Before, during and after reading strategies: planner template
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
Before reading, set a purpose, build the background and teach 2 or 3 key words. During reading, stop at 3 to 4 planned points to monitor, question or infer. After reading, have students state the main idea, organize ideas by structure and write a short response. Plan one strategy per phase on a single page, and collect one data point.
Before, during and after reading is a way to plan a reading lesson in three parts. Before reading gets the student ready. During reading keeps the student thinking while the text is in front of them. After reading pulls the ideas together. The pillar on reading comprehension strategies walks through one full routine with a sample passage. This page gives you a planner to fill in for your own texts, a menu of strategies for each phase and a completed example.
Strategy menu by phase
Pick one or two strategies per phase, not all of them. Match the choice to the student's goal.
| Phase | Strategy | What the student does | Fits a goal for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before | Set a purpose | Hears or writes the question the reading will answer | Comprehension monitoring |
| Before | Activate background | Tells or lists what they know about the topic | Inference, vocabulary |
| Before | Preview text features | Scans title, headings, pictures, bold words | Text features |
| Before | Pre-teach 2 or 3 words | Learns words the text depends on, with a picture or example | Vocabulary |
| Before | Predict | Makes a prediction with a reason | Inference, predicting |
| During | Planned stops | Answers one question at 3 to 4 marked points | Any comprehension goal |
| During | Monitor and fix up | Marks confusing parts and rereads | Comprehension monitoring |
| During | Ask questions | Writes one question the text answers | Questioning |
| During | Infer | States an idea not written, with a clue | Inference |
| During | Visualize | Sketches or describes a scene | Visualizing |
| After | Main idea or gist | States what the text was mostly about | Main idea, summary |
| After | Organize by structure | Fills an organizer that fits the text | Text structure |
| After | Retell or summarize | Tells it back, scored on a rubric | Retell, summary |
| After | Discuss with evidence | Answers a big question with a text detail | Theme, author's purpose |
| After | Check the purpose | Answers the purpose question set before reading | Comprehension monitoring |
The What Works Clearinghouse guide for kindergarten through grade 3 recommends teaching comprehension strategies and guiding focused discussion about text.[1] For grades 4 to 9, the WWC guide recommends building world and word knowledge, asking and answering questions, finding the gist and monitoring comprehension during reading.[2] The menu above puts each of those in the phase where it fits.
Fill-in planner
One page per lesson. Keep the times honest: a 30-minute lesson has about 5 minutes before, 15 during and 10 after.
| Section | Fill in |
|---|---|
| Text title, length and level | |
| Student goal this lesson supports | |
| Purpose question | |
| Before (minutes: __) | |
| Background prompt | |
| Key words (2 or 3) and how I will teach them | |
| Prediction or preview task | |
| During (minutes: __) | |
| Stop 1: location and question | |
| Stop 2: location and question | |
| Stop 3: location and question | |
| Strategy I will model first | |
| After (minutes: __) | |
| Main idea or gist prompt | |
| Organizer or response task | |
| Discussion question | |
| Data | |
| What I will score and how | |
| Score today |
Completed example
Ms. Ortiz (a fictional teacher) plans a lesson for Diego, a 7th grader reading near a grade 5 level. His IEP goal is inference with text evidence. The text is a 350-word grade 5 social studies passage about how a town changed after a railroad was built in the 1870s.
| Section | Filled in |
|---|---|
| Text title, length and level | "The Railroad Comes to Millbrook," 350 words, grade 5 |
| Student goal this lesson supports | Answers inference questions with the answer and a clue, 4 of 5 |
| Purpose question | "How did the railroad change life in Millbrook?" |
| Before (minutes: 5) | |
| Background prompt | "How do things get to our grocery store?" |
| Key words and how I will teach them | "Depot" (photo of an old station), "goods" (examples: flour, cloth, tools) |
| Prediction or preview task | Look at the two pictures (town before, town after) and predict one change |
| During (minutes: 15) | |
| Stop 1: location and question | After paragraph 1: "Why might farmers have been excited?" (clue: could sell crops in the city) |
| Stop 2: location and question | After paragraph 2: "Why did the general store owner worry?" (clue: catalogs arrived by train) |
| Stop 3: location and question | After paragraph 3: "Who probably moved to Millbrook, and why?" (clue: new jobs at the depot) |
| Strategy I will model first | Think aloud at stop 1 using "The text says, I know, so I think" |
| After (minutes: 10) | |
| Main idea or gist prompt | "In one sentence, how did the railroad change Millbrook?" |
| Organizer or response task | Cause and effect chart: railroad leads to 3 effects |
| Discussion question | "Was the railroad good for everyone? Use one detail." |
| Data | |
| What I will score and how | Stops 2 and 3 plus 3 probe questions after reading: 1 point answer, 1 point clue |
| Score today | 3 of 5 with answer and clue |
Diego's score of 3 of 5 goes on his rubric scoring data sheet. The stops used for teaching are not counted as a probe on days when the teacher modeled them; only the unsupported items count. Write that rule on the sheet.
What reviewers and parents look for
Text title, length and level. Coaches and evaluators check that the text fits the student's instructional level, or that supports are planned if it does not.
Student goal. This is the line reviewers care about most. A plan that names the IEP goal shows the lesson is specially designed instruction, not just reading.
Purpose question. Parents can ask it at home after school: "What question were you reading to answer?"
Before section. Reviewers look for 2 or 3 key words, not 10. Pre-teaching too many words eats the lesson.
During section. Stops should be planned, with questions written in advance. A plan with "ask questions as needed" is a sign the stops will drift.
After section. Look for one task that pulls the whole text together, such as a gist sentence or organizer. A worksheet of 10 literal questions does not.
Data. Every lesson can produce one data point for the goal. Reviewers check that the scoring rule is written down and matches the goal.
Tips for using the planner
- Plan around the goal, not the text. Choose the during and after strategies that practice the skill in the student's goal.
- Model first, every new strategy. Think aloud at the first stop, then hand off.
- Keep the after task short. Ten minutes is enough for one organizer and one discussion question.
- Reuse the planner. The same structure each day lowers the load on students and makes the lesson faster to plan.
For goals that fit each phase, see IEP goals for reading comprehension, IEP goals for inferencing and IEP goals for sequencing. The comprehension goals page and the reading comprehension strategies hub list full templates.
Frequently asked questions
What are before, during and after reading strategies?
Before reading strategies get students ready, such as setting a purpose and teaching key words. During reading strategies keep them thinking, such as planned stops and questions. After reading strategies pull ideas together, such as stating the main idea or filling an organizer.
How many strategies should one lesson use?
One or two per phase. Choose the ones that practice the skill in the student's IEP goal. Trying every strategy in one lesson leaves too little time to practice any of them well.
Can a before, during and after lesson produce IEP data?
Yes. Plan one scored task, such as 5 inference items or a summary on a rubric, and write the scoring rule on the planner. Count only items the student did without modeling or prompts.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- Comprehension goals (reading)
- Reading comprehension strategies goal hub
- Reading comprehension in the IEP glossary
- Rubric scoring data sheet
Related guides
- Reading comprehension strategies for struggling readers
- Reading comprehension IEP goal examples
- IEP goals for sequencing (reading, language, routines)
- IEP goals for inferencing: 24 examples with evidence criteria
- Listening comprehension vs reading comprehension: telling them apart
Sources
- Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences
- Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences
Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.