The Big Picture Strategy

Before we get into the details of CARS comprehension let’s take a step back and look at our big picture strategy. Our strategy will have four major steps and as we go through more lessons we add in more nuanced strategies. The four steps are as follows:

1. Pause and Reset
2. Read for Structure
3. Highlight After
4. Synthesize

Let’s briefly overview each step so you can see how they fit together and learn more about what they are and why each step is important.

1. Pause and Reset

Before starting a passage and its associated questions we will begin by taking a moment to pause and reset ourselves. Our goal is to leave the last passage behind and commit to a period of focused reading. There are lots of different ways to do this I recommend experimenting and figuring out what works for you. Here are couple different things to try:

• Focus on your breathing then take two deep breaths
• Count to three then say a focus word in your head for example, 1…2…3…focus
• For 1-3 seconds listen intently to a sound in the room where you are at then dive back into CARS

2. Read for Structure

Once you are mentally prepared for the CARS passage in front of you, begin reading. Here our goal is to ascertain the big picture, the main idea, or main focus of the passage. To do this we will focus on the structure of the passage and for the most part ignore the details of the passage. The details are important for answering questions, but when it comes to understanding the passage itself they don’t really matter all that much. This doesn’t mean we will be skimming through the passage. It is imperative that we read each and every sentence at a moderate pace.

What structural elements of the passage am I looking for then? At the highest level, we will be looking to see if the passage is argumentative or descriptive. From there we will want to trace the argument for argumentative passages or the focus for descriptive passages. For example, an author might start off by talking about the prevailing beliefs of the day to later make an argument that they are all wrong. Alternatively, an author might start off by clearly stating their point of view then give reasons or evidence as to why we should believe them. As we go through further lessons we will learn what to look out for in each of the different passages and build intuitive comprehension skills while reviewing our passages.

3. Highlight After

A ton of people want to know what to highlight and we will get to that but first I want to focus on when to highlight. There isn’t a wrong or a right answer here. However, from experience working with students I have found highlighting as you read to be largely unhelpful. It breaks up your train of thought as you read and often times you end up with a huge block of highlight because everything seems important.

Instead, I recommend highlighting after you finish reading the entire passage. This gives you a chance to reflect on what you just read and understand the passage from start to finish. Here our goal is to capture the main idea or focus of the passage. This also helps us structure the passage in our minds and remember where different parts of the passage begin and end. That way if we have to go back we will be able to quickly look at our highlights and recall the general location of an idea or specific detail.

When you first start you might find it challenging to highlight after reading the entire passage. That is totally normal we are learning a new skill and there will be an adjustment period as you learn. To make the adjustment period easier start by highlighting after each paragraph rather than the whole passage. As you become more and more comfortable with the skill try doing it after two paragraphs then three until you are able to highlight after the entire passage.

4. Synthesize

Lastly, we will synthesize a cohesive understanding of the passage and synthesize a working summary of the passage. For argumentative passages, this will be the central argument and for descriptive passage, this will be the central focus or perspective of the author. To do this we will pause after highlight and quickly run through them filling in any grammatical gaps. Our goal is to read them as a series of connected sentences that summarize the passage as a whole.

The Big Picture In Action

The description themselves might still be a bit vague and we will continue to build upon this general framework as we go through. I find that seeing the strategy in action is often the best way to get an idea of how all of the pieces fit together.

Homework

• Choose three passages from any resources and practice each of the steps of our big picture strategy use the worksheet below to help guide you the goal is to get in the habit of going through each step don’t worry about timing for now
• For now, pause at the end of each paragraph and highlight the sentence to 5 words that captures the point of the paragraph