6. Pause and paraphrase. Stopping periodically to check your own understanding is critical. Ask yourself – "What did I just read?". If you can’t answer quickly, then backtrack to reread. (This goes along with #4 above.)

7. Write and visualize. Take notes and/or make a visual to organize your thoughts. When you jot down notes, it usually becomes easier to remember information. Also, creating a symbol, design, or graphic organizer can increase understanding.

8. Narrow the focus. Help students to "un-clutter" complex concepts by focusing on the key topics to organize a section of text. When reading a challenging section in a chapter on animal cells, remembering that the topic is "characteristics" can help the student navigate through the material while staying focused on a narrow topic.

9. Strategy instruction. Strategy instruction can be done in mini-lessons to increase efficiency for the teacher. Model for students how to utilize flexible strategies such as Cornell Notetaking, Venn Diagrams, or KWL. Teachers who use strategies enable students to interact with challenging texts with greater independence.

Teachers don't need to become reading specialists in order to help students read nonfiction texts, but they do need to recognize that students who struggle with reading need their help to understand the dynamics of content-specific texts. Students are helped not by having their reading and interpreting done for them, but rather by being provided with tools to increase their access to the classroom reading materials used. Content-area teachers constantly examine how they make meaningful connections for their students. The menu of ideas shared provides concrete and realistic ways to bridge the gap and make reading less frustrating and more meaningful for students. These tips can help reduce the daily comprehension challenges students face when reading nonfiction material. As teachers assist students to take responsibility for developing good reading skills in all content areas, our classrooms will be filled with more good news!

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