Reading to learn strategies
Our Reading to Learn strategies are used by teachers across all subjects to strengthen literacy and comprehension for every student. These structured approaches help students understand complex texts, develop critical thinking skills, and build confidence as independent learners.
1. Preparing for Reading
Teachers provide a summary of the text and its key ideas before reading, helping students gain the background knowledge needed to understand the content. Texts are then read aloud and discussed as a class.
2. Paragraph-by-Paragraph Reading
Students explore longer or more challenging texts one paragraph at a time, highlighting key information and transforming it into class notes. Teachers use a gradual release of responsibility to support students in applying this strategy independently.
3. Detailed Reading
Students unpack a small section of a text in detail, identifying key words and exploring deeper meaning. This method is used across a variety of subjects, from analysing novels and poems to solving mathematical word problems.
4. Intensive Strategies
Teachers focus on the mechanics of writing, including grammar, spelling and punctuation. Students work closely with short text samples to examine word groups, clauses and sentence structures.
5. Joint Construction
Teachers guide the class in collaboratively writing a new text using shared notes, before students practise writing independently. This process builds students’ ability to create clear, structured and meaningful written work.