In intensive reading, learners usually read texts that are more difficult, in terms of content and language, than those used for extensive reading. To help learners make sense of texts that may present a significant challenge in terms of vocabulary, grammar and/or concepts, teachers should focus on reading skills, such as identifying main ideas and guessing the meaning of unfamiliar words from context

The four learning goals for intensive reading are
1. Focusing on new language such as vocabulary and grammar
2. Focusing on ideas such as themes and topics
3. Learning new skills such as making inferences and identifying main ideas
4. Paying attention to text features such as genre structure and cohesion