Older children learn specific techniques for getting the most out of what they read, and much of a child's daily class work and homework is designed to do increase reading retention. Research suggests that students who are encouraged to write become better readers. Answering questions about assigned reading is just one technique that helps students to process what they have read. Informal writing, also known as free or automatic writing, is another. This can take the form of a reading journal.
Some educators now emphasize content area literacy.
This approach recognizes that, since reading is not confined to literary works, reading instruction should not be confined to English class. Teachers across the curriculum, in content areas such as science and history, are taking responsibility for teaching students how to read the texts in their fields. In middle and high school, children should learn specific methods for reading and taking notes from textbooks and other expository readings. When it comes to writing research papers, important points to cover in class include evaluating, documenting, and paraphrasing sources properly. As with any information source, the Internet can be misused.