Description: Previewing the text provides an opportunity for readers to skim through the text before actually reading. This strategy provides students with a mental outline of the text they will be reading. Previewing will help students improve their comprehension and should be used automatically whenever students are faced with a new text.
Step-by-Step
- Read the title. Think about the topic of the text.
- Read the introductory statements or questions. Think about how they are limiting the topic.
- Skim the headings. Think about these main ideas and how they relate to the topic.
- Look for statements or words in boldface type. Think about how these relate to the major ideas.
- Study pictures, maps, graphs, and charts. Think about how these help explain the topic and the main ideas.
- Read the review questions. Think about how these relate to the material that has been previewed.
Extensions
- Use the Think-Aloud strategy in conjunction with this strategy.
- Previewing the Text is the same as the first step in SQ3R (Survey).
- Working in small groups, students can talk together as they work with this strategy.
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson112/elements.pdf