READING STRATEGIES
Reading is a cognitive skill which requires persons to decode, make meaning or interpretations from texts or symbols. The Literature teacher is therefore responsible for equipping his students with the necessary strategies to approach varied forms of literary pieces in order to engage students in critical thinking. Reading strategies can be categorized as pre reading, during reading and after reading.

Pre Reading Strategy

One pre reading strategy is titled The Pre Reading Plan or PReP. This strategy was founded by Langer (1981) and it aids teachers in activating students’ prior knowledge. It takes place in 3 phases. The first phase is called Initial association. This is where students make associations with the concept to be taught, by brainstorming ideas. The teacher poses the question ‘What comes to mind when you hear …?’ and writes down students’ responses on the blackboard.
The second phase called Secondary reflections is where students are required to reflect on what made them think of the responses they gave. The teacher asks, ‘ What made you think of…?’
and once more notes students’ responses.
In the final phase, called Refining knowledge the teacher encourages to think of new ideas, reformulate their ideas or elaborate on what was said. The teacher asks ‘Do you have any new ideas or thoughts after hearing your classmates?’

During Reading Strategy
‘If I can’t picture it, I can’t understand it.’ Albert Einstein

Visualization is a strategy which can be used for during reading. It encourages students to create a mental picture of the events in the novel or text. Visualization is similar to making a movie in your head, using the sensory images like sounds, smells, touch and emotions as a guide. It also aids students in better language comprehension, expression and critical thinking.



After Reading Strategy

Think Pair Share is a cooperative learning strategy developed by Lyman (1981). Students think alone for a response to a question posed by the teacher for a specified amount of time then pair off with another student to discuss their ideas. After the paired discussion students then share their responses with the entire class.