In Full Command

Good Readers are Conscious Strategists

What skills do “good readers” draw upon to make for successful reading sessions? How much of this process is conscious?

Experts have struggled to determine the difference between good and poor readers. One measure experts have used to study these differences it to ask readers to describe their thoughts, out loud, as they read. The result of these efforts is the idea that good reading consists of a number of complex skills that are automatic and well-coordinated in practiced readers.



The coordination of reading skills begins before the start of a reading session. Typical (good) readers set goals for their reading. They note the structure and organization of the text and may make mental outlines to help determine the text’s relevance to their goals. As they read, good readers make fast and accurate work of reading the text while processing the meanings of the words at the same time. They also manage to comprehend groupings of words: phrases, sentences, paragraphs, and so forth.

If good readers fail to understand the text on its surface level, they look to see if they can tie in the context of surrounding sentences to help them make sense of those words. They may dig deep into their own acquired knowledge to help them toward comprehending what is read.


Good readers may interact with the material by asking themselves questions on what they’ve read and may reflect on the ideas contained within the text. They use their background knowledge to predict what will happen next. They engage in constant assessment and revise their predictions as the need arises.
They’re Selective

Good readers are selective. They focus on parts of the text that are related to their reading goals. They may skip over parts of the text because they contain information they already know or because the information isn’t relevant to their goals. They may decide they don’t understand the content of what they’re reading or may find that content boring and decide to pass on reading that chapter or even skip an entire book.

If there are gaps in the writer’s descriptions of characters or events, good readers use textual cues to fill them in, or draw on their own background knowledge to make sense of the text. They can create mental images of characters, settings, or events described in text and use those images to help them better understand written passages.

Good readers monitor their own comprehension as they read. If they realize they haven’t understood what they’ve read, they’ll apply techniques to repair their lack of understanding. They may rephrase what they’ve read or look up a word in a dictionary. They may highlight a passage of text and stop and reflect on that passage.
Uses Metacognition

Good reading involves something called metacognition. Good readers are aware of their own mental processes; their thoughts about their own trains of thought. They review their own comprehension strategies and choose those most appropriate to the text.

When good readers are done with their reading sessions, they reflect on the text they’ve covered. They may summarize key points or find other reading materials to help flesh out the same topic.

Good readers apply strategy to their reading. They have numerous techniques they can use to glean the meaning of the texts they read. These are conscious strategies that are within the readers’ control. They decide when to apply which strategies. They are at all times, in full command of the process.


This article has been copied with kind permission from www.cognibeat.com and can be found here