I am not sure of what subject area I would be teaching, but I know that regardless of the subject area, preparation in learning any subject is the most important factor. Teaching reading is like teaching a sport. The greatest amount of time is spent in workouts, strategy sessions, and practice, all of which are intended to ensure success in the game itself. After the game, more time is spent analyzing what occurred on the court, and the preparation for the next game begins, as is done with reading. Instead of plunging into the Reading, the teacher should aid students in the preparation stage of reading by determining and building their background.
Prior knowledge is essential to new learning.
Comprehending new information depends on relating the new to something already known. I would use KWL charts when introducing new materials to find out what the students already know about the subject, what they want to learn about the subject, and prepare a form of assessment to determine what they have learned by the end of the lesson. The other important factor is to understand the complexity of the readability of the material. Using a readability formula can do this. A quick way to determine readability is to teach the students how to use a rule of thumb.