5 Strategies for Searching for and Using Information

In order for a reader to be able to read and understand a text there is a great deal of work that they must do in their head. As shared in The Importance of Strategies, readers use a variety of strategic actions and strategies to process what they are reading. Searching for and using information is one of twelve strategic action we will explore in this Strategic Action Series.

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Strategies Change Over Time

When young children begin reading, they may use very simple strategies like memorizing or remembering the words in a story and reciting them as they see the pictures. As they learn more about letters, words, and books, they will begin using strategies like:

Pausing when something doesn’t make sense (self-monitoring)
Looking at the picture, thinking about the sentence, and looking at the first letters to make sure what they have read “looks right,” “sounds right,” and “makes sense.” (cross-checking sources of information)
Reread a word to read it correctly when they misread the word the first time. (self-correcting)

As young readers have more and more time to read and experience books, they develop their ability to use more sophisticated strategic actions as they read.

IMPORTANT REMINDER

It is important to note that readers use strategic actions simultaneously. Unfortunately, many children view them as separate actions or even as their goal of their reading. This may be the case if you’ve ever heard your child say, “This week I am inferring.” This happens when strategies are talked about in isolation or if your child does most of their strategy work with worksheets. Even though we may attempt to strengthen a strategic action by talking about it in isolation, it is always important to remind your child that they use many strategic actions and strategies to understand what we are reading.

Here is an example shared by Fountas and Pinnell in Guided Reading (2e)

A child who is automatically solving words and monitoring her comprehension might realize it and pause to reread or search for more information. She might also search her background knowledge, make connections, and, by comparing present knowledge to new learning, synthesize new ideas.

Even though these actions are listed in a sequence, many take place simultaneously. Our brains can work so quickly and can do such much.

Now let’s take a look at Searching for and using information, a strategic action identified by Fountas and Pinnell (Literacy Continuum, Expanded Edition, 2017).

Searching for and using information

Searching for and using information is a strategic action that us used frequently by beginning readers. This strategic action occurs when your child notices and uses the words, the images, the meaning, and the way the text is written to read and understand a text. A beginning reader is looking at the printed symbols (letters) on each page and noticing their distinctive features. They problem solve as they look for the information they need to figure out the words on the page and if the words they think they are make sense within the story or information. They are also thinking about if the word sounds right or sounds like a word they have heard or used before.

Your child may use information from sources like:

The spacing between words
The letters in the words
The meaning in the pictures or graphics
How the story is progressing (fiction)
The kind of information provided (nonfiction)
What he/she knows from personal experience (background knowledge)
What he/she knows
What he/she knows about text features (headings, sidebars, graphs)

Check out the Reading Level Specific Posts to see questions you can ask or prompts you can give to support your child’s use of this strategic action.

5 Fantastic Strategies to Encourage Searching for and Using Information

1. Capitalize on Titles

Great for Reading Levels C-M

Strategy Steps

Read the title
Keep the title in mind as you read
Think about what events or information connect back to the title.

Share with your child that a title is a carefully chosen part of any book. A title has to be short so the author has choose a word or words that represent the whole book.

You can prompt your child to think about the title by asking the following questions:

What does the title connect to in the story?
Think about the title and what you’ve read. What’s the problem?
Where in the book did you find the problem? Check to see if it matches the title.
How does the [character’s name] problem connect to the title?
Think about the title and retell the story.

2. Character Reactions Can Help You Find the Problem

Great for Reading Levels J and up

Strategy Steps

When you notice the author describe the character’s reactions and feelings, think about what is happening in the text.
Look at the images to check for character’s reactions and feelings. A character might look excited (or concerned or happy) in the picture. Think about what is happening to determine if this could indicate the problem.
Think about how the character responds to others or events- that may let you know they are having a strong reaction. When a character has a strong reaction to something, it could indicate that this is a major problem in the story.

Share with your child that an author (and illustrator) may use one or all three of these techniques to highlight the problem of the story. Encourage your child to pay attention to all of the information provided by the author (and illustrator) to determine the main problem in the story.

You can prompt your child to identify the problem in the story by asking the following questions:

How is the character reacting?
Can you say how the character is feeling?
What do you notice about the character’s face in this picture?
Does the character say anything to show his or her feelings?
What does the character’s reaction tell you about how he or she is feeling?

3. Using Clues to Understand How a Book is Organized

Great for Reading Levels J and K (fiction) any Reading Level (nonfiction)

Strategy Steps

Fiction:

After you read the first chapter, ask yourself, “Was the problem solved?”
If yes, then the next chapter will be a new story with the same characters. This new story will have a new problem and solution. (Frog and Toad books)
If no, then the story will most likely continue and the solution to the problem will come at the end of the book.

Nonfiction:

After you read the first section, chunk, or chapter, say what that part is mostly about.
As you read the next section, chunk, or chapter, think about if this part gives more information about the same idea or if the author has moved on to another idea.
Collect each main idea as you go.
At the end, say: This book is really about ______, _________, ________.

Note: This can be tricky for kids who are reading series books at levels J and K. Even though the books look similar some are collections of stories where as some are one story across several chapters.

You can prompt your child to identify the organization of the text by asking the following questions:

What’s the problem in the story?
Was the problem solved at the end of this chapter?
(At the start of a new chapter) Is this a new story or the same one?
How do you know?

4. Check the Back Blurb

Great for Reading Levels J and up

Strategy Steps

Read the back cover to gather information about the book.
Ask yourself some questions:
- How might this book go?
- How could it be organized?
- What might be the most important issues the story tackles?
- What problems might the main character face? (fiction)
- What could I learn in this book? (especially nonfiction)
- How might the author feel about this topic? (nonfiction)

You can prompt your child to use the blurb to gather information by asking the following questions:

Have you read the blurb?
What information in the blurb could help you?
Thinking about what you read, how do you think this book will be organized?
Do you have any ideas about the main problem in this book? (fiction)
What do you think you will learn about in this book?
How do you think the author feels about this topic?

5. Explore Why and How Setting Matters

Great for Reading Levels M and up

Strategy Steps

Think about the setting of the story.
Think about whether the setting is simply a backdrop or does it play an important role in the story.
Ask yourself, “if this story was set someplace else, or at a different time, would the story be any different?”

Setting is often times more than just a place and time- authors are usually very thoughtful about how the time and place impact the characters, the problem, and the solution. Sometimes settings are symbolic and carry with it a far deeper meaning that simply acting as the backdrop to a story.

You can prompt your child to identify the impact of the setting by asking the following questions:

How would you describe the setting?
If you imagine this story in a different place, how would it go?
Do you think there is any symbolism to the setting?
How is the setting important to the story?

Check out these posts for more strategies to support strategic actions:

Resources:

Fountas, I. C., & Pinnell, G. S. (2017). Guided reading: Responsive teaching across the grades. Heinemann.
Pinnell, G. S., & Fountas, I. C. (2007). The Continuum of Literacy Learning, Grades K-8: Behaviors and Understandings to Notice, Teach, and Support. Heinemann.
Serravallo, J. (2015). The reading strategies book: Your everything guide to developing skilled readers (Vol. 11). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.