SELF-SELECTED TEXTS AND PURPOSE FOR READING

Whenever we read we read for a purpose. We often read novels and magazines to entertain ourselves. We might read the side of a cereal box to learn about the nutritional value of the product. Or, we might read the directions that came with the VCR so we can figure out how to set the timer. Consider how differently we read in each of these three situations, given the purpose for reading. When we read a novel for pleasure, we usually begin by reading the first word, and continue in a linear fashion until we are finished with the book. (However, if the author starts going into great detail about how the countryside looks, or what a character is wearing, we may skip over that if we're not interested.) When we read the side of the cereal box to learn about how much of a certain vitamin or mineral is in the cereal, we don't read every word on the side of the box, but instead we scan the side of the box until we find the information we want. Likewise, when we read the VCR manual to figure out how to set the timer, we don't read the entire manual start to finish. We might go to the table of contents, find "Setting the Timer," and then turn to that section. Then we read step 1, stop, and fumble with the VCR until we've accomplished that step. We go back to the manual, read step 2, stop, etc.

The point is, we read texts differently for different purposes. And skipping over the details about the countryside, scanning the cereal box to find the information we need, and going directly to the section on "Setting the Timer" does not mean we didn't read well. On the contrary, not reading all of the words when our purpose for reading does not require us to do so is strategic reading. However, we tend to send the message to our students that reading always means starting at the top left-hand side of the page, and reading each word in order until we are done. But that would be a ridiculous way to have read the cereal box or the VCR manual.

In most situations outside of the classroom, readers choose to read texts on their own. Typically, nobody tells readers outside of the classroom to read the newspaper, a novel by one's favorite author, or the TV guide. Outside of the classroom readers choose what they read. When readers choose their own reading material, they know why they did so. They know what they want to get out of the texts they've chosen to read. They know their purpose for reading because they made the decision to read in the first place. However, in the classroom readers are usually assigned texts by their teachers. Students often don't choose the texts they read. Therefore it is the teacher that has the purpose for reading in mind--not the student. 

TEACHER-SELECTED TEXTS AND PURPOSE FOR READING

When the teacher assigns a reading to her students, she knows why she has done so (hopefully). She has chosen the text because there is some information in the text that the teacher wants her students to know. But until she shares that purpose for reading with her students, her students are left to guess why they're reading the text. Are they reading for details? Main ideas? To find out a specific piece of information? To find out how to do something? To identify the author's style? To look for split infinitives? To compare and contrast the ideas in this text with the one they read yesterday? Students won't know if the teacher doesn't tell them--explicitly.

ESTABLISHING A SPECIFIC (AND EXPLICITLY STATED) FOCUS FOR READING FOR STUDENTS

A specific focus or specific purpose for reading is one that helps guides students' efforts to focus on important information in the text (i.e., important in light of the general purpose for reading the text). This specific focus should be explicitly stated before students begin reading. 

Many instructional reading strategies have explicit focuses or purposes built into them. For example, when using the KWL strategy, the purpose for reading (i.e., the focus) is to answer the questions written in the W column. Answering those questions gives students something specific to think about while they're reading--something specific to focus on. Anticipation Guides also provide a specific, explicit purpose for reading. Students read to see if anything in the text will cause them to change their minds about how they responded to the statements on the guide before reading. That is their focus.

It is important to keep in mind that your explicitly stated purpose(s) for reading should be aligned with your lesson objectives. For example, suppose you are a health teacher and you are teaching a lesson on nutrition. One of your lesson objectives is, "As a result of this lesson, students will be able to explain what each of the following vitamins and minerals does for the body: Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, calcium, and potassium." In light of this objective you have students read an article that describes what each of these vitamins does for the body. With that in mind, which of the following purposes for reading this article makes more sense?

1. While you read, identify how much of each of the following vitamins and minerals your body needs every day: Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, calcium, and potassium.

2. While you read, identify three things that each of the following vitamins and minerals does for the body: Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, calcium, and potassium.

Obviously purpose B makes a lot more sense in light of your objective. That doesn't mean that there is anything inherently wrong with purpose A. It's just that purpose A doesn't help students achieve your objective. Your purposes for reading should help students achieve your objectives by focusing them on the information they will need to achieve your objectives. This information is what you consider the "important information."

Examples of other GOOD specific focuses/purposes for reading include the following:

1. "While you are reading this text, think about how you would feel if you were a soldier during Civil War times."

2. Before students read, have them make predictions about what they think the text will be about based on the text's chapter, headings, and subheadings. "Read this text to find out whether your predictions were correct."

3. "While reading this chapter, answer these questions..."

4. "While you are reading, decide which animal described by the text you think is the most dangerous and why. Also decide which animal is the least dangerous and why."

5. "While you are reading keep a list of arguments that support giving monetary reparations to descendents of slaves. Also make a list of arguments that could be used to explain why monetary reparations are not a good idea."

Following are POOR examples of specific focuses/purposes for reading:

1. "While you are reading, focus on the important information." 

Problem: Important to what and to whom? "Important" is such a subjective term. A student might consider certain information in a text to be "important" because it is relevant to his/her life, whereas the teacher does not consider the same information to be important because it is not relevant to his/her life. Furthermore, information in a single text changes in importance depending on the reason the text is being read. For example, is the final score of a baseball game important information in a newspaper article about that game? Maybe. It depends on why the reader is reading the article. If the reader is reading to learn about the results of the game, the score is probably important. However, if the reader is reading the text to learn more about a specific player and how he played, the final score isn't so important.

Problem: This type of direction does not tend to be very helpful. It does not tell students how or why to think about the information in the text. What does it mean to "think about what you are reading?" It might mean, "Think about how what you are reading makes you feel." Or, "Think about how what you are reading compares and contrasts with what we read yesterday." Or, "Think about what the author is trying to get across with this text." Or, "Identify the metaphors and similes while you read." It could mean an infinite number of things. 

Problem: This is as vague as "focus on the important information" and "really think while you read." What is the purpose/focus of the discussion tomorrow? 

Problem: This is too vague. It would not be difficult to provide students with more creative direction that would help students achieve the same level of understanding of the text that is meant by these vague directions and help with reading comprehension.

In addition to providing a specific, explicitly stated purpose for reading before students read, you will want to share this information with students too: Are students going to be writing some sort of paper based on the information in the text? If so, talk about the expectations of that paper before students begin reading. That will allow them to focus on the important information in light of the paper they will be writing. (Information that is important for one writing assignment is not necessarily going to be important for another.) Are students going to be doing a project at the end of a unit, and the readings they do prior to that project will provide them with information to help them successfully accomplish the project? Then tell them about the project before they do the readings.