Even Mrs. Love needs help understanding what she reads. 

See? My anxiety caused me to write about myself in third person. “Tony says Mrs. Love isn’t here anymore…” I have a set of instructions that, well, quite frankly, have confused me. I think I’m too close to the project, and need to step back. I think I’m having “test anxiety.” Because what I’m reading is so important, I may be panicking a little bit.

Help is on the way.

And I must remind you that when you don’t understand something, there are many things you can do; however, giving up isn’t one of them.

You can:

1. Remind yourself of your purpose for reading

2. Write levels of questions:

Level 1: Knowledge: Is that a strawberry?

Level 2: Inference/Compare/Contrast: I wonder how a strawberry compares to a banana?

Level 3: “Off the Page” – evaluative,  judging, synthesizing: What might happen if I blend strawberries, bananas, and vanilla ice cream together?

3. If you’re lost, or the movie in your mind snaps off – recognize that, and pick up the thread again.

4. Make a connection to another book, a movie, or yourself!

5. Draw a diagram or picture of what you’ve read.

6. Choose one phrase that captures the essence of what you’ve read.

7. Talk to a friend or teacher about what you’ve read.

I have a lot more helpful hints, but for now, I’ll follow my own advice and get through it!