This document provides an overview of reading skills and strategies. It discusses different types of readers and reading abilities. It then outlines various strategies students can use before, during, and after reading, such as previewing text, making predictions, connecting to prior knowledge, and summarizing. Specific techniques like skimming, scanning and deep reading are also covered. The document stresses the importance of reading critically by considering an author's perspective and potential biases.

1. Week 1 Session 1
Reading Skills
Russell Rodrigo, M.Ed.

2. Lesson Outline
 Overview of reader types
 How to use reading strategies & techniques
 How to read critically
 How to listen effectively...
• in lectures.
• during discussions.
• over the telephone.
• during interviews.

3. Reading Skills
Everyone reads—the purpose here is to read and learn at
the same time, so it is vital for students to utilize their
reading skills in order to maximize their learning potential.
Reading involves using different strategies and techniques
to reflect on and evaluate texts.

4. Types of Readers
• ability to carry out simple, discrete reading
tasksRudimentary
• ability to understand specific or sequentially
related informationBasic
• ability to search for specific information,
interrelate ideas, and make generalizationsIntermediate
• ability to find, understand, summarize, explain
relatively complicated informationAdept
• ability to synthesize and learn from
specialized reading materialsAdvanced
Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

5. Reading Abilities
Independent
• the highest level at
which there is good
comprehension without
assistance
Instructional
• any level at which there
is good comprehension
as long as assistance is
available
Frustration
• the lowest level at which
comprehension is
inadequate even when
assistance is available
Source: James Flood & Diane Lapp

6. Reading Strategies:
Before Reading
• Think if you will you be reading to find out what happens in a story or to
learn specific information.
Set a Purpose for Reading
• Look at the title, pictures, captions under pictures, headings, bold-faced print
and other graphics.
Preview the Text
• Think about what you already know about the content of what you will read.
Activate Background Knowledge
• Think what might happen in the story, what words may be used, or what
information the text might contain.
Predict

7. Reading Strategies:
During Reading
• Check one clue with another. Ask yourself, "Does this word look right, sound
right, and make sense?"
Cross-check
• When problems occur, return to the beginning of a sentence or paragraph
and read it again.
Reread
• Ask yourself, "What word do I expect to see?", "What do I think will happen
next?", "Did that make sense?", or "Am I finding the answers to my
questions about this topic?"
Predict and Confirm
• Sometimes you can skip an unfamiliar word and read to the end of the
sentence or paragraph, thinking about what would make sense. Then, using
the context, go back and reread to try to determine the word.
Skip, Read On, and Go Back

8. Reading Strategies:
During Reading
• Think about what you already know about the subject and the kind of
material you are reading. If you have many questions about the topic
or the kind of book, you may need to ask someone for help.
Connect Background Knowledge to the Information
in the Text
• Think about what information is given directly. Also think about what
you know from reading that is not directly stated in words such as how
a character's actions show feelings or why things may have happened
based on the clues the author gave.
Think About Explicit and Implicit Information
• If you are reading a longer text, stop and think about what has
happened in the story so far or what information has been given.
Stop and Review

9. Reading Strategies:
After Reading
• Tell someone or write what happened in the story, including characters,
plot, and important events. If you read a nonfiction piece, review what
information was presented.
Retell and Summarize
• Use a story map, biography wheel, diagram, or other way to show what
was included in what you read. (You may need to check with your
teacher for suggestions.)
Use a Graphic Organizer
• Think about what predictions you made before and during reading. Look
back and think about what you have read. Consider how the information
read relates to what you already knew about the topic. Were your
questions answered? Do you have more questions about the subject?
Draw Conclusions

10. Reading Strategies: After
Reading
• Reread the text or a section of the text to help you understand it
better.
Reread
• Talk with someone about what you have read. Ask each other
questions. Look back at the book to defend your opinions.
Discuss and Respond
• Write about what you have read, telling what it made you think of or
what you learned.
Write to Support Understanding

11. Reading Techniques
• Skim read to get a quick impression or general overview of a text. Look
for “signposts” such as headings, subheadings, lists, and figures. Read
first and last paragraphs/first and last sentences of a paragraph.
Skimming
• Scan when you want to find a specific item of information. Scan the
contents page or index, letting your eyes rove around to spot key
words and phrases.
Scanning
• Browsing is used to search for information related to your topic. It
involves giving a broader context or view of the subject, which in turn
provides you with a stronger base to add to with specific reading.
Browsing
• Deep study reading is vital when you want to make connections,
understand meanings, consider implications and evaluate arguments.
Reading deeply need a strategic approach and time to reflect.
Deep Study Reading (Intensive Reading)

12. Critical Reading
Reading and note-taking will be more focused if you first consider what you
already know, and use this information to decide where reading can
effectively fill the gaps.
Before starting, make a list of main ideas or theories. While searching, mark
the ideas that are new to you, tick those that reinforce lecture material and
highlight ideas to follow up in more detail. Questions to ask include:
• Is this idea up to date?
• Are there more recent ideas?
• How does this idea connect to the main arguments?
• Do the graphs makes sense?
• Are the statistics right and appropriate?
• Did the writer have a particular perspective that led to a bias in their
interpretation/writing?
• Why did the authors research this area?
• Does their methodology influence the results in a manner that might affect the
interpretation?

13. Reading Skills: Practice