Ask yourself… “How do I currently teach reading comprehension strategies in my class?”

You should know… Students who are good at monitoring their comprehension know when they understand what they read and when they do not. They know strategies to “fix” problems in their understanding as the problems arise.

Furthermore… Research shows that reading strategies, even in the early grades, can help students become better at monitoring their comprehension. C.R.U.I.S.E. is an instructional practice that will guide readers to improve their comprehension. TM

So how does C.R.U.I.S.E. work? It consists of 6 strategies that a student can use to analyze a story or paragraph. It is a step-by-step process that guides the student to think about what they read. TM

The student will circle important information. C stands for “circle” The student will circle important information. • title • paragraphs • photographs • illustrations

R stands for “read” The student will read the article 2-3 times. • Read it once for pleasure • Read it again to begin other strategies

U stands for “underline” The student will underline key words and important details. Underlining key words helps with vocabulary words in the questions.

I stands for “illustrate” The student will illustrate characters and setting. Illustrating helps identify who the characters are and where the story takes place.

S stands for “summarize” The student will write a short phrase or summary of what each paragraph is about. By doing so, the students does not have to re-read the story more than 3 times.

E stands for “evaluate” The student will evaluate his work and move on to answer the questions. Hopefully, by analyzing the story while using these strategies, the student will know where to look for the answers and not have to struggle too much with comprehension.

Another Strategy As students answer questions they should write the paragraph number of where they found the answer, and write the question number where the answer is.

“Now, you can C.R.U.I.S.E. through any story.” Recap C = Circle Title/Paragraphs/Photos R = Read 2-3 times U = Underline Key Words I = Illustrate Characters/Setting S = Summarize paragraphs E = Evaluate Your Work “Now, you can C.R.U.I.S.E. through any story.” TM

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