Reading Checklist — Hanami Education

🔍 Focus

Before you read, prepare your mind by identifying the book's purpose and what you already know.

Every book is written for a reason. Identifying that reason helps you know what to look out for as you read.

To inform: The author wants to teach you facts and ideas. Look for explanations, evidence, and new information.
To persuade: The author wants to change your opinion. Look for arguments and the reasons behind them.
To entertain: The author wants you to enjoy the story. Pay attention to characters, feelings, and what happens.
Multiple purposes: Many texts do more than one thing — which purpose feels strongest to you?

Activating your background knowledge gives your brain a head start and helps new ideas stick.

Think of 2–3 things you already know about this topic or story
Look at the title or cover — what do you expect?
Does this remind you of something? A film, another book, something from your own life?
Pick one question to keep in mind as you read

Practice reading aloud smoothly, accurately, and with expression.

Reading with a partner helps you hear how the text should sound and builds confidence.

Fluent reading has three qualities — aim for all three together.

Smooth: Read in groups of words, not one at a time. Aim for a natural, flowing rhythm.
Accurate: Say the words correctly. If you stumble, go back to the start of the sentence and try again.
Expressive: Use punctuation as your guide — full stop = pause; comma = small pause; exclamation = energy and feeling.

Pro tip: Read the same passage 2–3 times. It almost always sounds better by the third read.

As you read, mark tricky words and use decoding strategies to figure them out — page by page.

Not every word will be familiar. Marking them keeps you active and stops you from skipping over what matters.

Highlight or underline any word you don't know or can't read confidently
Keep reading to the end of the sentence before stopping — context often helps
Notice connector words like "however", "because", "although" — they show how ideas link
Pay attention to words the author repeats — repetition signals importance

When you hit a word you can't read or understand, try these strategies one at a time.

Break it into chunks: Split the word into syllables or look for smaller words hiding inside it
Try different sounds: Experiment with different vowel sounds until something clicks
Read around it: Use the sentences before and after to work out the meaning
Picture it: Close your eyes and imagine what's happening. If you can't picture it, you haven't understood it yet.

Still stuck? Go back to the beginning of the sentence and read it fresh — a running start often helps.

Stretch your thinking and deepen your understanding with these comprehension strategies.

Strong readers connect what they read to things they already know. There are three types of connections to look for:

Text to Self: Does this remind you of something in your own life? How does it make you feel?
Text to World: Does this connect to something happening in the world around you?
Text to Text: Does this remind you of another book, story, or poem you've read?

Why it matters: Making connections helps new ideas stick and makes reading feel personal and meaningful.

Understanding why things happen — and what they lead to — is key to deep comprehension.

Ask: Why did this happen? Then find the cause in the text.
Ask: What happened because of this? Then find the effect.
Look for signal words: "because", "so", "as a result", "therefore", "which led to"
In stories: how do a character's choices cause events to unfold?

Authors don't always say everything directly. Inferring means reading between the lines — using clues in the text plus what you already know.

Remember: A good inference is always supported by evidence from the text — not just a guess.