Communication and Presentation Skills: Reading Skills and Comprehension

Applied Linguistics March 21, 2023

 Reading Skills




Reading skills refer to individuals' abilities and strategies to understand and comprehend written language. Effective reading skills are essential for academic success and lifelong learning.

There are several key reading skills, including:

Phonics: The ability to recognize and decode individual sounds in words.

Vocabulary: The ability to understand the meanings of words.

Comprehension: The ability to understand the meaning of the written text.

Fluency: The ability to read quickly and accurately.

Critical thinking: The ability to analyze and evaluate written text.

Context clues: The ability to use information in the surrounding text to help understand the meaning of a word or phrase.

Inferencing: The ability to draw conclusions based on clues and information in the text.

Skimming and scanning: The ability to quickly read through a text to find specific information.

To develop and improve reading skills, it is important to practice regularly and use various reading materials, including books, newspapers, and online resources. Reading comprehension can be improved by actively engaging with the text, asking questions, and connecting to prior knowledge. Additionally, using strategies such as highlighting and note-taking can aid in retaining and recalling important information.

Types of Reading

There are various types of reading that individuals may engage in, depending on their purpose and the nature of the reading material. Some common types of reading include:

Skimming: This involves quickly reading through a text to get a general idea of the content, without reading every word.

Scanning: This involves searching through a text for specific information or keywords, rather than reading the entire text.

Extensive reading involves reading large amounts of text for general understanding or pleasure, without a specific focus on detail or analysis.

Intensive reading involves reading smaller amounts of text focusing on understanding specific details and analyzing the content.

Critical reading: This involves analyzing and evaluating a text, considering the author's purpose, tone, and arguments.

Academic reading involves reading academic texts such as research articles, textbooks, and scholarly journals.

Technical reading: This involves reading technical materials such as manuals, instructions, and reports.

Pleasure reading: This involves reading for enjoyment, such as fiction or non-fiction books, magazines, or blogs.

It is important to be able to engage in different types of reading, as different situations and purposes require different reading skills and strategies.

Skimming

Skimming is a type of reading that involves quickly scanning through a text to get a general idea of its content without reading every word or sentence. Skimming is often used when you need to quickly find information or get an overview of a document or book.

Skimming aims to identify a text's main points and ideas without getting bogged down by the details. Here are some strategies that can be used when skimming:

Read the headings and subheadings: These can give you an idea of the main topics and sections in the text.

Read the first and last paragraphs: These often contain the main idea and conclusion of the text.

Look for keywords and phrases: These can indicate important concepts or ideas.

Pay attention to formatting: Bolded or italicized words, bullet points, and graphics can all provide clues about the content of the text.

Ignore small words like "the" and "and" and focus on the important words.

Skip over any parts that are irrelevant or not important.

Skimming can be useful in many situations, such as when you need to quickly review a document, get an overview of a book, or find specific information in a longer text. However, it is important to remember that skimming can also mean missing important details, so it should be used strategically and in combination with other reading techniques depending on the purpose of reading.

Scanning

Scanning is a type of reading that involves searching through a text quickly to find specific information or keywords. Scanning is useful when you need to find specific information in a text, such as a phone number, date, or name.

To use scanning effectively, follow these steps:

·         Identify the specific information or keyword you are looking for.

·         Have an idea of where the information might be located in the text. For example, if you are looking for a date, you might start by scanning the top or bottom of a page.

·         Move your eyes quickly across the text, looking only for the specific information or keyword you identified.

·         Ignore everything else in the text that is unrelated to what you are looking for.

·         Repeat the process as needed until you find the information you are looking for.

Scanning can be a quick and efficient way to find information in a text, but it is important to remember that it is ineffective for gaining a deep understanding of the content. It is best used in combination with other reading techniques, such as skimming or intensive reading, depending on the purpose of reading.

Extensive Reading

Extensive reading is a type of reading that involves reading large amounts of text for general understanding or pleasure without a specific focus on detail or analysis. The goal of extensive reading is to improve reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, as well as to foster a love for reading.

To engage in extensive reading, follow these tips:

·         Choose reading material that is appropriate for your reading level and interests. This can include books, magazines, newspapers, blogs, or any other reading material you enjoy.

·         Set aside a specific time and place for reading each day. This can help you establish a reading routine and make reading a regular part of your daily routine.

·         Read comfortably, without stopping to look up every unfamiliar word or concept. The goal is to focus on the overall meaning and enjoyment of the text rather than getting bogged down by details.

·         If you encounter a word or concept you do not understand, try to use context clues to figure out its meaning or make a note to look it up later.

·         Take breaks as needed to avoid getting tired or overwhelmed by the amount of reading material.

·         Keep a reading log or journal to track your progress and reflect on your reading experience.

Extensive reading can be a fun and effective way to improve your reading skills and explore new ideas and perspectives. By choosing reading material you enjoy and setting aside time for reading each day, you can make extensive reading a regular part of your life.

Intensive Reading

Intensive reading is a type of reading that involves reading smaller amounts of text with a focus on understanding specific details and analyzing the content. Intensive reading aims to gain a deep understanding of the text, identify key concepts and ideas, and analyze the author's arguments or perspective.

·         To engage in intensive reading, follow these steps:

·         Choose a text that is appropriate for your reading level and purpose. This can include academic texts such as research articles, textbooks, or other materials that require a more detailed analysis.

·         Read the text slowly and carefully, paying close attention to the words, phrases, and sentences.

·         Take notes on important ideas, concepts, or arguments as you read. This can help you remember key information and organize your thoughts for further analysis.

·         Identify any unfamiliar vocabulary or concepts, and look up their meanings or definitions.

·         Re-read difficult passages or sections to ensure that you fully understand the meaning and context.

·         Analyze the author's arguments or perspective, considering the evidence presented and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the argument.

·         Reflect on the text and its implications, considering how it relates to your experiences and knowledge.

Intensive reading can be challenging, but it is an important skill for academic success and critical thinking. By taking the time to carefully read and analyze a text, you can gain a deeper understanding of the content and develop your own ideas and perspectives.

Critical Reading

Critical reading is a type of reading that involves analyzing and evaluating a text, considering the author's purpose, tone, and arguments. Critical reading aims to gain a deep understanding of the text and evaluate the quality and credibility of the author's arguments or perspective.

·         To engage in critical reading, follow these steps:

·         Read the text carefully and actively, paying close attention to the author's tone, style, and arguments.

·         Identify the author's purpose, and consider whether the text is meant to inform, persuade, entertain, or provoke.

·         Analyze the author's arguments or claims, considering the evidence presented and evaluating its strength and relevance.

·         Consider any biases or assumptions the author may have and evaluate the credibility of the sources used to support their claims.

·         Identify any logical fallacies or inconsistencies in the author's arguments, and consider alternative perspectives or counterarguments.

·         Reflect on the implications of the text, considering its broader social, political, or cultural context.

·         Formulate your own perspective or opinion on the text based on your analysis and evaluation.

Critical reading is an important skill for academic success and for making informed decisions in everyday life. By engaging in critical reading, you can develop your analytical and evaluative skills and better understand the world around you.

Academic Reading

Academic reading is a type of reading that involves reading academic texts such as research articles, textbooks, and scholarly journals. The goal of academic reading is to gain a deep understanding of the content as well as to analyze and evaluate the author's arguments and ideas.

To engage in academic reading, follow these steps:

·         Preview the text: Before reading the text, scan the title, abstract, introduction, headings, and conclusion to understand the main ideas and arguments.

·         Read the text carefully and actively: Read the text slowly and carefully, paying close attention to the words, phrases, and sentences. Take notes on important ideas, concepts, or arguments as you read.

·         Identify the author's purpose: Consider the author's purpose in writing the text, and how it relates to the broader context of the field or discipline.

·         Analyze the author's arguments: Consider the evidence presented and evaluate the strength and relevance of the arguments.

·         Evaluate the credibility of sources: Consider the credibility and reliability of the sources used to support the author's arguments.

·         Identify any biases or assumptions: Consider any biases or assumptions the author may have, and evaluate how they may affect the argument.

·         Consider alternative perspectives: Consider alternative perspectives or counterarguments, and evaluate how they compare to the author's arguments.

·         Reflect on the text: Reflect on the implications of the text and how it relates to your own experiences and knowledge.

Academic reading can be challenging, but it is an important skill for academic success and critical thinking. By engaging in academic reading, you can understand the content more deeply and develop your ideas and perspectives within a given field or discipline.

Technical Reading

Technical reading is a type of reading that involves reading technical materials such as manuals, instructions, reports, and technical documentation. Technical reading aims to understand and apply technical information, such as procedures, protocols, and standards.

·         To engage in technical reading, follow these steps:

·         Preview the text: Before reading the text, scan the headings, subheadings, and tables of contents to get an idea of the main topics and organization of the information.

·         Read the text carefully and actively: Read the text slowly and carefully, paying close attention to the words, phrases, and sentences. Take notes on important steps, procedures, or concepts as you read.

·         Identify key terms and jargon: Identify any technical terms or jargon used in the text, and make sure you understand their meaning.

·         Follow the sequence: Follow the sequence of steps or procedures outlined in the text, and make sure you understand each step before proceeding to the next.

·         Use diagrams or illustrations: Use diagrams or illustrations to help visualize and understand complex procedures or concepts.

·         Clarify unfamiliar information: Clarify any unfamiliar information by looking up definitions or asking for clarification from experts in the field.

·         Apply the information: Apply the information to real-world situations, and use it to solve problems or complete tasks.

Technical reading can be challenging, but it is important for many fields and professions, such as engineering, science, and technology. By engaging in technical reading, you can gain a deeper understanding of technical information and use it to solve problems and complete tasks in your field.

Pleasure Reading

Pleasure reading is a type of reading that involves reading for enjoyment, such as fiction or non-fiction books, magazines, or blogs. Pleasure reading aims to engage with the text in a way that brings enjoyment, relaxation, and entertainment.

To engage in pleasure reading, follow these steps:

·         Choose reading material that you enjoy: Select reading material that interests you, such as books or magazines on topics that you find entertaining or intriguing.

·         Set aside time for reading: Set aside a specific time and place for reading each day or week, and make it a regular part of your routine.

·         Read at a comfortable pace: Read at a comfortable and enjoyable pace, without worrying about speed or comprehension.

·         Engage with the text: Engage with the text by imagining the characters, visualizing the setting, and connecting with the story or information.

·         Reflect on the reading experience: Reflect on the reading experience by thinking about how the text made you feel, what you learned, and what you might want to read next.

Pleasure reading can be a fun and rewarding way to unwind and relax and explore new ideas and perspectives. By choosing reading material that you enjoy and setting aside time for reading each day, you can make pleasure reading a regular part of your life.

Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension is understanding and making sense of the written text. It involves the ability to read the words on the page and understand the meaning and context of the text. Comprehension is a critical component of reading, as it enables individuals to extract, analyse, and apply information to their own experiences and knowledge.

There are several key factors that influence reading comprehension, including:

Vocabulary: The ability to understand and use various words and phrases.

Fluency: The ability to read quickly and accurately.

Background knowledge: Prior knowledge and experiences can help readers make connections and understand the meaning of the text.

Attention: The ability to focus and pay attention to the text.

Critical thinking: The ability to analyze and evaluate written text.

To improve reading comprehension, engaging with the text actively is important, asking questions, making connections, and making inferences. Other strategies that can aid in improving comprehension include:

·         Previewing the text before reading to gain a sense of its organization and structure.

·         Summarizing key points and concepts as you read to aid in retention and recall.

·         Identifying unfamiliar words or concepts and looking up their meaning to increase vocabulary.

·         Using context clues to infer the meaning of unknown words or phrases.

·         Making connections to prior knowledge or experiences to aid in understanding.

·         Rereading passages or sections that are difficult or unclear.

Reading comprehension is an essential skill for academic success, as well as for everyday life. By developing effective comprehension strategies and actively engaging with written text, individuals can improve their understanding and appreciation of a wide range of topics and subjects.

Reading Comprehension Techniques

Reading comprehension techniques are strategies readers use to improve their understanding of the written text. These techniques can help readers extract meaning from text, identify important information, and make connections between ideas. Some common reading comprehension techniques include:

Previewing: Previewing a text involves scanning the text before reading it to get an idea of the main topics, headings, and organization.

Summarizing: Summarizing involves restating a text's main idea or key points in your own words, either orally or in writing.

Questioning: Questioning involves asking yourself questions about the text, such as "What is the main idea?" or "What evidence supports this argument?"

Visualizing: Visualizing involves creating mental images of the text to aid in comprehension and retention.

Making connections: Making connections involves relating the text to your own experiences or knowledge to aid in understanding and retention.

Inferring: Inferring involves using context clues and prior knowledge to make educated guesses about the meaning of unfamiliar words or concepts.

Rereading: Rereading involves going back over a passage or section to aid in comprehension and retention.

Taking notes: Taking notes involves jotting down important information, ideas, or concepts as you read to aid in retention and recall.

Using these reading comprehension techniques can help readers extract meaning from written text and make connections between ideas. It is important to experiment with different techniques and strategies to find the ones that work best for you and the type of text you are reading.

Important Short Questions

·         What are reading comprehension techniques?

·         How can previewing help improve reading comprehension?

·         What is summarizing and how can it aid in comprehension?

·         How can questions help readers understand the written text?

·         What is visualizing and how can it aid in comprehension and retention?

·         What does making connections involve in reading comprehension?

·         How can inferring help readers understand unfamiliar words or concepts?

·         Why is rereading an important reading comprehension technique?

·         What is note-taking and how can it aid in retention and recall?

·         Why is it important to experiment with different reading comprehension techniques?

Important Long Questions

·         What reading comprehension techniques can be used to improve understanding of the written text? How can these techniques aid in comprehension and retention?

·         Explain the importance of previewing in reading comprehension. How can preview help readers better understand the text and identify important information?

·         What is summarizing, and how can it aid in comprehension and retention? Provide examples of how summarizing can be used to help readers understand written text.

·         How can questions help readers better understand the written text? What types of questions should readers ask themselves when trying to comprehend a text?

·         What is visualizing, and how can it aid in comprehension and retention? How can readers use visualization techniques to create mental images of the text and better understand the material?

·         What does making connections involve in reading comprehension? How can readers use their own experiences and knowledge to better understand written text and make connections between ideas?

·         Explain how inferring can help readers understand unfamiliar words or concepts in a text. What strategies can readers use to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words?

·         Why is rereading an important reading comprehension technique? When should readers consider rereading a section or passage in a text?

·         What is note-taking, and how can it aid in retention and recall? How can readers use note-taking to help them better understand and remember key concepts and ideas?

·         Why is it important to experiment with different reading comprehension techniques? How can readers determine which techniques work best for them and the type of text they are reading?

Class Activity

Five classroom activities could be used to help students practice and develop their reading comprehension techniques:

Reading and summarizing: Assign students a reading passage and have them read it individually. Then, have them write a summary of the text's main idea and key points in their own words. This will help them practice summarizing as a reading comprehension technique.

Making connections: Assign students a reading passage and have them make connections between the text and their own experiences or knowledge. This can be done through discussion or writing. Encourage students to share their connections with the class to see how different people interpret and relate to the same text.

Inferring word meanings: Provide students with a list of unfamiliar words and ask them to infer their meanings using context clues from a provided text. This can be done individually or in groups and will help students practice inferring as a reading comprehension technique.

Visualizing: Provide students with a short text and ask them to visualize the setting, characters, and events. Encourage them to draw or write about their visualizations. This will help them practice visualizing as a reading comprehension technique.

Comprehension quiz: Create a quiz based on a reading passage assigned to the class. The quiz should include questions that require students to summarize, infer, and make connections based on the text. This will help students practice applying reading comprehension techniques and provide an opportunity for assessment.

Task 1: Summarizing

Objective: To help intermediate learners develop summarizing skills.

Instructions:

·         Provide students with a short reading passage on a topic of interest.

·         Ask students to read the passage and underline or highlight the main idea and key points.

·         Instruct students to write a summary of the text in their own words, using the underlined or highlighted information as a guide.

·         Review the summaries as a class and provide feedback on how well students could identify and summarize the main idea and key points.

Task 2: Making Connections

Objective: To help intermediate learners develop their ability to make connections between a reading passage and their own experiences or knowledge.

Instructions:

·         Provide students with a reading passage on a topic of interest.

·         Instruct students to read the passage and identify at least three connections they can make between the text and their own experiences or knowledge.

·         Have students write a short paragraph explaining each connection they have made.

·         Discuss the connections as a class and encourage students to share their experiences and knowledge related to the text.

Task 3: Inferring

Objective: To help intermediate learners develop their ability to infer meaning from context clues.

Instructions:

·         Provide students with a short reading passage that contains unfamiliar words or phrases.

·         Instruct students to read the passage and use context clues to infer the meaning of the unfamiliar words or phrases.

·         Have students write a sentence using each inferred word or phrase in context.

·         Discuss the inferences made by students as a class and provide feedback on their accuracy.

Note: The reading passages in these worksheets should be appropriate for intermediate learners. The difficulty level should gradually increase as students become more proficient in reading comprehension.

References

·         National Institute for Literacy. (2010). Developing reading comprehension skills. Retrieved from https://lincs.ed.gov/professional-development/resource-collections/profile-262

·         Pearson Education. (2013). Improving reading comprehension: Strategies and resources. Retrieved from https://www.pearsoned.com/improving-reading-comprehension-strategies-and-resources/

·         The Reading Teacher. (2016). Teaching reading comprehension strategies. Retrieved from https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/teaching-reading-comprehension-strategies.pdf?sfvrsn=60c7b704_6

·         International Reading Association. (2009). Standards for reading professionals. Retrieved from https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/standards-for-reading-professionals-2010.pdf?sfvrsn=50c7b704_6

·         National Council of Teachers of English. (2004). NCTE/IRA standards for the English language arts. Retrieved from https://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Standards_ELA.pdf


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