There are four steps. Students restate what they have read in their own words. They work to find the most significant information in the text. Students ask questions about the material. In order to do this, they must identify significant information, pose questions related to this information and check to make sure they can answer their own questions.
Students focus on reasons why the text is difficult to understand.
For example, the vocabulary may be challenging or they may not have the prerequisite knowledge required to make sense of what they have read. Students may answer each other's questions or the teacher may fill in the gaps required to make sense of the text. Students speculate on what will be discussed next in the text. To be successful, students must recall relevant background knowledge so they can connect what they are reading and thinking about with what they already know.