1. OWL: Oswego Works for Literacy Oswego Community School District #308 Secondary Reading Comprehension Program

2. OWL: What is it?  What are the OWL reading skills?  How can the OWL reading skills help me become a better reader?  When can I use the OWL reading skills?

3. OWL Program  Reading is a necessary skill in all content areas.  The OWL program is designed to support students in junior high and high school in teaching students how to be more effective readers.  Knowing the reading comprehension skills will help you practice and apply them.

4. OWL Skills ConnectingPredictingSummarizing Sensory Imaging Self- Questioning InferringSynthesizing Vocabulary Acquisition Skills Outlined by Gretchen Courtney & Associates

5. OWL: Connecting  Connecting while reading means to relate text to one’s own knowledge, experience or other texts.  Text-to-text  Text-to-self  Text-to-world  Abandon connections that do not help you better understand the text  Make connections to theme (fiction) or concept/ main idea (non-fiction)

6. OWL: Predicting  Predicting while reading means to use text clues and prior knowledge to predict content and adjust predictions as needed to determine key points  Create predictions  Draw on prior knowledge  Adjust with additional information Summarize text and make connections

7. OWL: Summarizing  Summarizing while reading means to determine important events or information and compiling them into a central theme or concept.  Determine key point from paragraph, section  Seek topic sentences (first, last sentence)  Look for repeated words, ideas  Notice transitions  Put details in categories

8. OWL: Inferring  Inferring while reading means to use prior knowledge and text clues to draw conclusions about the implied message.  Use text clues: pictures, graphs, etc.  Form logical conclusions about what the author does not come right out and say in the text  Make inferences about location, time, action, objects, characters, culture, emotion, author bias, etc.

9. OWL: Self-questioning  Self-questioning while reading means to generate questions before, during, and after reading to focus attention on significant concepts and deepen understanding.  Ask a variety of questions  Think about responses  Develop ability to ask questions that foster deeper analysis of text  Think about your own thinking

10. OWL: Imaging  Imaging while reading means to use sensory clues to turn concepts into mental pictures/ associations during and after reading.  Use picture images and word images  Seek different types of sensory images (visual, touch, sound, scent, taste)  Evaluate images to understand author’s tone and the resulting mood

11. OWL: Vocabulary Acquisition  Acquiring vocabulary while reading means to pay attention to new or unknown words and determine meaning.  Prefix, suffix, root word knowledge  Use context clues to help make meaning  Look up key words to assist with comprehension

12. OWL Skills ConnectingPredictingSummarizing Sensory Imaging Self- Questioning InferringSynthesizing Vocabulary Acquisition Skills Outlined by Gretchen Courtney & Associates

13. OWL: What is it?  What are the OWL reading skills?  How can the OWL reading skills help me become a better reader?  When can I use the OWL reading skills?