Stages of Reading
There are 5 different stages to the reading process. These stages are to be used in order starting from top to bottom. The 5 reading stages are:
1) Pre-Reading
2) Reading
3) Responding
4) Exploring
5) Applying
The pre-reading stage is where the teacher activates background knowledge, sets purposes, introduces key vocabulary terms, and previews the text with the students.
This involves the teacher giving students information about the books they will be reading (if its a historical book give background about what will be happening in the book, why that is happening, and how it came to be), informing them of the purpose for reading (personal interest-lit circles and expectations of teacher-basal/lit focus units), the first look at the book (cover, any illustrations, chapter titles, etc.)
The second stage, reading, is where the students begin reading the material through any type of reading (buddy, shared, guided, etc.). It includes reading strategies/skills, the examination of illustrations, reading from beginning to end, and note taking.
Reading might sound simple to understand but there are many types of reading. Independent reading is where a student reads...independently, buddy reading is where a group of 2-3 students read taking turns, guided reading is where the teacher begins reading a book to a group of 4-5 students and then lets the students finish on their own, shared reading is similar to guided reading only the teacher reads the entire book while the students follow along, the last type is read aloud to students which is where the teacher reads a book aloud to the entire class and has the students participate in activities during the reading.
Responding is the stage where the students respond to what they read through reading logs, journals, or grand conversations.
Responding deals with what a child has learned after reading a book. This might involve reading logs where the student writes about what they read and connects it to real life or through discussions that can be either whole group or small group.
The exploring stage is where the students go back and reread certain things in the text, learn more vocabulary, participate in minilessons, examine the author's craft (style of writing), or identify memorable quotes/passages.
Like it sounds, exploring is where students look back over what they read by re-reading the text. The students also observe the author's craft (genre, text structure, and literacy devices used by the author). This can be done using story boards that sequence events, graphic organizers that highlight the plot, or by writing their own books based on the read text (a sequel to the book or just a different story using a similar plot).
Finally, the applying stage is where the students create projects, read similar or related material, evaluate their experiences while reading, or use information learned in thematic units.
This is where the students participate in after reading activities that demonstrate comprehension of the text, reflections over their understandings, and the value taken from the reading of the text. These activities might include essays, reader's theatre, PowerPoint presentations, or open-mind portraits.
Here is an example of what a reader's theatre might look like...
These are talked about more in depth in the text book entitled Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach on pages 42-49.