This unit provides many strategies to help students improve as readers. Procedures help students connect with the text, improve comprehension, predict and summarize events, question as they read, increase reading speed, and understand and enjoy reading. Lessons can be adapted to any curriculum, can be used in any sequence, include high interest materials suitable for various levels, and feature a wide variety of activities.

The strategies work with grades 4 through 8 but can be adapted for use in other grades. Lessons and activities cover many topics so that strategies apply to various curricular areas. Each lesson includes a reading selection, an activity, and a framework for educators and students to apply strategies.

Academic activities connect the text with students’ experiences, educate readers to predict, summarize, and question, and increase ease and enjoyment of reading. Students create graphic organizers, concept maps, anticipatory guides, and a time line that shows the sequence of events in a text. They also practice skimming, scanning, summarizing, and predicting.