The activities for before, during and after reading on this site will promote and simplify not only comprehension of the content, but also an enthusiasm for health.

Writing Activity: This is a good before reading activity. It generates interest for the topic. 

Write about an athletic event that you have trained for or would like to train for. Talk about what you might do to prepare for your event. Ideally, how would you like to perform on this day? Close your eyes and visualize what a perfect day in this event would look like.  Write a short paragraph about what you would do.

Before reading

-Skim the text. Look through the pages of the chapter and see if you can gain an understanding of what this chapter might be about.

-Review the key terms and vocabulary. Jot down any unfamiliar words or terms. 

-Activate your background knowledge. Use clues that you see throughout the chapter to make inferences about the content of the chapter.

-The teacher can poll the class after they have had a chance to skim the passage. Ask the class what they think the chapter is mostly about. Write the predictions on the board.

-Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) is a classwide peer tutoring program, and a great way before reading activity, as well as a writing strategy. Teachers carefully partner a student with a classmate. The pair works on various activities that address the academic needs of both students. Pairs change over time. PALS can be used across content areas. I like that this is a version of differentiated learning. 

What is the purpose of reading this chapter? Is it to gain information? Is it to entertain the reader? You need to know the purpose of reading.

During reading

-Underline words that are new or words that you are unsure about. Listen to the story as though you are required to retell the story to a younger student. Would you be able to retell the story?

As you read the text, ask the students to look for similarities and differences between what is in the board and what they read.

The Double-Entry Journal strategy enables students to record their responses to text as they read. Students write down phrases or sentences from their assigned reading and then write their own reaction to that passage. The purpose of this strategy is to give students the opportunity to express their thoughts and become actively involved with the material they read.

After Reading

-Do you understand what you just read? You may need to re-read the chapter. This does not indicate that you have difficulty comprehending what you just read. On the contrary, good readers often re-read a passage and always report that they have a deeper understanding after reading the passage again.

-The Exit-Slip strategy requires students to write responses to questions you pose at the end of class. Exit Slips help students reflect on what they have learned and express what or how they are thinking about the new information. Exit Slips easily incorporate writing into your content area classroom and require students to think critically. Exit slips are a quick an informal way to check on learning. I am not worried about spelling. I just want know that you understand what we just talked about. After reading strategies focus on comprehension.