• Text Structure- What do you notice about the text? How is it set up? What is unique about it?
• Morphemes- “Look inside the word” notice morphemes, connect the morpheme to other words with the same morpheme, what do these words have in common?
• Vocabulary, Vocabulary, Vocabulary! Are the words clearly defined in the text or do you need to use other “tools” to figure them out?
• Pay attention to Multiple Meaning Words- ex: season, switch, crush
• Are there any context clues in the sentence or sentences surrounding the word or phrase that helps define the word or phrase? Reread for clues to clarify information? (Remember, it does not have to be in the same sentence- could be before or after- this is where rereading part of the text is necessary.)
• Syntax- the function or job of words in the sentence or paragraph- ex: apple (noun) vs. I painted the wall apple green (adjective)
• Identify meaningful phrases and clauses- Which part tells me who?, Which part tells me what?
• Be aware of unclear parts of sentences- ex: The lady bumped the man with the umbrella- (Who has the umbrella?)
• Conjunctions- but, because, so, and- What is the relationship between what comes before it and what comes after?
• Pronoun Reference- What or whom is the pronoun referring to? Be aware of multiple pronoun references in the same sentence or paragraph!
• Punctuation! It is there for a reason! Don’t ignore it!
• Verb tenses- Did the verb tense change? Did it go from past to present, etc?
• Background Knowledge- Use your own background information to help with text when possible.
• Connotation of words – an idea or feeling that a word or phrase provokes (for example, using the word incident vs. event portrays a negative feeling)
• Figuratively vs. Literally- Is the author speaking figuratively or literally? (ex: “open the door” from Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter)
• Purpose/ message of the paragraph or whole text. Ask yourself- what am I suppose to learn or need to know from this paragraph or text?