Slides for reading skills

1. What, Why and How

2. What we read?
 Novels, short stories, fiction
 Non-fiction, textbooks, travel books, encyclopedias
 Newspapers, journals, magazines, maps, directories,
dictionaries
 Forms, applications, questionnaires
 Brochures, catalogues, hoardings, advertisements,
notices, labels, posters, displays at airports, stations, etc.
 Letters, reports, proposals

3. Why do we read?
 For specific information
 To pass an exam
 To pass time
 To know details of something
 To have an overall idea
 For having a general idea

4. Barriers to reading
 Distractions
 Regression: reading the same thing again
and again
 Sub-vocalization: speaking while reading
 Lack of concentration
 Reading word by word

5. Things to do
 Prepare the mind
 Begin with the End or purpose
 Attack strategy : SQ5R (Survey, Question, Read,
Record, Recite, Review, Reflect)
 Pattern: Textual organization pattern and signal
words
 Visual pacing
 Core Material and Elaborative Material

6. Strategy I – Purposeful Reading
 Refer to: • assessment tasks • lecture slides •
tutorial questions • textbook questions
 Create: • questions based on lectures or
tutorials • questions based on a skim of the
text • (contents, headings, subheadings,
diagrams, introductions, etc)
 Consider: • what you already know • related
knowledge or experiences

7. Strategy II - Scanning
 Scanning is reading quickly to search for
specific information. You may not realize it, but
you are already good at scanning. You scan, for
example, when checking a TV guide or a phone
book. Scanning may allow you to ‘read’ up to
1,500 words a minute.
 One reason to scan an academic text you have
found while researching is to locate key terms to
assess the text’s relevance.

8. Strategy III: Skimming
 Skimming helps you identify whether or not to
continue reading, what to read carefully, and
where the best place is to begin.
 Skimming an academic text immediately before
you read it carefully can help you consider what
you already know and can help you develop a
purpose for reading.
 An initial skim can also help maximise your
interest in the text and your understanding and
reflection on the material.

9. Skimming (Contd.)
 Titles
 Subheadings
 Words that are in Bold, in Italics or Underlined
 Diagrams
 A Report’s Abstract, Introduction or Conclusion
 The First Sentence of Every Paragraph
 Chapter Questions
 Chapter Objectives
 Chapter Summaries

10. Strategy IV: Information words
 No more than 50% of the words in an average
textbook are “information” words.
 The other words are like glue and paint: they are
there to provide connections and add interest, but
are not essential for meaning.
 If you concentrate on information, words, you can
read faster and with better comprehension.

11. Strategy V: Phrase reading
 Poor readers take in only one or two words in each
fixation.
 | This is | how a | poor | reader’s| eyes move | along |
lines| of print. |
 A good reader, on the other hand, takes in several words
in each fixation
 | This is how | a better reader’s | eyes move along | lines
of print.|

12. Strategy VI: Analytical Reading
 100 w/min
 Fully grasp and appreciate
 Take down notes
 Activity:
 Read the following for an example of when slow, careful
reading may be needed. One of the first things that
should be done in the evaluation of structural equation
models is an assessment of the adequacy of input data
and the statistical assumption underlying any estimation
methods used in the analysis. (Bagozzi and Yi, 1988, p.
76)

13. Strategy VII: Marking texts
 Concentration
 Identify Key points
 Revision

14. Strategy VIII: Note-Taking
 Deeper understanding and reflection
 A better ability to remember
 Useful for examination

15. Strategy IX: Managing your
Vocabulary
 Guess using context
 Guess using prefixes and suffixes