Prereading strategies: Unlocking better understanding before you begin

What you bring to the reading process shapes how well you understand the material. Activating your prior knowledge before you read can significantly improve your comprehension and retention.

By organizing your thoughts and using specific strategies, you can better connect with the material and increase your understanding. Below are various prereading strategies designed to help you engage more effectively with what you read.

Activating prior knowledge: Setting the foundation

Before diving into the reading material, it’s important to tap into what you already know. This will help you frame the new information in context and make it easier to understand.

Brainstorming

• What to do: Examine the title or main topic of the reading. Write down everything that comes to mind about the topic.
• Purpose: Helps you recall related information and connect it to the new material, as well as identify gaps in your understanding.

Example:

If you are about to read a chapter on climate change, list what you already know about greenhouse gases, rising temperatures, and global policies. This primes your brain for new information.

Group discussions

• What to do: Engage in discussions with peers to explore what others know about the topic.
• Purpose: Group discussions reveal different perspectives and shared experiences that can enhance your understanding. If someone shares new information, ask questions to deepen your insight.

Concept or mind mapping

• What to do: Create a mind map with the title or subject as the central idea. Branch out to related ideas and subtopics.
• Purpose: Organizing information visually helps you see connections between ideas and promotes active thinking.

Strategy	What You Do	Benefit
Brainstorming	List related ideas freely	Quickly activates prior knowledge
Concept mapping	Visually map connections between ideas	Organizes and deepens understanding

Table: Comparing brainstorming and concept mapping

Asking pre-questions: Preparing for deeper comprehension

Pre-questions guide your reading and give you specific goals to focus on. These questions help you interact with the text more critically and make predictions about the material.

Types of pre-questions

• Definition questions: “What is…?”, “Where does this fit?”, “What group does this belong to?”
  • Example: “What is climate change?”
• Characteristic questions: “How would I describe…?”, “What are its parts?”
  • Example: “What are the main components of the water cycle?”
• Example-based questions: “What is a good example of…?”, “What are similar examples?”
  • Example: “What is an example of renewable energy?”
• Experience-based questions: “What experience have I had with…?”, “What can I imagine about…?”
  • Example: “How have I experienced extreme weather?”

Using visual aids: Activating your imagination

Visual aids such as pictures, diagrams, and videos can enhance your prereading preparation by giving you a clearer image of what the text will discuss.

• What to do: Search online for images or videos related to the topic you’re about to read.
• Purpose: Visual information activates your brain and helps you form mental models of the material, making it easier to understand when you encounter it in the text.

Using advance organizers: Connecting the new with the familiar

Relating new reading material to something you already know helps make the unfamiliar more accessible. This strategy is particularly helpful for complex topics that require deeper thinking.

• What to do: Create a framework that connects the new content to your existing knowledge. Teachers can assist by providing analogies or background information to set the stage for reading.
• Purpose: Helps to place the new material into a familiar context, making it easier to grasp.

Example:

If you are reading about the human immune system, relate it to a defense system you already understand, like a security system protecting a house.

Additional prereading strategies: Enhancing your preparation

Beyond the basic prereading strategies, there are several other approaches you can use to deepen your preparation and understanding of the material.

1. Overviews

• What to do: Review information about the text before reading, such as class discussions, printed previews, photos, outlines, or videos.
• Purpose: Helps ensure that you understand the material before beginning the assignment.

2. Vocabulary previews

• What to do: Identify key words from the text that may be unfamiliar, and learn their definitions before reading.
• Purpose: Knowing the vocabulary helps you better understand the material as you encounter it in the text.

Step	What to Do	Purpose
List Key Words	Identify unfamiliar words before reading	Prepares you for new concepts
Organize words by category	Group words to show relationships	Helps see connections between concepts
Quiz yourself	Test your knowledge of the words	Reinforces learning before you begin reading

Table: Prereading vocabulary strategy

3. Structural organizers

• What to do: Identify the structure of the text (e.g., cause-effect, problem-solution) and note organizational elements like headings, subheadings, and signal words.
• Purpose: Knowing the structure helps guide your understanding and allows you to anticipate how the text will develop.

4. Setting a purpose for reading

• What to do: Define a clear purpose before you start reading, such as answering specific questions or solving a problem.
• Purpose: A clear purpose gives your reading direction and helps you stay focused on what’s important.

5. Author consideration

• What to do: Discuss the background and point of view of the author.
• Purpose: Understanding the author’s perspective helps you interpret the text more accurately and consider biases.

KWL: A reflective strategy for group discussions

The KWL strategy (Know, Want to Learn, Learned) is an excellent way to structure group discussions before reading.

• K – What do I Know? Before reading, list what you already know about the topic.
• W – What do I Want to Learn? Write down questions you want the text to answer.
• L – What did I Learn? After reading, summarize what you’ve learned and compare it to what you wanted to know.

Step	Activity	Purpose
K – Know	List prior knowledge on the topic	Activates background knowledge
W – Want to Learn	Write questions you expect the text to answer	Focuses your reading on key information
L – Learned	Summarize what you learned after reading	Helps reinforce and assess comprehension

Table: KWL group discussion framework

Final thoughts

Prereading strategies are a powerful way to improve your understanding of the material before you even begin reading.

By activating your prior knowledge, asking key questions, and setting a clear purpose, you make the reading process more focused and effective.

These strategies not only enhance comprehension but also engage your critical thinking skills, making the learning experience deeper and more meaningful.