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Reading with Purpose: Reading to Learn

Many learners have learned how to read, but struggle with reading to learn (Anderson, 2008b). Reading to learn is more than understanding the information; rather, it requires learners to DO SOMETHING with that information (Chase et al., 1994). They may be asked to prepare a presentation, participate in a discussion, write an essay, or compare multiple ideas (Chase et al., 1994; Grabe & Zhang, 2013; Shelyakina, 2010). When reading to learn, they often need to read at a slower pace because they are drawing inferences or connecting the information to their knowledge of the topic. As learners read to learn, they build and create meaning when they read about new concepts and ideas. Often, reading to learn is like putting together a puzzle or building a structure one piece at a time. The more information they connect the clearer the picture or idea becomes. The most important thing in reading to learn is finding those connections through analysis and putting them together through synthesis. Learners will often have to analyze the things they read and synthesize the reading with lectures. 

 Helpful Skills

  • Previewing texts

  • Finding answers

  • Finding the main ideas

  • Questioning the text

  • Skiming for important ideas

  • Scanning for specific information

  • Summarizing information

  • Checking comprehension

  • Text highlighting

  • Recognizing rhetorical patterns

  • Recognizing the significance of the content

  • Recognizing importance details

  • Judging whither objectives were met

  • Understanding vocabulary in context

  • Repairing miscomprehension

  • Predicting the contents of the text

  • Connecting text to background knowledge

  • Reflecting on material and understanding

  • Connecting one part of the text to another

  • Guessing the meaning of a word from context

  • Understanding written problems

  • Understanding expository material

  • Understanding argument

  • Understanding descriptive material

  • Understanding categories

  • Interpreting tables, graphs, formulas, and charts

  • Interpreting cartoons, diagrams, pictures, and maps 

  • Adjusting reading rate relative to purpose and difficulty of material

  • Differentiating fact and opinion

  • Determining the accuracy of information

  • Realizing an author’s purpose

  • Learning new material from text

  • Specifying a purpose for reading

  • Planning what to do/what steps to take

  • Predicting the contents of the text or section of text

  • Making inferences

  • Connecting one part of the text to another

  • Rereading

  • Guessing the meaning of a word from context

  • Using discourse markers to see relationships

  • Identifying difficulties

  • Reading critically

Academic Tasks

  • Reading and understanding passages

  • Completing exams & quizzes

  • Completing worksheets & study guides

  • Complete projects

  • Writing in and out of class essays

  • Writing short responses

  • Writing reflective essays

  • Writing reports

  • Writing a critical analysis

  • Preparing presentations

  • Participating in discussions

  • Reviewing a text model

  • Learning new ideas and vocabulary

  • Critically analyzing text

  • Summarizing information

  • Paraphrasing information

  • Taking notes

The information for this page came from Chase et al. (1994), Gallagher (2011), Grabe (2009), Grabe and Stoller (2011), Grabe and Zhang (2013), Gunderson (1991), Jensen (1986), Shelyakina (2010), and Shih (1992).

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