’ reading log.
3. Clarify
The third strategy is to self-check yourself by clarifying your thoughts. Good readers are
always asking questions of themselves or the authors. Authors don’t always explain things
very well. That’s when I make notes or write questions to get the answers to those questions.
In the same way, you should read and ask questions to clarify your understanding.
Sometimes it will be a words that you can’t decode, sometimes it’s a new vocabulary word or
concept, and sometimes the ideas in a paragraph do not make sense.
Strategy Rationale for Clarify Structure
Clarify Ideas and Terms
The first type of clarification is about ideas. We simply look back at the text or our questions
and make sure we understand ideas entirely. Why do you think there is a detective at the top
of the column? Why is that a good symbol for the clarify step?
CLARIFY IDEAS
 Look for ideas that aren’t quite clear to you. Ask a question about the idea to
clarify meanings or to get explanations
 What does the author mean by…
 I wondered about ….
 Something that didn’t make sense to me was ….
 I wondered how this linked to ….. (self, text, world)
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University
Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log
Cue. Ask students to generate questions for concepts and vocabulary in a section of the
chapter. Ask students to share their questions and call on students to answer their questions
with information from the chapter. Repeat for several categories or sections of the text, and
discuss their answers.
Model. Model and think-aloud as you generate questions about the topics. Think aloud
about how you get questions. Explain how you come up with questions. Discuss what you
don’t know, what you are curious about, and what you hope to learn.
CLARIFY TERMS AND MEANING OF NEW VOCABULARY
 Look for fonts and print clues that signal important concepts and words.
 Bold-faced type
 Italicized type
 Underlined words
 Color print
 Bullets
 Turn the word or concept into a question with the help of question words
(What, How, When, Where, Why)
 Reread if you or others cannot explain the concept or word.
 Use context clues to figure out the meaning
4. Connect – Topics, Text, Self, World
There is a fourth strategy that good readers use before and while they read. They activate their
prior knowledge. We connect ideas and topics from the reading to our lives and experiences,
other texts, and the world. Good readers think about what they already know about a topic.
They Activate Prior Knowledge. The picture at the top shows a puzzle and the pieces
connecting. Why is that a symbol of the connect strategy? Why is this important to do?
Readers can ….
 Connect topics to a real-world context or problem
 Connect to other topics in the unit or other chapters
 Connect to prior experience (what you’ve seen or done)
 Connect to other books, movies, or CDs
Model. Model and think-aloud as you guide students in activating prior knowledge or link
anticipated topics to topics, self, texts, and the world. On the reading log (overhead), add
details or facts based on experience, things you have read or heard, or current events. Use the
topics, questions and clarifications from the previous steps or pictures to help students
activate prior knowledge, brainstorm, or connect. Think aloud about how you get ideas and
how you make connections.
Strategy Rationale for Activate and Connect Strategy:
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University
Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log
Whenever you read a new passage, an important strategy is to think what you
might know about the topic. It helps you be a better reader because it improves
your understanding of the material: it helps you ask questions, it helps you
understand new ideas when you already know something about it, and it helps
you realize what don’t know. Let’s try this strategy before we start to read this
passage.
Cue. Ask students to expand the list by thinking about what they know. They can relate to
prior knowledge and their experience, other texts, and the world.
Pair-Share. Ask students to share with a partner. Students should talk about what they have
generated.
Class-Share. Ask students to share some of their ideas. Record their responses in the last
column of the Reading Log. Talk about this as a strategy.
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What do you know about the topic?
What does it remind you of?
Where have you heard about this topic before?
Was that knowledge from frsthand experience, texts, or the world?
Why is Activating Prior Knowledge a good strategy to use?
How does thinking about what you already know help you read?
Note.: Practice Strategies Singly; Practice Strategies in Combination
You can practice the connect strategy for several paragraphs.
Then you might have students work in pairs to apply the four strategies to 1-3 paragraphs of the
text.
Each time:
Pair-Share. Ask students to share their responses with a partner. Students should talk about
what they have generated and give their reasons. The pairs should record their joint decisions
and understandings on the Read It! Log. Then the pairs can report to a small group.
Class-Share. Ask students to share their ideas. Record their responses in the Reading Log.
Talk about this as a strategy.
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University
Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log
DEBRIEF Partner/Mental Reading Log STRATEGY
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What are the strategies in the Reading Log?
What do you think is the purpose of the Reading Log?
What are the advantages of constructing a Reading Log?
How can you use the Reading Log when you are reading?
How does the Reading Log help you while you read?
How does the Reading Log help you think about the topic(s)?
How might you use the Reading Log when you are writing?
In what other classes might you use the Reading Log?
Are there particular strategies that might be useful in classes?
When would you not use the Reading Log?
Where can you keep your Reading Log?
Do you have any questions?
Working Together
Be polite and respectful
Listen without interrupting
Accept different opinions
Keep an open mind
Ask for evidence
Ask good questions
Record each other’s ideas
Help others – Listen, show, demonstrate, talk and compare
Ask each other for help
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University
Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log
Rubric
Name of project
author:
Date:
Subject:
1. Categories have labels or titles
that fit the details and
information.
2. Each category has 2-3 related
details that support the big idea.
3. Details provide important and
supporting information.
4. Author uses phrases and words
rather than sentences.
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
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3
4
0
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2
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2
3
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Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log
Simplified Read-It Log
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University
Read It Strategy Lesson
Cuecards and Read It Log
Discuss it!
Supporting Discussions
Name_____________________________
_____________________________
Date _________________
Hour________
Preparing for a Discussion
__ I have carefully read the material.
__ I have completed one of the following:
Highlights It! Marks It! and Notes It! Reading Log Question Log
__ I have generated several questions to ask my group or partner.
Beginning the Discussion
Key:
=YES
S=Sort of
N=No
NA=Not applicable
__ I was prepared for the discussion by bringing my reading, notes or response log to the group/partner.
__ I arranged the physical space so I had eye contact with each member of the group/partner (circle, square, rectangle, facing).
__ I used eye contact to make sure I acknowledged my group/partner.
__ We defined the task for the group to begin the discussion (e.g., “Our task is to discuss what we marked and noted
We need to be prepared to share what we discussed with the whole group.”)
Maintaining the Discussion
__ I used eye contact to maintain a connection to each of my group/partner.
__ I supported and affirmed my group members’ ideas by nodding, repeating, or confirming that I was listening
(e.g., “Uh-hum”).
__ If the discussion got off task, I reminded the group about our task by restating the task.
__ I actively participated by offering ideas at the beginning, middle, and end of our discussion.
__ I made positive statements to my group members when they shared ideas (e.g., “That’s a good point”, “Interesting idea!”)
__ I avoided hurtful comments and reminded others to use positive statements.
Wrapping-Up the Discussion
__ My group/partner summarized the discussion.
__ My group/partner identified key events in the reading.
__ Our group completed a think-sheet.
__ Our group identified questions that were answered in the reading.
__ Our group identified questions that were not answered in the reading.
__ Our group made a plan for sharing our discussion with the larger group (I.e., who would speak, what they would share).
© Carol Sue Englert, Troy Mariage, & Cindy Okolo
Project ACCEL, Michigan State University