So what on Earth is content area reading and why is it important to more advanced students? Instead of relying on theme, this reading takes place in “content classes” like math, science, and social studies. Non-fiction in nature, it focuses on collecting, understanding, and interpreting information. Content area reading strategies in math:
- Break words down into parts.
- Congru- (come together, congruent)
- Dia- (across, diameter)
- Fract- (break, fraction)
- Preview informational texts (in any order to ensure comprehension).
- Use pictures, charts, diagrams.
- Take advantage of page formatting, symbols, and notations.
- Follow the 4 P’s.
- Preview (skim, scan).
- Predict (what’s going to happen).
- Prior knowledge (already know).
- Purpose (want to learn).
