Teaching Reading: Why Repetition Matters—and Why Interspersing Thinking Works

When we teach reading, the goal is not for students to follow a routine.

The goal is to develop readers who think, make meaning, and build knowledge from text.

That starts with a shift:

Start with the understanding you want students to reach.

Then ask: What kind of thinking will get them there—and what do I already know that I can draw on to support that thinking? 

This one shift changes everything.

Repetition Matters—but Not in Isolation

Teachers often ask: “How many times should I teach a strategy?”

A better question is:

How often are students engaging in the thinking that leads to understanding?

Repetition matters—but not as a routine.

Students benefit when we:

• Revisit important thinking

• Model how meaning is built

• Provide guided practice

• Keep the focus on understanding

Research shows that effective instruction includes modeling, feedback, and attention to meaning, not just repeated routines.

Repetition works when it supports understanding and knowledge-building.

Why Interspersing Thinking Works

Research shows that mixing types of thinking over time strengthens learning and transfer.

But just as important:

Comprehension rarely depends on just one type of thinking.

When students read a text, they often need to:

• Figure out what is most important

• Notice when meaning breaks down

• Reread and clarify

• Connect ideas across the text

• Think about what the author is trying to show

Multiple types of thinking are happening at the same time.

When instruction focuses on just one type of thinking for an extended period, students may learn the routine—but not fully understand the text.

Instead, return to:

What kind of thinking does this text require—and what do I already know that I can draw on to support that thinking?

What This Looks Like in the Classroom

Instead of naming a strategy, model thinking:

• “Let me think about what this part is mostly about…”

• “This part is confusing—I’m going to reread…”

Then prompt students:

• “What are you understanding?”

• “What helped you figure that out?”

Students learn to make meaning, not follow steps.

What Do We Mean by “Thinking”?

When students are engaged in reading, their thinking may sound like:

• “So far, I understand that…” (pulling ideas together) 

• “That doesn’t make sense—I need to reread…” (monitoring and clarifying) 

• “I think this might happen next because…” (predicting based on evidence)

• “This reminds me of what we read earlier…” (connecting ideas across the text)

• “These two parts are similar because…” (comparing ideas) 

• “What is the author trying to show us here?” (analyzing purpose and message)

• “I think the big idea or lesson is…” (determining theme or central idea)

• “Why would the author include this detail?” (questioning to deepen understanding) 

• “This detail supports the idea that…” (using evidence to support thinking)

These are the moves that help students make meaning and build knowledge.

Teachers may recognize these as strategies. For students, this is simply how reading works.

Thinking is what students do to understand text.

Strategies are simply names for that thinking.

If You Already Teach Strategies Well…

If you are already modeling and guiding strategies like summarizing or questioning, you are doing important work.

This is not about removing those practices.

It is about a subtle shift:

What is driving the lesson?

Instead of:

• “Today we are working on summarizing”

Try:

• “Today we are working to understand this text…”

Strategies are tools—not the focus of instruction.

The Teacher’s Role

The teacher:

• Models thinking

• Prompts student decisions

• Listens closely

• Adjusts instruction in real time

The focus shifts from:

• “Did they use the strategy?”

To:

• “What did they understand?”

Immediate Next Steps for Teachers

If you’re wondering what this looks like in practice, start here:

1. Plan for Understanding

• What do I want students to understand?

• What kind of thinking will get them there?

2. Model Thinking

• Show how a reader thinks

• Make your thinking visible

3. Use Meaning-Focused Language

• “What are you understanding?”

• “What helped you figure that out?”

4. Let the Text Drive Instruction

Respond to:

• Confusion

• Complexity

• Ideas

5. Add One Decision Point

• “What do we need to understand here?”

6. Listen for Understanding

Focus on meaning—not strategy use.

7. Connect to Assessment Language

After students understand:

• “That’s the main idea”

• “You just compared and contrasted”

The label comes after the thinking.

What About Testing?

Students do need to know terms like main idea, compare and contrast, and summarizing.

But these are labels for thinking.

The real question is:

Can students do the thinking?

Research shows comprehension depends on meaning and knowledge—not isolated skills.

The Shift Teachers Need

You do not have to choose between:

• Teaching for understanding

• Preparing students for tests

When students understand:

• They recognize the label

• They answer the question

• They transfer their thinking

Final Thought

We are not teaching students to do strategies.

We are teaching them to:

• Build knowledge

• Make meaning

• Think deeply

Start with understanding. Then ask: What kind of thinking will get them there?

References (APA Style)

Beck, I. L., & McKeown, M. G. (2006). Improving comprehension with questioning the author. Scholastic.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel. U.S. Government Printing Office.

Pan, S. C., Rickard, T. C., & Bjork, R. A. (2021). Interleaving practice in learning: A review. Psychological Bulletin, 147(7), 663–697.

Schmidt, R. A., & Bjork, R. A. (1992). New conceptualizations of practice: Common principles in three paradigms suggest new concepts for training. Psychological Science, 3(4), 207–217.

Shanahan, T. (2016). Teaching reading comprehension.

Duke, N. K., & Pearson, P. D. (2002). Effective practices for developing reading comprehension.

Willingham, D. T. (2006). How knowledge helps: It speeds and strengthens reading comprehension, learning, and thinking. American Educator.