READING FICTION

Short stories and novels are the kinds of FICTION you will read most commonly in school. DO NOT begin reading right away! DO spend some time glancing over what you are about to read.

1. Focus on the TITLE of the selection.

PREDICT what you think it will be about. Be as detailed as you can be--it's o.k. to be wrong!
For example, you might predict "The Most Dangerous Game" will be a story about hunting creatures from another planet (remember, this is FICTION)!
Now, rather than reading just to reach the end of the assignment, you have something to look for as you read: Will your prediction come true?

2. In the first few paragraphs, look for certain things every story needs:

CHARACTER(S) WHO is the story about?
SETTING WHERE does the story take place?
CONFLICT What is the PROBLEM in the story?

3. REVISE your prediction to make sense with the new information you gather as you read.

4. When you've finished the selection, identify the RESOLUTION of the conflict: How was the problem worked out?

5. CHECK your original prediction: How close were you?

It only takes a few extra minutes to do this with your reading assignments. This exercise actually SAVES reading time, since you are reviewing and checking your understanding at the same time.

You'll feel great when you can answer the teacher's questions in class! You'll even look forward to reading quizzes!