READING COMPREHENSION - 2

SPEED READING, SCANNING AND SKIMMING FOR BUILDING VOCABULARY

SPEED READING:

• First scan the chapter.The sections to which the author devotes the most amount of space has to be identified.
• Read the first sentence of every paragraph more carefully than the rest of the paragraph.
• Take notes on headings and first sentence of each paragraph before reading the chapter itself.
• Focus on nouns and main propositions in each sentence. Look for the noun-verb combinations, and focus on these.

For example, consider the following text:

Classical conditioning is learning that takes place when we come to associate two stimuli in the environment. One of these stimuli triggers a reflexive response. The second stimulus is originally neutral with respect to that response, but after it has been paired with the first stimulus, it comes to trigger the response in its own right.

Rather than reading every word, this text can be graphically decoded as:

Classical conditioning = learning = associating two stimuli

1st stimulus triggers a response

2nd stimulus = originally neutral, but paired with 1st --> triggers response.

Rather than reading and re-reading the text, notes can be taken in this form, so that the important parts of the text are re-written. 

SKIMMING AND SCANNING

Skimming and scanning are reading strategies that can assist a reader in getting specific information from the text. Skimming is a reading technique that is used to get a quick “gist” of a section or chapter. Scanning is a reading technique that is reading quickly to locate specific information from words with bold-face type, capital letters, dates, key words, etc.

The literate society lacks the most basic reading and writing skills. It is obvious that we have to look for new approaches to prepare for the current job market trends, for which the need for reading, comprehension, and communication skills (verbal and written) has increased. The need is great for strengthening the following skills:

• The ability to read a variety of materials (e.g. textbooks, novels, newspapers, magazines, instructional manuals).
• The ability to understand and remember what is read.
• The ability to effectively communicate what is learnt from reading.

Examples of comprehension skills that can be and applied to all reading situations include:

• Summarizing
• Sequencing
• Inferencing
• Comparing and contrasting
• Drawing conclusions
• Self-questioning
• Problem-solving
• Relating background knowledge
• Distinguishing between fact and opinion
• Finding the main idea, important facts, and supporting details

Skills for being an effective reader and for increasing comprehension are:

• Finding main ideas and supporting details/evidence
• Making inferences and drawing conclusions
• Recognizing a text's patterns of organization
• Perceiving conceptual relationships
• Testing the knowledge and understanding of the material through application

Weaknesses in vocabulary, comprehension, speed, or a combination of all three may be the result of ineffective reading habits.

List of Concepts, definitions, and tips for making the Concepts clear and comprehensible:

Explicit Information is information that can be clearly found “right there” in the text. Ex – A story

Genre is a type of text, such as fiction or nonfiction. Stories can be fiction (make-believe/not true) or nonfiction (real). 

Example: 

Title - How Does a Puppy Grow? - Nonfiction 

Title - A Little Puppy that Learned How to Read - Fiction

Predicting is deciding what will most likely happen next in what you are reading.

Setting tells you where and when a story takes place.

Sequence is the order of events or steps in a text.

Main idea is the big idea in a text. It tells you what the text is mostly about. After reading a passage, the main idea can sometimes be found in the title or in the first or last sentence.

Drawing Conclusions is figuring out what a text means by using what is already known and from information in the text.

Character refers to the looks, traits, thoughts, actions, and relationships of a person or an animal in a text.

Comparing is noticing how two or more things are alike. 

Contrasting is noticing how they are different. By comparing two things, it may be helpful to focus first on similarities and then on differences.

Vocabulary in Context means figuring out the meaning of a word by looking at the words and sentences around it.

Figurative Language refers to words that mean something other than what they say. (Ex - The sky turned as black as coal.)

Plot is the events that make up the main story of a text.

Cause is the reason why something happens. Effect is what happens as a result.

Ex - Cause: My alarm did not go off this morning. Possible effects: I overslept. I was late for school. Cause: I forgot to tie my shoes. Possible effects: My laces got dirty. I tripped. I hurt my knee. 

Text Features are words and pictures that help organize and highlight information. Examples include titles, pictures, photographs and captions.

Fact is information that someone can prove true or false. Healthy food is delicious. Adam ate an apple. We played soccer all afternoon. Opinion is what someone believes about a subject. Wearing a  helmet while riding a bike is very important. Exercise is good for health.

Point of View is the viewpoint from which a story is told to the reader. A story can be told in the first person. That means the narrator is a character in the story. Sentences written in the first person use pronouns such as I, me, my, and we. Stories can also be told in the third person. In those cases, the narrator is not a character in the story. Sentences written in the third person use pronouns such as he, she and they.

Voice is how an author expresses his or her personality or attitude through language. A writer’s voice can be silly, angry, amused or sad. Punctuation marks are clues about the writer’s voice.

Author’s Purpose is the reason why an author has written a text for readers. Understand why an author wrote something.

Ex –

Ask:     Did the author give information? (to inform) Everyone should have a dog. Dogs are great pets.

Did the author give an opinion? (to persuade or convince) Service dogs are trained to help people. Some service dogs help guide people who cannot see. 

Did the author make us laugh? (to entertain)  When Johny walked in the door, her dog jumped so high it did a somersault! That dog is talented!  

Theme is the message that an author is trying to share with the reader. The message includes universal values dealing with life, society or human nature. 

Example - Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

Plan your work and work your plan.

Some effective techniques for building vocabulary skills are:

•  Computer-based vocabulary instruction programs
•  Storybook reading or listening to others reading aloud
•  Learning new words before reading a text
•  Task restructuring and repeated exposure
•  Substituting easy words for more difficult words

CONCLUSION      

It’s clear that reading comprehension is a complex cognitive process that depends upon a number of ingredients all working together in a synchronous, even automatic way. Vocabulary plays a critical role in understanding what has been read. The reader must thoughtful while reading, monitoring the words and their meaning as reading progresses. The reader must apply reading comprehension strategies to build on their growing knowledge which has to be stored for immediate or future reference.