RWS

• Reading is a language skill that can be developed through constant practice
• Reading can widen your vocabulary and develop skills in writing
• Viewing reading as an interactive process between the reader and the writer can make it more meaningful
• Reading is a cognitive process of decoding symbols to derive meaning from a text
• Reading is always an interaction between the text and the reader
• Reading is a skill that can be improved through consistent practice
• To comprehend a text, we apply many skills simultaneously while we read, including:

  • Identifying the author's purpose
  • Grasping the main ideas of the text
  • Locating important details
  • Using context clues to understand unfamiliar words
  • Answering specific questions
  • Analyzing the text's point
  • Critiquing the text
• In the pre-reading stage, the reader should draw background knowledge by looking at the title to activate their schema or background knowledge
• In the while-reading stage, the reader should reread the text until fully understanding its meaning and apply specific skills like getting the meaning of words through context clues, predicting, inferencing, monitoring comprehension, annotating the text, and reflecting
• In the post-reading stage, the reader must check their understanding about the text by reflecting, summarizing, paraphrasing, drawing conclusions, making graphic organizers, and journal writing
• Previewing the text helps familiarize you with the contents and focus on important information, and steps to preview the text properly include:

  • Identifying your purpose for reading
  • Examining the titles and subtitles
  • Browsing the introduction and conclusion
  • Looking at the visual elements
• Skimming means looking for the main point of the reading and identifying the ideas that develop it by rapidly moving your eyes along the page

  Scanning involves looking for specific information by quickly moving your eyes along the lines of text
• Context clues are words, phrases, and sentences that surround an unfamiliar word to help recognize the meaning, and common types of context clues include:

  • Synonyms
  • Antonyms
  • Examples
  • Explanations and definitions
  • Situations
• Denotation is the basic literal meaning of a word found in the dictionary, while connotation is the positive, negative, or neutral feelings associated with a word
• Examples of context clues:

  • Synonyms are signaled by words like "like" or "as"
  • Antonyms reveal the opposite meaning
  • Examples clarify the meaning of a word
  • Explanations and definitions describe an unknown term
  • Situations help determine the meaning based on context
• Eccentric habits of the baseball team's pitcher:

  • Throwing exactly thirteen warm-up pitches
  • Never wearing socks
• Murky stream after heavy rains:

  • Water was so cloudy that the bottom couldn't be seen
• Debris on the stadium floor:

  • Included numerous paper cups, ticket stubs, and cigarette butts
• Coach's behavior towards players:

  • Takes every opportunity to censure them
  • Ignores every opportunity to praise them
• Newlyweds agreed to be very frugal in shopping to save money for a house:

  • Being economical in their shopping
• Alex's appearance at his job interview:

  • Usually looks unkempt
  • Had a very neat appearance
• Gratifying behavior towards grandmother:

  • Pleasing to see how she acted towards her grandmother
• Cutting paper precisely:

  • Fit perfectly in the grooves of the picture frame
• Type of context clue used in sentences:

  • Unique gift for boyfriend: Synonym
  • Pilot's license being revoked: Antonym
• Context clues used in sentences:

  • Man vaping his e-cigarette: Situation
  • Contactless payment technologies: Antonym
  • Making duck faces in selfies: Example
  • Actions falling under slacktivism: Definition
  • Advances in neuromorphic technology: Example
• Critical reading involves:

  • Evaluating claims
  • Seeking definitions
  • Judging information
  • Demanding proof
  • Questioning assumptions
• Techniques to develop critical reading skills:

  • Keeping a reading journal
  • Annotating the text
  • Outlining the text
  • Summarizing the text
  • Questioning the text
• Identifying and analyzing claims:

  • Explicit information is clearly written and explained
  • Implicit information is implied but not stated outright
  • Claim is a piece of information that a writer believes to be true but must be proven
  • Fact is something true and believable based on tested, proven, and accepted evidence
• Characteristics of good claims:

  • Should be argumentative and debatable
  • Should be specific and focused
  • Should be interesting and engaging
  • Should be logical
• Distinguishing between types of claims:

  • Claims of fact: State quantifiable assertions based on data
  • Claims of value: Assert moral, philosophical, or aesthetic topics
  • Claims of policy: Posit specific actions should be chosen as solutions to problems
• Claims of policy posit that specific actions should be chosen as a solution to a particular problem
• Claims of policy begin with "should", "ought to", or "must"
• They defend actionable plans and usually answer "how" questions
• Key questions to evaluate a claim of policy:

  • Does the claim suggest a specific remedy to solve the problem?
  • Is the policy clearly defined?
  • Is the need for the policy established?
  • Is the policy the best one available? For whom? According to whose standards?
  • How does the policy solve the problem?
• Explicit claims are actually said in the text and can be accessed through literal comprehension
• Implicit claims need to be inferred from the text and are not accessible without applying inferential comprehension
• Assertions are declarative sentences that claim something is true about something else
• Four common types of assertions:

  • Fact: can be proven objectively
  • Convention: based on historical precedent, laws, rules, usage, and customs
  • Opinion: based on facts but difficult to objectively verify
  • Preference: based on personal choice and subjective
• Counterclaims are claims made to rebut a previous claim and provide a contrasting perspective
• Counterclaims enrich the discussion by providing alternative views on the same topic