What Do Good Readers Do?

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Unlock Your Inner Reader: Mastering High School Literature

Many high school students worry about their reading comprehension and fluency. They want to improve their scores on standardized tests, be prepared for college, and cut down on school-related stress. They realize that being able to read the words on a page is not the same thing as being able to understand, analyze, and make meaning from those words!

Luckily, anyone who wants to become a better reader can study some simple strategies and “elements of literature.” This will empower the student to take on challenging reading assignments and finally feel like they “get it.”

Dive into Character Dynamics Like a Pro

Analyzing Characters

Look for:

• Personality traits
• Conflicts
• Motivations
• Values and Beliefs
• Desires
• Growth/Change

Crack the Code: Unveiling Symbolism in Stories

Symbol: a person, place, or thing that represents something larger than itself. A symbol may appear once or twice in a literary work, whereas a motif is a recurring element. An action, like running or yelling CANNOT be a symbol.

Look for repetition and/or detailed descriptions; if an item, animal, or minor character comes up a lot or is described in great detail, ask whether it could represent something larger than itself.

Battle Royale: Unpacking Different Conflicts

Major Conflict Types:

• Man vs. Man
• Man vs. Society
• Man vs. Nature
• Man vs. Technology
• Man vs. Self

Ask Yourself:

• What does the main character want?
• Who or what is in the way?
• Does the main character “win”?
• Why or why not?

Motifs vs. Themes: The Ultimate Showdown

Motif: a recurring object, idea, image, sound or action that helps develop a theme. For example, the lips/mouth in Speak are emphasized over and over to reinforce the theme about speaking up when you are in pain. Small-town life is a motif in Mockingbird. Childhood is a motif in Huck Finn. Don’t confuse motifs with symbols!

Theme: a central idea or message. The moral or lesson of the story.

Author’s Choices Decoded: Unleash Your Inner Literary Analyst

Key Skill: Identify elements of style

• Sentence structure
• Imagery and descriptive language
• Diction (word choice) and dialogue use
• Figurative language
• Tone and mood
• Syntax (the way the author puts words and phrases together)

Plot Twists and Turns: Navigating Story Structure

Parts of Plot:

• The exposition often shows important character traits and the setting of the story.
• The rising action helps develop the conflict. Someone wants something, but someone/thing is in the way.
• The climax is the point of no return. If one thinks about the climax, the falling action, and the resolution, one can often find the main theme of the story.
• The falling action and resolution often happen very quickly. The climax often happens near the end of the novel.

The Power of Repetition: Finding Patterns in Writing

Pay Attention to Patterns in Writing

Repeated words, phrases and items are often important motifs, themes or symbols.

Visualize and Conquer: Seeing Stories Come to Life

Try to see the action of the story and picture the characters as you read. If you’re not “seeing” anything as you read, it’s hard to get into the material, and it’s hard to keep up with and understand what is going on.

Speed Reading Secrets: Skip the Slow Lane

Most of the time, not counting when you’re re-reading to try to understand a difficult part, you should try not to vocalize as you read (saying the words aloud or mouthing them quietly to yourself). We can read much, much faster than we can speak; speaking the words slows us down. When we are young, teachers advise us to read aloud because it helps us hear the words that we might not recognize by SEEING, but we will certainly know upon hearing spoken. You should now, as a high school student, practice getting meaning out of just looking at a word.

Re-Read Like a Boss: Why Good Readers Always Go Back

If you don’t understand something, or you find you’ve glazed over as you’ve been reading, RE-READ! Go back to the point at which you zoned out or began to feel lost. Read the section again, slowly. You might need to look up some difficult words. Also, try reading the passage aloud to yourself.

Zen and the Art of Focus: Tune Out Distractions

PAY ATTENTION to what you are reading. Turn of the TV, turn off your music, turn it all off. Find a place to read that’s quiet and free of distractions. Light concentration music (you can find classical or “focus” music online) is okay, but avoid music with lyrics!

Be a Note-Taking Ninja: Capture the Essence

Note-taking will help you remember material (the simple act of moving the pencil to form words helps us retain information), and it will help you focus your attention. To do it well also requires that you distinguish important information from not-so-important information (a key reading skill).

Poetry Unmasked: Deciphering the Art Form

For poetry, try to identify its form based on stanza length, rhyme scheme, and meter. Look for repetition, especially with imagery, symbolism, and words/sounds. At the end, ask what the “point” of the poem seems to be. To convey a certain feeling, image, or message?