Being Metacognitive

Readers who are metacognitive are constantly asking themselves if what they are reading makes sense and if they are getting what they want and need from their reading. They ask themselves questions like these: Does what I'm reading make sense? What do I do if I don't understand what I am reading? What could I be doing to better understand what the author is saying? Can I do something to help me remember the material better? Which of the strategies I know should I employ here?

In Digging Reading, the Being Metacognitive strategy is boiled down to two steps. Students are taught to:

1. Monitor their comprehension by repeatedly asking themselves, "Does this make sense?"
2. Use the following fix-ups when they think they may not understand the text: Slow Down, Stop and Think, Reread, and Read On.