Strategy 8: Determining Importance
When proficient readers read a piece of text, they unconsciously separate the essential from the non- essential information they determine what is important in the text. Non proficient readers fail to do this and count any and all information as important. In essence, one could describe this skill as a sorting and ordering one as children need to:
The determining importance strategy enables children to identify, sort and order the key pieces of information in the text. Children point their index finger to show that they are determining importance in a piece of text.
When proficient readers read a piece of text, they unconsciously separate the essential from the non- essential information they determine what is important in the text. Non proficient readers fail to do this and count any and all information as important. In essence, one could describe this skill as a sorting and ordering one as children need to:
- Identify all key pieces of information or facts
- Sort this information into categories according to the task
- Order the facts in an appropriate way.
- Readers use their background knowledge and beliefs to decide what is important
- Readers must consciously and unconsciously separate the essential from the non-essential information
- Readers must ponder self or group generated questions to direct their reading.
The determining importance strategy enables children to identify, sort and order the key pieces of information in the text. Children point their index finger to show that they are determining importance in a piece of text.
