Rozzelle and Scearce (2009) suggest the intentional use of comprehension strategies and have presented seven for this purpose.  Readers who are able to make meaning from what they have read use strategies but may be unaware of their use.  For those that struggle with reading, the purposeful use of comprehension strategies is critical to understanding text.

The Magnificent Seven Comprehension Strategies

http://files.solution-tree.com/pdfs/Reproducibles_PTAL/Comprehension_Strategies_Template.pdf

1)  Making connections to prior knowledge - readers should be continually connecting to prior experiences, world events; experts in the field indicate that background or prior knowledge is basic to the understanding of any material being read.

2)  Inferring and predicting - making predictions about what will happen next in a passage assists the reader in reviewing what has been read and then guessing what might happen next;  often this process involves reading between the lines to determine what is not directly stated in the passage.

3)  Asking questions - Rozzelle and Scearce suggest three guiding points:  1) Ask questions that clarify meaning, predict what will happen, interact with author's information, or find a specific answer within the text; 2)  use post-it notes to ask "thick" questions (have multiple answers); and 3) use marginilla to ask questions in the margins.

4)  Determining important ideas and summarizing - ask students to intentionally look for important information within the headings or in the organization of the passage.

5)  Visualizing - readers are asked to create non-linguistic representations (http://www.tltguide.ccsd.k12.co.us/instructional_tools/Strategies/Strategies.html), pictures that assist in the understanding of what is being read, or a movie that runs in their minds as they read.

6)  Synthesizing and retelling - readers can be asked to identify themes by synthesizing or connecting information found in the passage being read; synthesizing is considered to be a higher order thinking strategy or HOTS.  The retelling of what was read assure that students have understood what was read as well. 

7)  Monitoring and clarifying understanding of text - the constant monitoring and clarifying of understanding while reading requires the use of metacognitive skills.  The use of metacognitive skills can be a powerful tool in leading to more critical analysis of material being read and the application or generalization of that information to other areas. 

Multiple sources discuss the importance of the intentional use of comprehension strategies to ensure that struggling readers make meaning from what they have read.  Often these comprehension strategies can be used in combination.

Reference:

Rozzelle, J. and Scearce, C. 2009, Power tools for adolescent literacy. Bloomington, Indiana:  Solution Tree.

http://go.solution-tree.com/literacy/Reproducibles_PTAL.html