Moluch 150 c indd

Setting reading goals and expectations
Azimbaeva Dilafruz, teacher
Uzbek state world Languages University, Tashkent city, Uzbekistan
R
eaders who have set their own reading goals and expecta-
tions are more engaged in their reading and notice more 
in what they read. Having determined a purpose for reading, 
they are better able to evaluate a text and determine whether 
it meets their needs. Even when the reading is assigned, the 
reader’s engagement is enhanced when he or she has deter-
mined ahead of time what information might be gathered from 
the selection or how the selection might interest them.
Good readers set reading goals and expectations before 
they begin reading. This behavior involves a variety of strate-
gies that will help students prepare to read the text.
Activate prior knowledge Good readers do not read in a 
vacuum. When they approach a new text, they consider what 
they already know about the subject or what their experi-
ences have been in reading other material of the same type or 
by the same author.
Procedure
1. At the beginning of each selection, it is usually a good 
idea to activate prior knowledge in order to focus their atten-
tion on what they already know about the subject. You might 
discuss general information on the subject or elicit background 
information that may help the children understand key points 
in the selection. If, for example, a story hinges on the mischief 
caused by a blue jay that likes to carry off and hide shiny ob-
jects, the children may need to know about the «thieving» na-
ture of blue jays. Since you would not want to give away plot 
surprises by directly calling attention to this characteristic of 
blue jays, you might tell the students that in the story the chil-
dren keep seeing a blue jay. Ask them to share anything they 
know about the appearance or the behavior of blue jays or other 
jays. If no one mentions the key point — thieving— mention 
it along with another characteristic, such as their boldness in 
approaching humans, so as not to draw undue attention to the 
main point and give the plot away.
2. After activating prior knowledge, have the students 
browse the selection. For a nonfiction article, they may 
browse the entire selection; for a nonfiction book, they may 
browse the chapter heads and subheads. For fiction, how-
ever, they will usually want to browse only the first page or 
so to avoid ruining any surprises. It is enough to read only a 
few paragraphs to recognize that a selection is fiction and to 
get a general idea of what to expect. (For poetry, browsing is 
neither necessary nor appropriate. The genre will be obvious, 
and to experience the sounds and the rhythm of a poem, the 
reader should read it straight through at the first reading.)
3. The clues/problems/wanderings procedure will help 
the children think about the elements they notice during 
browsing. On the chalkboard write the headings clues, prob-

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