To skip, or not to skip: that is the question.

You know how to FLIRT and you know how to direct your metacognition to notice when you understand and when you don’t understand. The question is, “What do you do when you don’t understand a word or phrase?”

A. Depends on the word/phrase
B. Slow down my pace of reading
C. Reread the text where the confusion began
D. Ask questions
E. Do an on-line search for the unknown word/phrase
F. Skip it

I hope your answer was A: Depends on the word or phrase. Not all confusion is created equal. Reading is like untangling a knot. If you work too quickly, you could end up with a tighter knot than the one in which you started. Mature readers work with slow, strategic movements; trying different strategies over and over again until they are able to determine the meaning of the unknown word or phrase. Applying the Local GPS tool only works when you look closely at the difficult section of text, search for the context clues and persist until you gain a deeper and wider understanding. (See Revisit Vocabulary for more information on Local GPS context clues).

When your metacognition draws attention to a section of text that is difficult to understand, don’t increase the speed of your reading and ignore the problem. Slow down your pace and identify the type of confusion or road block. (See Revisit Vocabulary for a list of possible road blocks). From here you need to determine the importance of the confusion. Sometimes it is OK to skip unknown words. For example, maybe you can’t pronounce a character’s name or the name of a scientist who conducted the research. As long as you know the difficult word is a name, you can continue reading.

Sometimes the beginning of a chapter can leave you with a lot of unanswered questions. An author doesn’t reveal everything on the first page because he likes to build suspense to keep you interested and on the edge of your seat. In this situation, you have to trust that the author will reveal the information as you continue to read.

On the other hand, if the word/phrase is in the text features, repeated several times, underlined/bold, in the author’s question or summary paragraph, you need to stop and apply the Local GPS strategy. Ask yourself, “In order to understand this sentence, do I need to know the meaning of this word/phrase?” If you answer, “Yes,” than you have no choice but to search for direct context clues within the text and indirect context clues within your mind.

First, break the confusing sentence into two parts: what you understand and don’t understand. Once you identify the information you don’t understand, reread the clues left by the author and add information from your schema. Double check the meaning you made by asking, “Does this make sense for this specific concept? Does the meaning sound right within the sentence? Does the word I am pronouncing look right?”

Applying the same strategy over and over again doesn’t always work either. Mature readers are able to match the type of confusion with the appropriate strategy needed to repair comprehension. Research suggests information in a nonfiction text cannot be understood without making connections to your schema (See I Already Know for more information on background and prior knowledge).

Let’s be honest, using the Local GPS tool can be annoying. There are times when you have to realize when your attempt at using Local GPS is leading you in the wrong direction. Sometimes you don’t have enough schema to identify the context clues the author left behind. However, the author may not have left enough clues to help your mind make meaning. When you are driving in a new town and get lost, sometimes, you just have to stop and ask someone who lives in the area for help. Mature readers realize they may have to stop reading and seek help from another source or ask the teacher.

Don’t fear! All your thinking with the Local GPS tool is not wasted. You can use this information to show your teacher how much thinking you have done. By showing the teacher the notes you took while reading (talking to the text and Local GPS) she will be able to identify the exact vocabulary term or idea that is still causing confusion. Not only will you be able to get an answer to your question, you will impress your teacher.

As a teacher, I am always weary when a student says, “I don’t get it!” First of all, you aren’t telling me specifically what you “don’t get”. Secondly, I am not sure if you are making excuses so I will give you the answer without doing any of the thinking. I know about the “Lazy Game”: If I pretend I don’t understand the text, the teacher will explain the chapter to me and I won’t have to read. However, now that you know how to think through difficult words and abstract concepts, you don’t have to play the “Lazy Game” and you can impress your teacher at the same time. This is a win-win situation for you, the student, and me, the teacher.

In closing, the answer to the question: to skip, or not to skip, is… it depends on the word or phrase. Remember, everyone has trouble with reading; it’s what you do when you are confused that matters.