Knowledge Rating is a pre-, during, and post- reading activity in which students analyze vocabulary words from the text before reading. Developed by an instructional design team at Southeastern Louisiana University as part of a content area reading project, this strategy can be used in a variety of contexts. The site provides directions for implementing the strategy and sample charts for recording information. Though recommended as a strategy for content area reading, Knowledge Rating can be modified for use with fictional pieces. To view these resources, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free, downloadable software program available from www.adobe.com. (author/ncl)

The literacy strategy described in this short article is applicable to any content area. Using the article's rating grids, students rate their knowledge of a given set of words before they read, after they skim, and after they read content material. The activity supports students learning to derive meanings from words in context. They are challenged to think critically about how word meanings contribute to understanding the context in which they are found. Students will want to look the words up in dictionary.com at the end of the activity to check the accuracy of their contextual understanding. With this literacy strategy, students practice skills that they need and will use in everyday life, as well as on-the-job. (jrs)