Lesson 2: FUNDAMENTAL READING SKILLS

• It is not true that reading is an effortless task. It is instead a complex cognitive process.
• Aside from being a complex cognitive process, reading is also highly visual because it involves the transmission of messages through the optic nerves.
• Although you may not be aware of it, you apply different skills when reading a particular text. You do more than just read. You also locate main ideas, summarize, paraphrase, note details, and get the meanings of words.
• Reading


  A language skill that can be developed through constant practice
• Some scholars found out that you can widen your vocabulary and develop skills in writing when you read.
• Reading


  An interactive process between the writer and the reader
• As a reader, you interact with what you read by asking questions, analyzing the assertions, adding your understanding, and relating your experience to the message.
• Coherence


  A text must be composed of sentences with connected ideas presented in a logical arrangement
• Connected discourse


  A coherent text, which can be spoken or written
• Discourse analysis refers to the study of micro-linguistic (frequency counts, information structure, and text linguistic devices) and macro-linguistic (genre and level of discourse texts) elements, and the learner's interaction with it.
• Register


  Vocabulary and genre, which refers to the conventional style, format, and subject of a text
• Reading and interpreting discourse is influenced by several factors such as readers' experiences, beliefs, attitudes, language, and culture as well as his or her physical and social environment.
• Genre


  Classifies texts based on external criteria such as activities that regularly occur in society
• Text type


  Classifies texts based on similarities in linguistic forms and patterns
• Texts from the same genre can be classified under different types
• It is important that students be exposed to various genres and text types lest they be ill-prepared in processing texts and writing beyond personal narratives.
• Reading process


  1. Pre-reading stage

  2. While-reading stage

  3. Post-reading stage
• In the pre-reading stage, you have to draw on your background knowledge by looking at the title. The skills used in this stage include previewing, freewriting, surveying, questioning, making assumptions about the author, identifying the purpose, and selecting a reading system such as SQ3R (survey, question, read, recite, review).
• In the while-reading stage, you may reread the text until you fully understand its meaning. The skills used in this stage include getting the meaning of words through context clues, predicting, inferencing, monitoring comprehension, annotating the text, and reflecting.
• In the post-reading stage, you must check your understanding of the text. The skills used in this stage include reflecting, summarizing, paraphrasing, drawing conclusions, making graphic organizers, and journal writing.
• Rapid reading


  Aims to locate specific information or main ideas in a very short span of time
• Skimming


  A type of quick reading which aims to get the main idea and overview of the material
• Techniques for effective skimming

  • Use your finger as a guide when reading across the lines
  • Pay special attention to the first and last sentences of each paragraph; they usually contain the main idea of the text
• Main idea


  The central message of a reading selection
• Techniques in locating the main idea

  • Identify the topic or the subject of a text
  • Take note of transitional devices such as thus, therefore, to conclude, and to sum up, as they may signal the main idea
  • Validate your identified main idea by analyzing if all supporting details directly or indirectly support it
• Scanning


  A quick reading strategy which aims to get specific information from a given text
• Tips for effective scanning


  • Be clear with the information that you need
  • Avoid reading every word; focus on what you need
  • Relax your eyes as you move them across the lines rapidly
• Previewing


  A skill wherein a reader looks over a material and focuses on the information he/she finds relevant
• Effective previewing


  • Clarifying the purpose
  • Reading the title and headings
  • Checking the illustration and other visuals
  • Browsing the table of contents, introduction, or summary
• Summarizing


  Condensing a lengthy text into a shorter passage while retaining its essence, typically 15-30% of the original
• Paraphrasing


  Restating ideas from the original text in your own words, with a similar length to the original
• Inferential reading


  Deducing facts and ideas not directly expressed in the text, reading between the lines
• Critical reading


  Evaluating the claims in the text for relevance, validity, and logic
• Pleasure reading is a more passive type of reading that primarily aims to provide enjoyment and entertainment
• Functional reading is designed to help readers learn basic functional reading, such as reading school forms and instructions
• Remedial reading aims to correct the effects of poor teaching and poor learning