Metacognitive Skills

Click on the different sections on the image below to view the various sections of Metacognitive Skills

Characteristics of a Skilled Reader

With

Increasing

Sophistication

  • Monitor their reading so they can keep track of their understanding as they read:
    • Note confusion, or difficult words and concepts – signaling them that comprehension is breaking down;
    • Confirm, refute, or extend predictions made prior to reading;
    • Stop after each paragraph to summarize;
    • Generate questions before, during, and after reading; and / or
    • Create a mental picture as you read.
  • Actively engage and interact with the text before, during, and after reading so they can grapple with the meaning (see above).
  • Use fix-it strategies when understanding break downs:
    • Go back and re-read,
    • Re-state,
    • Attempt to summarize,
    • Use contextual clues, and / or
    • Use decoding skills to figure out unknown words.
  • Set a purpose for reading.
  • Adjust their use of strategies depending on the text and content.
  • Can represent information from a text onto a graphic organizer before, during, and after reading.
  • Can create summaries by consolidating short paragraphs or passages, into only the most important, main ideas.
  • Can summarize text by identifying main ideas and supporting details.
  • Know how and where to find the answers to questions (especially those that require inferencing and using prior knowledge).
  • Consider writing from various points of view.

The Metacognitive Skills of Reading Comprehension Include: