What Good Readers Do Initiative

District 153 has implemented a district-wide reading initiative entitled What Good Readers Do.

It is critical that students learn to read proficiently to be successful in school. It is equally important that students learn the strategies to comprehend what they read so that they can read to learn throughout their lives. These are two very distinct cognitive reading processes that should be taught together from a very early age. Beginning readers are not the only students that need to learn these strategies. Upper elementary and middle school students may have the greatest need since they are asked to read increasing amounts of material that require the highest levels of comprehension. We can’t tell children how to read; we have to show them.

The What Good Readers Do initiative has educators at all grade levels and in all content areas teaching reading comprehension strategies to their students. District 153 is now widening that initiative to include district families. Every month, parents will be mailed a special newsletter highlighting a different reading comprehension strategy and giving parents/guardians suggestions on how they might reinforce these skills with their student(s) at home. It is our hope that families will discuss and use these strategies as they read with their children or assist them with their homework.

• Making Connections
• Asking Questions
• Visualize
• Inference
• Synthesize
• Identifying Important Ideas
• Fix-up Strategies