Frequently, when assigned to read, intermediate and middle grade students engage in a mindless encounter with the text. Or, try as they may to focus and gather information, they're mostly confused and not sure how to repair the breakdown in their meaning-making. With the new focus on close reading--and on engaging students with more rigorous informational texts--students need to take a more active role in monitoring their understanding. Teach the term self-monitor so students understand what they need to do to stay focused on making meaning and what they can do when meaning breaks down. Introduce the coding method, in which students flag on sticky notes things that confuse them or ways they tried to figure something out, and model what this would look like. If a student is not aware when meaning breaks down or doesn't understand how to repair it when it does, teaching for self-monitoring is a good place to start.