1 Nature and Characteristics of Reading

A good life-long reader:

1. engages in reading voluntarily &

frequently

2. has a wide variety of materials

3. exudes confidence in themselves as a

reader

4. presents themselves as a reader to

others

5. becomes informed on a wide range of

topics

A good life-long reader:

6. improves their lives

7. satisfies and rewards himself or herself

with vicarious experiences

8. expands his/her world beyond the here

and now

9. collects books and refers to favorites

again & again

10. recommends books to others

A good life-long reader:

11. talks about what they read

12. knows authors & illustrators, genres, & styles

13. develops preferences & constantly expands on them

14. reflects on their reading

15. makes connections between and among the things they have read

16. thinks critically about what they read

Nature and Characteristics of

Reading and Effective Readers

Graded Group Task:

Brainstorm the assigned definition and be ready

to do the following:

1. Explain what it means.

2. Narrate experiences regarding your topic.

3. Give your personal reflection.

1. Reading is not just a basic skill.

2. Reading is a complex process.

3. Reading is problem solving & Fluent reading is

not the same as decoding.

4. Reading is situationally-bounded & Proficient

readers share some key characteristics.

“What is Reading?” An Excerpt from

Reading for Understanding by

Christine Cziko

1. Reading is not just a basic skill.

◦ It is not just a skill that is taught once and for all in

the first years of school.

2. Reading is a complex process.

◦ It involves relating to existing knowledge,

understanding the context, and having internal

conversation with the author.

3. Reading is problem solving.

◦ It requires making sense of a text not just from

words on the page but also from ideas, memories,

and knowledge evoked by the words and sentences.

“What is Reading?” An Excerpt from

Reading for Understanding by

Christine Cziko

4. Fluent reading is not the same as decoding.

◦ Fluency grows as readers have opportunities,

support, and encouragement to read a wide range

of text types from a range of topics.

5. Reading is situationally-bounded.

◦ A person who understands one type of text is not

necessarily proficient at reading all types.

6. Proficient readers share some key

characteristics.

Key Habits of Proficient Readers

1. Mentally engaged

2. Motivated to read and to learn

3. Socially active around reading tasks

4. Strategic in monitoring the interactive

processes that assist comprehension:

Setting goals that shape their reading process

Monitoring their emerging understanding of a

text, and

Coordinating a variety of comprehension

strategies to control the reading process