The document discusses the importance of reading skills for writing. It outlines six steps for comprehensive reading: 1) identify the main message, 2) supporting details, 3) author's point of view, 4) separate author and reader experiences, 5) think through arguments and conclusions, and 6) begin constructing your own writing. Mastering these reading techniques helps improve writing by gaining a deeper understanding of how authors develop and support their ideas.

1. NETA PowerPoint® Slides
to accompany
Copyright © 2015 by Nelson Education Ltd.
prepared by
Rhonda Dynes
Mohawk
College
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2. Understanding the Role of
Reading as a
Basic Writing
Component
Copyright © 2015 by Nelson Education Ltd.
Chapter 2
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3. The Role of Reading
Learning the roles of reading as a writing component
are to help you
•become a good reader of many types of writing
styles
•understand how to get the best information out of
each source you encounter
•consider how the intended audience and context
impact the way that authors write
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4. Start with Good Reading Skills
Reading critically and comprehensively
means
•identifying the main point of the article, story,
chapter, or text
•identifying the supporting details
•determining the author’s point of view
•considering how what you already know relates to
the author’s understanding of the information
•thinking through the author’s argument and logical
conclusions
•beginning to construct your own opinions
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5. Skimming
Skimming involves looking at
• the title of the text
•the table of contents
•the introduction
•the first and last paragraph of each section
•any keywords (places, facts, dates, locations, concepts)
•any bolded, underlined, italicized, or offset information
•the conclusion
•the index or any extra notes
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6. Scanning
Scanning involves looking for
•specific topics or concepts
•non-critical information (for example, information from
a newspaper or the Web)
•items that can be found quickly:
• keywords
• phrases
• concepts
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7. Six Steps for Comprehensive Reading
1. Identify the article’s main message.
2. Identify supporting details.
3. Determine the author’s point of
view.
4. Separate the author’s experience
from your own.
5. Think through the author’s
arguments and logical conclusions.
6. Begin to construct your own
writing.
Copyright © 2015 by Nelson Education Ltd.
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8. Identify the Main Message
The first question helps you decide what information
is most important in the reading so you can decide
if it suits your needs.
The main point is, in the strictest
sense, the summary of the goal or
outcome of the piece, whether it is
argumentative or fact-based. It often
appears in the first few paragraphs of
the text (e.g., in the first chapter of a
textbook), and it is often expanded
upon in the conclusion.
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9. Identify Supporting Details
The second question helps you to classify the
subtopics or categories that the author will discuss in
the article.
Many writers will list some
supporting details in the first few
paragraphs. The supporting details
are the facts and the arguments that
were hinted at in the main idea.
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10. Determine the Author’s Point of View
The third question helps you to determine the
argumentative stance the author has taken.
It isn’t always easy to see what an
author’s point of view is.
Some ways to find it are to
•consider the resources used
•consider what is left out
•think about personal stories used
Sometimes the author will tell you
outright what their point of view is.
Copyright © 2015 by Nelson Education Ltd.
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11. Separate the Author’s Experience
from Your Own
The fourth question helps you to clarify your own
opinions on the subject matter.
Find a way to link what you are
reading to your own experiences.
While it is very important to follow
the logic of the argument you are
reading (by finding the main point
and supporting details), it is important
to think about how you would write
differently about the same topic.
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12. Thinking Through Arguments and
Logical Conclusions
The fifth question helps you to do a last check of the
key material.
This means reviewing the conclusion
of the reading and analyzing how all
the author’s previous points link
together to reach this conclusion.
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13. Construct Your Own Writing
The sixth question helps you to start preparing your
own response.
Ideally, the final thoughts you have
on the subject come only after you
have read deeply and critically
through the sources you have chosen.
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14. Practice reading articles with a
critical eye: this is one way to improve
your own writing.
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15. Summary
• The best way to improve your writing skills is
to improve your critical and comprehensive
reading skills.
• This involves learning both to skim and to read
carefully, looking for main points as well as
details.
• It also involves learning how to find the
author’s point of view and to link what you
are reading to your own experiences before
you start writing.
Copyright © 2015 by Nelson Education Ltd.
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