When they underline everything

Ever told your students, “Just underline the important stuff,” and then watched them underline the entire page—or nothing at all? The problem isn’t laziness; it’s that most kids honestly don’t know what counts as “important.” We assume they do, or we spoon-feed them hyper-specific questions, but that skips the real skill: figuring it out for themselves.

Enter The House - A Reading Comprehension Strategy.

I first saw this 15 years ago as a perspective-taking activity: what stands out in a text depends on who you are. I’ve since stolen it for a different purpose—showing kids that reading becomes way easier once you’ve got a purpose in mind. When you have a mental map, it’s harder to get lost.

Here’s how it works: students read what seems like a random short story about Jordan and Xavier, where Xavier gives Jordan a tour of his house. At first, students are told simply: “Underline what’s important.” Chaos. Then you hand them a highlighter and say: “Reread as if you’re a house hunter.” Suddenly, certain details leap off the page. Next, they're given a different highlighter and told to reread as a thief. Voilà—different details instantly become “important.” Turns out, it’s not magic. Their brain just knows what to look for.

We wrap with a discussion: how did having a purpose help? And how can you set your own? You can be the “house hunter” who sets a purpose based on what’s presented, or the “thief” who comes in already knowing what’s valuable. Either way, the point sticks—reading with intent changes everything.

So that’s the gist. It’s simple, memorable, and kids actually get it. If you’d like to give it a spin, you can use any version you find—

. I’ve updated it with a modern twist, added a discussion protocol that keeps students talking, and packaged it with the two reading strategies laid out step by step. Think of it as a ready-to-use shortcut to making your next “just underline what’s important” lesson way more effective (and a lot less painful).