This list of strategies for the CAEL Reading Assessment has been divided into three stages: Pre-Reading, Reading, and Review. If you follow these strategies for each stage, you will be better equipped for the Reading section.
Strategies
Pre-Reading
- Skim the Reading, looking specifically at the title of the article, any subtitles, captions on pictures or images, or charts included in the article.
- Read the questions before the article, so you know the information you are looking for within the text.
- Note any key words in the questions that will help you locate the answer within the article (i.e. specific vocabulary, dates, etc).
Reading
- Note any organization to the questions. This will help you to focus on specific parts of the reading or an overview of the whole article.
- Know how many points the question is worth: this will guide how much detail you should use in your response.
- Keep your answers short. Make sure you include enough information to answer the question, but you often will not need to write perfect sentences or paragraphs. Often, a few words or numbers will be sufficient to answer the question.
Review
- Check to see if there are any questions you have not answered yet.
- Try to complete any incomplete answers.
- If you finish the questions before the time is up, use the extra time to review your answers. The questions should provide an overview of the reading, and your answers will most likely contain the most important information from the article.