Stages of Teaching Reading: Before, During, and After Reading

Stages of Teaching Reading: Before, During, and After Reading

Reading is one of the most important skills in learning English. It helps students develop vocabulary, grammar awareness, and overall language comprehension. However, teaching reading effectively requires more than simply giving students a text and asking them to read it. Skilled teachers know that successful reading lessons are carefully planned and structured around three main stages: Before Reading, During Reading, and After Reading.

Each stage plays a unique role in guiding learners through the process of understanding and interacting with a text. In this post, we’ll explore each stage in detail, look at their objectives, and share practical strategies and activities you can use in your ESL classroom to make reading lessons more engaging and meaningful.

 

1. Before Reading Stage

The Before Reading stage is all about preparation. It sets the scene for students, activates their background knowledge, and motivates them to engage with the text. Many learners, especially those learning English as a second language, need support to connect what they already know with what they are about to read. This stage helps build those connections.

Objectives of the Before Reading Stage

• Activate students’ prior knowledge and experiences related to the topic.
• Introduce key vocabulary and difficult words.
• Set a clear purpose for reading.
• Create curiosity and interest in the topic.
• Help students predict what the text will be about.

Effective Strategies for the Before Reading Stage

1. Pre-teaching Vocabulary
   Introduce important words that students will encounter in the text. Focus on words essential for understanding the main idea rather than every new word. You can use pictures, gestures, or realia to make vocabulary memorable.
2. Using Visuals and Titles
   Show students pictures, charts, or even the title of the text and ask:
• What do you think this story/article will be about?
• Where do you think it takes place?
• Who might the characters be?
  These questions activate schemata (background knowledge) and prepare students mentally.
3. Prediction Activities
   Give students a few key sentences or words from the text and ask them to predict what might happen. For example, if the text is about a “trip to the mountains,” students can guess who went, what happened, and why it might be interesting.
4. K-W-L Chart (Know – Want to know – Learned)
   This is a classic and effective tool:
• K: What do I already know about this topic?
• W: What do I want to learn from this text?
• L: What have I learned after reading? (completed later)
5. Discussion and Brainstorming
   Engage students in short group discussions to share what they know about the topic. This increases motivation and helps students feel more confident when they start reading.

Example Activity

If your text is about “Healthy Eating,” you could start by showing pictures of food, asking:

• Which of these foods are healthy or unhealthy?
• What do you usually eat for breakfast?
  Then introduce key words such as diet, nutrition, junk food, balanced meal, and ask students to predict what they’ll learn in the reading.

 

2. During Reading Stage

Once students are prepared, it’s time to dive into the text. The During Reading stage focuses on comprehension — helping students understand the meaning of what they’re reading. At this point, students use reading strategies like skimming, scanning, predicting, and inferring to interact with the text actively rather than passively.

Objectives of the During Reading Stage

• Develop comprehension and critical thinking skills.
• Encourage active engagement with the text.
• Practice reading strategies suited to the text type and purpose.
• Monitor understanding while reading.
• Confirm or adjust predictions made earlier.

Effective Strategies for the During Reading Stage

1. Skimming for the Main Idea
   Ask students to read quickly to get the general meaning. For example:
• “What is the main idea of the passage?”
• “Who are the main characters?”
• “What is the text mostly about?”

This helps students focus on overall understanding rather than details.

2. Scanning for Specific Information
   Once students understand the general idea, they can look for specific details like names, numbers, or dates. Example:
• “Find where the story takes place.”
• “What year did the event happen?”
3. Reading for Details
   Encourage students to read carefully and answer comprehension questions. You can use multiple-choice, true/false, or short-answer questions to check understanding.
4. Making Inferences
   Help students go beyond what’s written explicitly. For example:
• “Why do you think the character felt sad?”
• “What might happen next?”

Inference skills are crucial for deeper comprehension.

5. Using Graphic Organizers
   Tools like mind maps, story maps, and flowcharts help students visualize what they read and organize information logically.
6. Think-Aloud Strategy
   Model the reading process by reading aloud and explaining your thoughts:
• “Hmm, this sentence says... That means the author is trying to show...”
  This helps students learn how skilled readers process text internally.

Example Activity

While reading a story about “A Trip to the Zoo,” students could:

• Skim the first paragraph to identify the main setting.
• Scan for animal names and activities.
• Complete a story map showing where, when, and what happened.
• Discuss in pairs what the main character learned from the experience.

 

3. After Reading Stage

The After Reading stage helps students reflect on what they have read and connect it to their personal experiences. It goes beyond comprehension — encouraging critical thinking, creativity, and language use. This stage is also the perfect opportunity for post-reading discussions, writing, and other communicative tasks.

Objectives of the After Reading Stage

• Check comprehension and clarify misunderstandings.
• Encourage personal response and reflection.
• Practice language through speaking and writing.
• Reinforce vocabulary and grammar from the text.
• Extend learning beyond the text itself.

Effective Strategies for the After Reading Stage

1. Comprehension Questions and Discussion
   Ask open-ended questions to promote deeper understanding:
• “What did you like or dislike about the text?”
• “What lesson did you learn?”
• “Would you recommend this text to a friend? Why or why not?”
2. Summarizing
   Students summarize the text in their own words — orally or in writing. Summarizing helps consolidate understanding and encourages concise language use.
3. Retelling or Role-Playing
   For stories, have students act out scenes or retell the story from another character’s point of view. This builds fluency and confidence.
4. Creative Response Activities
• Write an alternative ending to the story.
• Design a poster or infographic about the topic.
• Create a short dialogue based on the reading.
5. Vocabulary Practice
   Recycle new words from the text using matching games, crossword puzzles, or sentence-building exercises.
6. Connecting to Real Life
   Encourage students to relate the reading to their own experiences. For example:
• “Have you ever visited a zoo? How was your experience similar or different?”
• “Do you eat healthy food every day? What challenges do you face?”

Example Activity

After reading about “Healthy Eating,” students could:

• Summarize the main points in pairs.
• Discuss their own eating habits in small groups.
• Create a “Healthy Weekly Menu” poster using new vocabulary from the text.

 

Integrating the Three Stages

While each stage has its specific goals, they are most effective when connected smoothly. A well-designed reading lesson moves naturally from preparation (Before Reading) to engagement (During Reading) and finally to reflection and application (After Reading).

For example:

1. Before Reading: Students predict what a story titled “A Rainy Day Adventure” might be about.
2. During Reading: They read and answer questions about where the adventure happened and what challenges the characters faced.
3. After Reading: Students write a short paragraph about their own experience on a rainy day.

This structured approach keeps students motivated, supports comprehension, and encourages meaningful language use.

 

Conclusion

Teaching reading in stages — Before, During, and After Reading — transforms reading from a passive activity into an engaging, interactive, and purposeful process. It helps ESL students not only understand texts better but also develop lifelong reading habits and critical thinking skills.

By guiding students step-by-step — from prediction to comprehension to reflection — teachers can make reading lessons more enjoyable and effective. Whether you’re working with beginners or advanced learners, these stages offer a flexible framework to help students become confident and independent readers in English.