Introduction
The CIS Method is a technique best used when reading novels and short stories. It helps the reader understand the material deeply as well as improve their critical thinking abilities. Readers can utilize this method to learn how to connect information to what they already know and combine new information with existing knowledge so that they can make new creations. This method builds up a bridge between the text and the reader.
How To Use This Technique
- Make Connections
- Text-to-Self. Make connections between pieces of reading material and your own personal experiences.
- Text-to-Text. Make connections between this text and other texts, stories and books you've read.
- Text-to-World. Make connections between this text and real issues in your surrounding world.
- Make Inferences
- Look for clues like a detective. Clues can be found in how characters speak, the ways they act, and in the descriptions given by the author about their environment.
- Ask yourself questions like "What do the clues in this story tell me?" or "How might this reflect something in my life?"
- Make inferences and conclusions according to the clues.
- Synthesize
- Merge the new information in your reading materials with your existing knowledge.
- Generalize the information from your perspective. Give your own opinions and view critically.
Examples
Make Connections
You can use the following example questions to facilitate your connection when you are reading:
Look at the video below about making connections:
You can use the following example questions to facilitate your connection when you are reading:
- What does this remind me of in my life?
- Has something like this ever happened to me?
- How is this text similar to other things I’ve read?
- How is this different from things that happen in the real world?
Look at the video below about making connections:
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Make Inferences
You can also use the following language to model the strategy:
- If I read between the lines, the author tells me that...
- From what the characters say and do, I can figure out that...
- From the clues or information the author gives, I can conclude that...
Look at the video below about making inferences:
Synthesize
You can use the following to help you synthesize:
You can use the following to help you synthesize:
- I first thought _________ about the topic of the reading material. Now I think...
- My judgement of this information is...
Tips And Tricks
- When you move though a text, try to stop to consider whether the text makes sense based on your own knowledge.
- Think independently and critically when you read others' works, especially books written by famous authors.
Resources
Show What You Know:
CIS Method
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