Monitoring and Fixing Up Your Understanding

Notice when meaning breaks down and use fix-up strategies to get back on track.

Good readers constantly check whether they understand what they are reading. This is called monitoring. If you reach the end of a page and think, 'Wait, what did I just read? ', your understanding has broken down. That is normal, and you can fix it.

Fix-up strategies include: reread the confusing part slowly; read ahead a little to see if it becomes clear; look at pictures, headings, or captions; figure out a confusing word with context clues; and ask yourself questions about what is happening. For example, if a sentence says 'The glacier crept forward', and you are not sure how ice can creep, reread the paragraph and look at the diagram.

• 1Monitoring means checking that you understand.
• 2Notice when meaning breaks down.
• 3Fix-up: reread, read ahead, use features, check words, ask questions.