How to Own Your Reading: An Article for Students

Hello, Students!

We’re Elevated Achievement, a group of educators dedicated to helping schools, teachers, parents, and caregivers, and you, the students. We exist because we believe that each and every person deserves to own their learning each and every day and in each and every lesson.

We have seen all types of students, like you, take ownership of their learning. These students are not merely passengers in their education but the drivers. Taking ownership empowers you to be successful not just in the physical classroom, but in the real world too.

That’s why this article is focused on owning your learning in reading. Think about the things you do every day.

• How often do you have to read something?
• How often do you have to think get information by reading?
• How often do you have to understand something you see in print?

Reading is part of almost everything in our world. It is the key to being great learners. That’s why it’s important you take ownership of your learning in reading.

Are you ready to take ownership of your learning in reading? Let’s start by diving into why it matters.

Why Owning Your Learning in Reading Matters

When we are young, reading is something that is done for us. Then we start to understand and be able to read for ourselves. But is sounding out the words and letters and reading out the sentence and paragraphs enough? Not if we want to get smarter.

Reading opens our minds to the world of information. Reading gives you the power to travel anywhere in the world without leaving your home. Reading gives you the power to change your world. But don’t take just our word for it. Here’s what a few others think about the power of reading.

“I wouldn’t be a songwriter if it wasn’t for books that I loved as a kid. I think that when you can escape into a book it trains your imagination to think big and to think that more can exist than what you see.” ― Taylor Swift

“Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible,” ― Barack Obama

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go,” ― Dr. Seuss

In other words, if you want to use the power of reading, you have to own your reading. Owning your reading is more than just figuring out what the letters, words, and phrases are saying. Owning your reading is more than just understanding what the text means. Owning your reading means you are decoding what the text is saying, comprehending what the author of the text means, and determining what that knowledge means to you. Owning your reading will give you the power to always get smarter

How to Own Your Learning by Reading

For you to be successful and take ownership of your reading at home, you need to think about and reflect on how you understand and make meaning from text that you read. This means that you know what you are learning, how reading the text will help you learn it, and how to figure out exactly what the author is saying—both directly and in-between the lines.

First, use this Own It! guide with each and every reading assignment you do at home.

Then, it’s time to read the text using the Strategic Reading Process. It will help you make sure you understand what you’re reading and what it means every time you read.

One of the best ways to use this process is by talking through each step with someone—this can be a classmate, this can be a sibling, this can be any relative in the house with you, or this can be with yourself.

If you follow these routines, you will be developing ownership of your reading. You will be getting smarter and smarter. You will be owning your learning.

Elevated Achievement is here to help you.

We have downloadable Resources for Students to support you as you increase ownership of your learning in math and elevate your achievement. Check them out. Share them with your friends.

ONE LAST THING: Keep practicing. Developing ownership of your reading takes time, but owning your learning is worth it. Don’t give up.