Reading Strategies, EVOKER Method for Reading Prose, Poetry, and Drama and the Story Star and Story Map

Reading Strategies

The following reading strategies for literature are compiled by C. Krause (CAL). They deal with vocabulary, textbook organization, major ideas and emphasis, recording important information, and asking and answering questions.

Vocabulary

In literature texts, readers don't usually encounter many new vocabulary terms. However, students may experience difficulty understanding foreign expressions, archaic usages of words, symbolic writing, and metaphoric use of words. While continued reading experience will likely improve student understanding and recognition of unusual vocabulary, other strategies may be used to learn new terms.

Mental or verbal recitation of new or unusual words aids understanding and retention. Try using the words in a variety of sentences. Consider what the term is not as well as what it is. Students may choose to compile running lists of terms or expressions that occur repeatedly in a work or in a genre of literature. Or, the terms and definitions may be written on individual flash cards.

Textbook Organization

Literature may be presented in story, drama, essay, or poem formats. There tend to be few illustrations. The piece may be organized by time period, theme, or geographical region.

Major Ideas and Emphasis

The major ideas and emphasis of a literature text may be indirectly stated and include the ability to analyze symbolism, characters, and tone. Different literature genres have different ideas and emphases.

Literature

Read completely through for plot, character development, setting, and theme. Make a study guide or flash cards of important characters. Diagram the story structure.

Poetry

Read poems aloud twice. Try the unpacking strategy or the EVOKER strategy.

Drama

Note stage directions and information in parentheses and italics. Note the name of the speaker to follow the action. Visualize the action. Read speeches aloud. Act out the action.

Essays

Watch for the author's bias or point of view. Find the author's purpose, main arguments, and details that support the arguments.

Composition

Determine action, actor-agent, scene, means, purpose. Use all senses in describing. Expand vocabulary.

Record Important Information

When reading literature, one should record the main ideas and emphasized components. One way to do this is to take notes in the margins or on separate pieces of paper. Or, students may use organizational aids discussed elsewhere in this stack:story star or story map, literature checklist, or character analysis matrix.

Ask and Answer Questions

Comprehension of literature texts is aided by asking and answering key questions. Readers may compose their own questions or may refer to the sample questions provided in the Key Questions to Ask section of this page.

EVOKER Method for Reading Prose, Poetry, and Drama

The EVOKER strategy is intended to improve student comprehension when reading prose, poetry, and drama. The steps are quoted from the authors (Roe, Stoodt, and Burns, 1987, p. 136).

E xplore

Read the entire selection silently to gain a feeling for the overall message.

V ocabulary

Note key words. Look up those words with which you are not familiar. Also look up unfamiliar places, events, and people mentioned in the selection.

O ral Reading

Read the selection aloud with good expression.

K ey Ideas

Locate key ideas in order to help you understand the author's organization. Be sure to determine the main idea or theme of the selection.

E valuation

Evaluate the key words and sentences in respect to their contributions to developing key ideas and the main idea.

R ecapitulation

Reread the selection.

Story Star and Story Map

The story star and story map strategies are organizational tools for summarizing the characters, setting, and plot of a work of literature (Van Voorhis, Education Department, Muskingum College). Templates for both strategies will be scanned in the near future. Other strategies that deal with character, setting, and plot are Checklist of Elements of Literature, Character Analysis, Character Questions, Setting Questions, and Plot Questions, which are described elsewhere in this page.