Quarter 1 – Module 1

Reading
Comprehension
English - Grade 8
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 1 – Module 1: Reading Comprehension
First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Department of Education – Division of Gingoog City
Division Superintendent: Jesnar Dems S. Torres, PhD, CESO VI

Development Team of the Module

Author/s: Cynthia S. Triumfante

Reviewer: Levie D. Llemit, PhD

Illustrator: Raul A. Mabilen

Layout Artist: Jucel Lou L. Bayucot

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Chairperson: Jesnar Dems S. Torres, PhD, CESO VI

Schools Division Superintendent

Co-Chairpersons: Conniebel C.Nistal ,PhD

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CID Chief

Members
Levie D. Llemit, PhD – EPS- I English
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 8
ENGLISH

Quarter 1 - Module 1
Reading Comprehension
This page is intentionally blank
 Table of Contents

What This Learning Package is About……………………………………………………..i

What I Need to Know……………………………………………………………………….. i
How to Learn from this Learning Package ………………………………………………..i
Icons of this Learning Package……………………………………………………………..ii
What I Know……………………………………………………………………………….….iii

Lesson 1:
Scanning for Text Types and Logical Connectors……………………………1
What I Need to Know…………………………………………………………….…..1
What’s New
Activity 1: Locating logical connectors……………………………….........1
What Is It ………………………………………………………………………………2
What’s More
Activity 2: Scanning for Text Type and Connectors ……………….…….4
What I Have Learned
Activity 3: Generalization…………………………..………………….….…6
What I Can Do
Activity 4: Let Me Join…………………………………..…………………...6

Lesson 2:
Skimming for Key Ideas……………………………………………………………8
What I Need to Know……………………….…………………………………….….8
What’s In ……………………………………………………………………….……..8
What’s New
Activity 1: Skim Through…………………………………………………..9
What Is It
Activity 2: Determine the Main Idea……………………………….……10
What’s More
Activity 3: Skimming Practice……………………………………………11
What I Have Learned
Activity 4: Generalization…………………………………………………13
What I Can Do
Activity 5: Expressing Main Idea…………………………………………14

Lesson 3:
Reading for One’s Purpose………………………………………………………..16
What I Need to Know………………………………………………………………...16
What’s In ………………………………………………………………………………16
What’s New
Activity 1: Speed Test Yourself………………………………………….…17
What Is It ………………………………………………………………………………19
What’s More
Activity 2: Try This!................................................................................ 20
Activity 3: Speed Reading with Comprehension…………………………. 21
What I Have Learned
Activity 4:Generalization………………………………………………..……23
What I Can Do
Activity 5:One Minute Reading………………………………………………24
Lesson 4:
Intensive Reading to Determine the Author’s Purpose………………………………. 26
What I Need to Know…………………………………………………………..……… 26
What’s In…………………………………………………………………………..……. 26

What’s New
Activity 1: Simple Recall…………………………………………………..… 26
What Is It
Activity 2: Intensive Reading……………………….………………….…… 28
What’s More……………………………………………………………………………. 27
Activity3: Author’s Purpose……………………………………....……..….. 29
What I Have Learned
Activity 4:Generalization………………………………………………… ……32
What I Can Do
Activity 4:Read the selection…………………………………………….……33
Summary ............................................................................................... 34

Assessment: (Post-Test) .................................................................... 35

Key to Answers……………………………………………………………….………. 37

Reference…………………………………………………………………....4
What This Module is About
This module is about Reading Comprehension using various techniques in
reading: scanning, skimming, speed reading, and intensive reading. It is hoped that
you will be able to develop your skill in reading through the activities ask of you to
do..
In this module, you will encounter different activities that will give you
opportunity to enhance your comprehension, self-reliance and self-confidence. as
you work on your own.
The following are the lessons contained in this module.
Lesson 1 – Scanning for Logical Connectors and Text Types
Lesson 2 – Skimming for Key Ideas
Lesson 3 – Reading for One’s Purpose
Lesson 4 – Intensive Reading to Determine the Author’s Purpose

What I Need to Know

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. scan for logical connectors and determine the text types (EN8RC-1c-7)
2. skim to determine key ideas (ENN8RC-1c.1.5)
3. use the appropriate reading style (scanning, skimming, speed reading,
4. intensive reading, etc.) for one’s purpose (EN8RC-1e-7)
5. read intensively to determine the author’s purpose (EN8RC-Ig-7.1;
EN8RC-Ih-7.1)

How to Learn from this Module

To achieve the objectives cited above, you are to do the following:
1. Carefully read all the lessons.
2. Take your time on going thru each lesson.
3. Answer the pretest honestly, the purpose of the pretest is for you to determine
your prior knowledge before going thru the lessons and activities.
4. If you have a hard time understanding the lessons and activities, please do
take a break. Having breaks between lessons and activities will give you some
space where you can absorb the lesson well.
5. You can use the internet if you need more information about the lesson.

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Icons of this Module
What I Need to This part contains learning objectives
Know that are set for you to learn as you go
along the module.

What I know This is an assessment as to your level

of knowledge to the subject matter at
hand, meant specifically to gauge prior
related knowledge
What’s In This part connects previous lesson with
that of the current one.

What’s New An introduction of the new lesson

through various activities, before it will
be presented to you

What is It These are discussions of the activities

as a way to deepen your discovery and
understanding of the concept.

What’s More These are follow-up activities that are

intended for you to practice further in
order to master the competencies.

What I Have Activities designed to process what you

Learned have learned from the lesson

What I can do These are tasks that are designed to

showcase your skills and knowledge
gained, and applied into real-life
concerns and situations.

What I Know
Multiple

Multiple Choice

2
Directions: Read each sentence. Identify the connector used in each sentence. Write
the letter of your choice.

1. He was very rude to us but we forgave him.

A. was B. very C. but D. him
2. She didn’t take an umbrella in spite of the fact that it was raining.
A. didn’t B. an C. in spite of D. the fact that
3. “I thought you didn’t like spicy food.”
“On the contrary, I liked it very much.”
A. Like B. I thought C. I thought D. On the contrary
4. I’m too busy to take a vacation besides, I cannot leave my old parents on their
own.
A. Too busy B. Besides C. I cannot D. on their own
5. All my friends will be at the party except of Andrew.
A. Except with B. all C. will be D. at

Identification

Directions: Read each item. Identify if the example given is SCANNING or

SKIMMING. Write your answer before each number.

_______________6. Looking for a specific information within a text to answer an

exam question.
_______________7. Looking at chapters and sub-headings to get an idea of what a
text is about.
_______________8. Looking for the author of the textbook you are using
_______________9. Going through several newspapers, locating its date of issue
______________10. Reading through to find the purpose of the author
______________11. Surveying the text to know the point of view and tone of the text
______________12. A specific data in a graph
______________13. Reading a timetable to find out what are the exams for the Day
1 and Day 2
______________14. Researching for a topic for your Science assignment
______________15. Determining the tone of a passage

Directions: Skim through the illustration and answer the questions on the right side of
the picture. Write your answers on the spaces below.

16. ________________________________
17. ________________________________
18. ________________________________
19. ________________________________
20. ________________________________
Life cycle of a monarch butterfly (SCIENCE)
16. What is the title
of the illustration?
17. How many
steps are in the
process?
18. What is in the
third picture?

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 19. This topic is studied thoroughly in what subject?
20. What is in the last step of the cycle before it begins another cycle?

https://www.activewild.com/life-cycle-of-the-monarch-butterfly/

Directions: Choose the word from the box that corresponds to the description of
each number. Write the word in the space before each number.

Narrative Expository Descriptive Persuasive

to inform to persuade to entertain to express

__________21. This type of texts furnishes you with relevant facts and figures
but do not include their opinion.
__________22. This type of texts focuses on describing a character, an event, or
a place in great detail.
__________23. This type of texts contains justifications and reasons as well as
the opinions and the biases of the author to convince others to
agree with the author’s point of view.
__________24. This type of texts tells a story. The author creates different
characters and tell you what happens to them.
__________25. An author’s purpose to convince you to change your thinking.
__________26. The author’s purpose to arouse interest or evoke laughter.
__________27. The author’s purpose to give facts and reasons to get the point
across.

Read the text below and identify what text type is used.

__________28. Jordan, the heir to a rich historical and religious heritage, is my

larger home. It extends from the temperate heights of the rugged
purple-hued mountains of Moab to the gently rolling hills of
Jerusalem; from the deep tropical Jordan Valley, with its luxuriant
vegetation, to the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth; and from the
spectacular sandstone cliffs of Wadi Run to the arid desert of the
eastern plateau. (An excerpt from What Home Means to Me by Numati
Nurredin)

29-30 Write the letter of your answer.

Passage

You need a balanced diet to stay healthy. A balanced diet provides the amount of
nutrients your body needs every day. By eating lots of different foods, you will get
the nutrients you require to stay healthy. (p.49 Total Reading 6)
29. What is the topic of this paragraph?
A. eating foods B, the importance of a balanced diet
C. planning your diet

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30. Which sentence states the main idea about the topic?
A. When you eat lots different foods you get the nutrients you require.
B. A balanced diet provides the amount of nutrients your body needs every
day.
C. You need a balanced diet to stay healthy

5
Lesson
Scanning for Text Types and
1
Lesson Logical Connectors

What I Need to Know

Scan for logical connectors to determine text types
● What are logical connectors?
● What are text types?
● How can I identify text types?

What’s New
Conjunctions and Connectors

Conjunctions and connectors describe the relationship between two

statements. These statements can be written without linking words, but often
more information can be succinctly conveyed using these words.
Conjunctions grammatically join two clauses (independent or dependent,
depending on the conjunction) so that it reads as one sentence.
Connectors are used between two separate sentences.
(https://ctl.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/GWC_LinkingWords-1.pdf)

A paragraph developed by process uses connectors to show the

sequence, instruction or direction.

Connectors are also helpful in presenting ideas in a paragraph in

logical order.

Activity 1: Locating Logical Connectors

As you read the process of solving consecutive integer word problem, you will
notice the connectors used in the texts. Can you locate them? Write the
logical connectors in the table provided below.

SOLVING CONSECUTIVE INTEGER WORD PROBLEM

Problem: Two consecutive numbers have a sum of 91.
What are the numbers?
First, define the variable. You do not know what the first consecutive number
is, so you call it X. Thus,
Let X = the first consecutive number.

1
 Then, find the second consecutive number. Since the numbers are consecutive,
meaning one number comes right after the other, the second number must be
one more than the first. So, X=1 equals the second number.
Let X+1= the second number
Next, show in equation. The problem says that the sum of two
numbers is 91. Hence,
X+(X+1) = 91
Finally, solve the equation.
X+X+1 = 91
2X+1 = 91
2X = 91-1
2X = 90
2 2
X = 90/2
X = 45
No Connectors
.
1
2
3
4
5

What Is It
Categorized Word Connectors
Activity 1 shows the logical arrangement of a text in a step by step process
using order connectors.
Word Connectors are used to link large groups of words: phrases and
sentences. You can also use them to connect paragraphs to give them
coherence. Sentence connectors are usually placed at the beginning of a
sentence and may be categorized as follows:
(https://www.myenglishteacher.eu/blog/list-of-sentence-connectors-in-english/)

CONTRAS ADDITION CAUSE PURPOSE CONSEQUENC ORDER EXPLICATION

T E
however moreover becaus in order to as a result to start above all
e with
yet furthermore since so as to therefore first in short
despite in addition due to so that consequently next at least
but besides on thus then essentially
account
of
instead what’s in in particular
more conclusion
on the on top of lastly in general

2
contrary that
in contrast likewise finally more or less
to

Logical connectors are commonly used in various text types.

The four types of texts with example each:

1. Expository – its main purpose is to explain. It is a subject-oriented in which
authors focus on telling you about a given topic or subject without voicing
their personal opinions. This type of texts furnishes you with relevant facts
and figure but do not include their opinion.

Example:

“I’m using the term ‘Chinese mother’ loosely. In like manner, I know
some Korean, Indian, Jamaican, Irish and Ghanaian parents who qualify too.
Conversely, I know some mothers of Chinese heritage, almost always born in
the West, who are not Chinese mothers, by choice or otherwise. I’m also
using the term ‘Western parents’ loosely. Western parents come in all
varieties. All the same, even when Western parents think they’re being strict,
they usually don’t come close to being Chinese mothers. For example, my
Western friends who consider themselves strict make their children practice
their instruments 30 minutes every day. An hour at most. For a Chinese
mother, the first hour is the easy part. It’s hours two and three that get tough.”
by Amy Chua (https://literarydevices.net/narrative-essay/)

Notice the words/expressions in bold text used in the narrative text.

2. Descriptive – Its main purpose is to describe. It is a style of writing that

focuses on describing a character, an event, or a place in great detail. It can
be poetic when the author takes time to be very specific in his or her
description.

Example:

Taj Mahal is an immense mausoleum of white marble. It was built in Agra

between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in
order to remember the memory of his favorite wife. The Taj Mahal is the
jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces
of the world's heritage. The Taj Mahal is located on the right bank of the
Yamuna River in a vast Mughal garden that encompasses nearly 17 hectares,
in the Agra District in Uttar Pradesh. The Taj Mahal is considered to be the
greatest architectural achievement in the whole range of Indo-Islamic
architecture. Moreover, its recognized architectonic beauty has a rhythmic
combination of solids and voids, concave and convex and light shadow.
Furthermore, arches and domes increase the aesthetic aspect. The color
combination of lush green scape reddish pathway and blue sky over it show
cases the monument in ever changing tints and moods.
(https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/252/)

3
3. Persuasive – Its main purpose is to convince. Unlike expository writing, this
type of text contains the opinions and biases of the author. To convince
others to agree with the author’s point of view, persuasive writing contains
justifications and reasons.

Example:

“Governments today do two things that I object to in particular. First, they

encourage introspection, telling us that unless men examine their testicles,
unless we keep a check on our cholesterol level, then we are not being
responsible citizens. You are letting down yourself, your wife, your kids,
everybody. We are encouraged continually to worry about our health. As a
consequence, public health initiatives have become, as far as I can tell, a
threat to public health. Secondly, governments promote the value of health
seeking. We are meant always to be seeking health for this or that condition.
The primary effect of this, I believe, is to make us all feel more ill.”
(https://literarydevices.net/persuasive-essay/ )

4. Narrative – Its main purpose is to tell a story. The author will create different
characters and tell you what happens to them.

Example:

“Annie, over six feet tall, big-boned, decided that she would not go to work as
a domestic and leave her “precious babes” to anyone else’s care. There was
no possibility of being hired at the town’s cotton gin or lumber mill. But
maybe there was a way to make the two factories work for her. In her words,
“I looked up the road I was going and back the way I come. Since I wasn’t
satisfied, I decided to step off the road and cut me a new path.” She told
herself that she wasn’t a fancy cook but that she could “mix groceries well
enough to scare hungry away and keep from starving a man.” by Maya
Angelou (https://literarydevices.net/narrative-essay/ )

What’s More
Activity 2: Scanning for Text Type and Connectors
Directions: Scan through the following texts to find the connectors used. Then
read again thoroughly to identify the text type. Finally, complete the
information below by identifying the text type and indicating the logical
connectors.

Paragraph Text Type Logical connectors

No.
1
2
3
4

4
Paragraph 1
In 1997, 175,000 volunteers picked up three million pounds of
garbage along the coasts of the United States. As a result, both people
and sea animals can enjoy cleaner and safer environments. Glass
bottles, lumber, and syringes are less of a threat to barefooted
beachgoers. Fewer seabirds, fish, and crabs will die entangled in
plastic can holders, fishing nets, and fishing line. People put trash in
the oceans, but by volunteering their time to help clean up after
themselves, people are also the solution to the problem.
(https://www.eslprintables.com/powerpoint.asp?id=69990)

Paragraph 2
Jerry was the kind of guy who love to hate. He was always in a
good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone
would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, “If I were any better,
I would be twins!” Because he was a unique manager, he had several
waiters followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason
the waiters followed him around was because of his attitude. He was a
natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was
there telling him how to look on the positive side of the situation.
(https://www.chickensoup.com/book-story/54410/attitude-is-everything)
.
Paragraph 3

The iPhone 6 is unexpectedly light. While the size of its screen is

bigger than those of the iPhones that came before, it is thinner, and its
smooth, rounded body is made of aluminum, stainless steel, and glass.
Furthermore, its casing comes in a whitish silver, gold, or a color the
company calls ”space gray”, the color of the lead of a pencil, with
darker gray accents.
(https://bvcoend.ac.in/images/upload/BVP_Vidyapeeths_Colle_of_Engineering_New_Delhi_60
510613907866FILE38623UPLOAD56435731556253485.pdf)

Paragraph 4
Immigration contributes to the overall health of the American
economy. Despite the recent concerns expressed about the illegal and some
legal immigration to the United States, this country has largely benefited from
the skills, talents, and ambition that immigrants bring with them. American
businesses gain from a good source of affordable labor, while towns and
cities are revitalized by immigrant families who strengthen communities
through civic participation and the generation of new economic activity. The
United States must continue to welcome new arrivals and help those who are
already here; otherwise, the country will lose the advantages it has over other
industrialized countries that compete against us in the global marketplace and
seek to recruit from a vast pool of unskilled and skilled global workers.
(https://www.learnamericanenglishonline.com/Write_in_English/WL14_persuasive_parag)

5
 What I Have Learned

Activity 3: Generalization
1. In what way can I make use of connectors?

2. What are the four types of texts? How can I identify each?

What I Can Do

Activity 4: Let Me Join!

Directions: Scan each paragraph and underline the logical connectors. Then, identify the text
type.

1. February 14 has been celebrated as Valentine’s Day throughout the universe. It is

the day singled out for sending flowers, greeting cards, bars of chocolates, heart-
shaped gifts and objects to someone special in our lives. Likewise, it is the day for
expressing one’s undying love to a sweet heart or secret love. But we must not forget
that it is not only this day that we must say our love but also make everyday a
Valentine’s Day. (p.16, Improving Study, Thinking, Reading, and Writing Skills for College Freshmen
by Cabrera,L., et.al)
Text Type __________________

2. There are similarities and differences of the Philippine and American good manner.
Both types of behavior aim to put them at ease. Both intend to show sincerity and
goodwill. However, the Americans are frank, open and straightforward and the
Filipinos are timid, verbose, and over polite. The Americans consider loud laughing
and hand shaking vigorously but Filipinos consider these actions as a breach of
etiquette. On the other hand, the Filipino offers his guests the most delicious food at
the best accommodation at home. The Filipinos are well known for their hospitality.
They display their simplicity and humility in action and speech. (p.174, Improving Study,
Thinking, Reading, and Writing Skills for College Freshmen by Cabrera,L., et.al)

6
3. Sitting at the kitchen table, 32-year-old Caroline was distraught. She had just
learned that her older sister, Susan, 46, had a mild stroke while teaching in her
classroom. Less than two months before, their father died of high blood pressure.
And in 1982, Carol’s mother succumbed to arterial clogging and heart failure at age
65. Carol’s mind raced. Was her whole family destined to die of hypertension? (p.137,
Improving Study, Thinking, Reading, and Writing Skills for College Freshmen by Cabrera,L., et.al)
Text type ___________________

4. Tea is a drink for its taste, but at the same time it is a healthy drink that is so
beneficial to the human body that it is used as medicine. Tea is a great help in
strengthening the body, the most important part of a healthy life. Not only that, but
the devotion and rules of etiquette that accompany the steeping, drinking, and
serving of tea, as well as the calm, quiet atmosphere, provide an environment for
gaining enlightenment.
(p.151, English Expressways 11 by Bermudez, V., et.al)
Text type ___________________

5. The students play a big role in saving our environment. It starts at home: the students
should not forget to segregate the trash in the waste basket, before having the
garbage collector collect it. Then, while at school, the students should participate
actively in symposia and other similar activities organized by other students who, like
them, advocate a clean and healthy environment. Lastly, before going home, the
students should make a pledge to protect the environment whenever possible. Truly,
when future is at stake, the whole student body could really help a lot.
(p.199, English Expressways 11 by Bermudez, V., et.al)
Text type __________________

7
 Lesson

Skimming for Key Ideas

2
Lesson

What I Need to Know

Skim to determine the key ideas
● What is skimming?
● How do I skim?
● What is skimming for?

What’s I
What’s In
Review on Scanning
In Lesson 1, you have learned about scanning. Let us review what scanning
is.
Scanning is reading a text quickly in order to find specific information,
e.g. figures or names. (https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/scanning)

Study the figure below. Which of the examples have you done as a student?

list of flight
movies schedule
now
showing

scanning exam
schedule
page
number of
for
assigned a/an...
topic
word
phone meaning in
number in a dictionary
a directory

What’s New

Skimming

8
 This reading technique enables the reader to move quickly over the
material in order to get an idea of its subject matter without having to pay
close attention to details. By skimming or quickly running thru the selection or
parts of it, you can preview or survey the text, select what is relevant and set
these aside for further study. (p.14, Improving Study, Thinking, Reading and Writing
Skills for College Freshmen by Cabrera, et.al)

PROCESS ON HOW TO SKIM

1. Read the title, subtitles, subheading to find out what the text is about.
2. Look at the illustrations to give you further information about the story.
3. Read the first and last sentence of every paragraph.
4. Don’t read every word or every sentence. Let your eyes skim over the text, taking
in keywords.
5. Continue to think about the meaning of the text.

Activity 1. Skim Through

Directions: Skim through the paragraph and answer the given questions below:

Passage 1

Despite the hatred that most people feel toward cockroaches, they do help
humans in several ways. For example, they are perfect experimental animals
and are used for scientific research in the laboratory. Breeding them is easy,
for they thrive under almost any conditions. In studies on nutrition and food,
cockroaches are good subjects because they will eat any kind of food. They
can be used to study heart disease, and cancer researchers work with
roaches because they grow cancerous tumors like those that are found in
humans.
(https://www.proprofs.com/discuss/q/756098/located-despite-cockroaches-experimental)

1. What is being talked about in the passage? _________________

What particular aspect about cockroaches is discussed in the passage?
2. ____________________________________________________

Passage 2

Logging is one of the country’s top dollar earners. Millions of board feet
of hard wood are exported yearly to Japan, the United States, Europe,
and the Middle East. As a result, millions of dollars pour into the
national treasury. Many Filipino logging businessmen also get rich.
However, in the process of logging, forests are denuded. Life, property
and crops are lost due to flash floods. (p.179, Improving Study, Thinking, Reading
and Writing Skills for College Freshmen by Cabrera, L., et.al)

1. What is being talked about in the passage? ___________

2. What specific aspect of the subject is discussed in the passage?

______________________________________________________

9
 Passage 3

Digestion begins as soon as food is taken into the mouth. The food is
masticated by the teeth and moistened with saliva which contains a
substance called ptyalin. While food is still in the mouth, ptyalin acts upon
complex molecules of starches, breaking them into simple sugars. The effect
of ptyalin may continue inside a ball of food for some time after the food is
swallowed. Then, the food reaches the stomach. It passes through the
pharynx and down the esophagus. Peristalsis, the wavelike movements of the
esophagus muscles, forces food into the stomach. (p.61, Ventures in
Communication by Flores, M., et.al)

What is the passage about? __________

What specific aspect of the subject is discussed in the passage?
________________________________________________________

What Is It
Main Idea
The main idea is the central, or most important idea in a paragraph or passage. It
states the purpose and sets the direction of the paragraph or passage.
⮚ The main idea may be stated or it may be implied.
⮚ When the main idea of a paragraph is stated, it is most often found in the first
sentence of the paragraph. However, the main idea may be found in any
sentence of the paragraph.
⮚ The main idea may be stated in the first sentence of a paragraph and then be
repeated or restated at the end of the paragraph.
⮚ The main idea may be split. The first sentence of a paragraph may present a
point of view, while the last sentence presents a contrasting or opposite view.
⮚ To find the main idea of any paragraph or passage, ask these questions:
• Who or what is the paragraph about?
•What aspect or idea about the ‘who’ or ‘what’ is the author concerned with?
(https://www.mdc.edu/Kendall/collegeprep/documents2/MAIN%20IDEASrevised815.pdf)

Activity 2. Determine the Main Idea

Directions: Skim through the passages to determine the main idea.
Passage 1

It is often said that lightning never strikes twice in the same place, but this isn’t
true. Go ask the forest rangers. Rangers who spend their summers as fire-
fighters will tell you that every thundershower brings several bolts of lightning to
their lookout stations.

Main idea: _______________________________________________

Passage 2

10
Costs were low that year and the output high. There was a good person for each
job and the market remained firm. There were no losses from fire. All in all, it was
the best years in the history of the company.

Main idea: _____________________________________________

Passage 3

There are great numbers of deer around here. This whole area is a great country
for hunters and fishermen. There are bears, mountain lions, and coyotes. To the
east there are streams full of trout, and there are ducks and geese.

Main idea: _____________________________________________

Passage 4

Advertising affects our lives every day. Brand names are common household
words. We start each day using the toothpaste, soap, and breakfast foods
promoted by advertisers. Ads have made the cars we drive signs of our success.
Our choices of food, dress, and entertainment are swayed by ads. Not one of
American life is untouched by advertising.

Main idea: ______________________________________________

Passage 5

Penicillin is one of the greatest of the wonder drugs. It has saved thousands of
lives already and will save many more in the future. Unfortunately, it has no effect
at all on most of the ills of mankind. Penicillin is a very good drug, but it is
certainly not a cure-all.

Main idea: _______________________________________________

(https://www.mdc.edu/Kendall/collegeprep/documents2/MAIN%20IDEASrevised815.pdf)

What’s More

Activity 3: Skimming Practice

Direction: Skim through the following long passages for five minutes. Then
answer the questions that follow.

Passage 1

Americans have always been interested in their Presidents’ wives. Many First
Ladies have been remembered because of the ways they have influenced their
husbands. Other First Ladies have made the history books on their own.

11
 At least two First Ladies, Bess Truman and Lady Bird Johnson, made it their
business to send signals during their husbands’ speeches. When Lady Bird
Johnson thought her husband was talking too long, she wrote a note and sent it
up to the platform. It read, “it’s time to stop!” And he did. Once Bess Truman
didn’t like what her husband was saying on television, so she phoned him and
said, “If you can’t talk more politely than that in public, you come right home.”
Abigail Fillmore and Eliza Johnson actually taught their husbands, Millard
Fillmore and Andrew Johnson, the thirteenth and seventeenth Presidents. A
schoolteacher, Abigail eventually married her pupil, Millard. When Eliza Johnson
married Andrew, he could not read or write, so she taught him herself.
It was First Lady Helen Taft’s idea to plant famous cherry trees in
Washington, D.C. Each spring these blossoming trees attract thousands of
visitors to the nation’s capital. Mrs. Taft also influenced the male members of her
family and the White House staff in a strange way: she convinced them to shave
off their beards!
Shortly after President Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke, Edith Wilson
unofficially took over most of the duties of the Presidency until the end of her
husband’s term. Earlier, during World War 1, Mrs. Wilson had sheep brought onto
the White House lawn to eat the grass. The sheep not only kept the lawn mowed,
but provided wool for an auction sponsored by the First Lady. Almost $ 100,000
was raised for the Red Cross.
Dolly Madison saw to it that a magnificent painting of George Washington
was not destroyed during the War of 1812. As the British marched toward
Washington, D.C., she remained behind to rescue the painting, even after the
guards had left. The painting is the only object from the original White House that
was not burned.
One of the most famous First Ladies was Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of
President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was active in political and social causes
throughout her husband’s tenure in office. After his death, she became famous
for her humanitarian work in the United Nations. She made life better for
thousands of needy people around the world.
(http://cs.engr.uky.edu/~cheng/GMAT/GMAT_reading2.html)

Question: What is the main idea of this passage?

A. The humanitarian work of the First Ladies is critical in American

Government.
B. Dolly Madison was the most influential President’s wife.
C. Eleanor Roosevelt transformed the First Lady image.
D. The First Ladies are important figures in American culture.
E. The First Ladies are key supporters of the Presidents

Passage 2

Of the many kinds of vegetables grown all over the world, which remains the
favorite of young and old alike? The potato, of course.
Perhaps you know them as “taters”, “spuds”, or “Kennebees”, or as “chips”, “Idahoes”
or even “shoestrings”. No matter, a potato by any other name is still a potato – the
world’s most widely grown vegetable. As a matter of fact, if you are an average
potato eater, you will put away at least 100 pounds of them each year.
That’s only a tiny portion of the amount grown each year, however. Worldwide, the
annual potato harvest is over 6 billion bags. Each bag contains 100 pounds of
potatoes, some of them as large as four pounds each. Here in the United States,
farmers fill about 400 million bags a year. That may seem like a lot of “taters”, but it

12
 leaves the United States a distant third among world potato growers. Polish farmers
dig up just 800 million bags a year, while the Russians lead the world with nearly 1.5
billion bags.
The first potatoes were grown by the Incas of South America, more than 400 years
ago. Their descendants in Ecuador and Chile continue to grow the vegetable as high
as 14,000 feet up in the Andes Mountains. (That’s higher than any other food will
grow.) Early Spanish and English explorers shipped potatoes to Europe and they
found their way to North America in the early 1600s.
People eat potatoes in many ways – baked, mashed, and roasted, to name just
three. However, in the United States most potatoes are devoured in the form of
French fries. One fast-food chain alone sells more than $1 billion worth of fries each
year. No wonder, then, that the company pays particular attention to the way its fries
are prepared.
Before any fry makes it to the people who eat at these popular restaurants, it must
pass many separate tests. Fail any one of these tests and the potato is rejected. To
start with, only Russet Burbank potatoes are used. These Idaho potatoes have less
water content than other kinds, which can have as much as 80 percent water. Once
into “shoestrings” shapes, the potatoes are partly fried in a secret blend of oils,
sprayed with liquid sugar to brown them, steam dried at high heat, then flash frozen
for shipment to individual restaurants.
Before shipping, every shoestring is measured. Forty percent of a batch must be
between two and three inches long. Another 40 percent has to be over three inches.
What about the 20 percent that are left in the batch? Well, a few short fries in a bag
are okay, it seems.
So, now that you realize the enormous size and value of the potato crop, you can
understand why most people agree that this part of the food industry is so “small
potatoes”. (http://cs.engr.uky.edu/~cheng/GMAT/GMAT_reading2.html)

Question: What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Potatoes from Ireland started the Potato Revolution.

B. The average American eats 50 pounds of potatoes a year.
C. Potatoes are a key vegetable in America.
D. French fries are made from potatoes.
E. The various terms for potatoes have a long history.

What I Have Learned

A

Activity 4: Generalization

Directions: Answer the following questions below.

1. In your own words, what is scanning and skimming?

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

13
 _________________________________________________________________

2. What is the main idea?

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

What I Can Do

Activity 5: Skim for the Main Idea

Directions: Each paragraph is followed by four statements. Skim through the
sentences and find the statement that best expresses the main idea. Circle the letter
of that statement.

1. The food guide pyramid shows the five basic food groups. When choosing
what to eat, you should think about these food groups. The food groups
are Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta; Vegetable; Fruit; Milk, Yogurt, and
Cheese; and Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts. The best
way to plan a balanced diet is to choose a variety of foods from each of
the five food groups. (p.49, Total Reading 6 by American Education Publishing)
A. The food guide pyramid shows the five basic food groups.
B. When choosing what to eat, you should think about these food groups.
C. The best way to plan a balanced diet is to choose a variety of foods
from each of the five food groups.

2. The fact that electronic computers are now used for data processing has
led the general public to believe that it is a mysterious, complicated
science and that the computers are giant brains. Both of these ideas are
false. A computer is basically just a high-speed adding machine that
performs the functions it is told to. If the input data are varied even a little,
the computer is unable to operate until it is programmed to accept the
variations. The business operations it performs are impressive only
because of the extremely high speed of manipulation, but most of these
operations have been used for decades. Unlike man, the computer
performs repetitive calculations without getting tired or bored.

A. A computer is a high-speed adding machine.

B. A computer is a mysterious giant brain.
C. A computer is impressive because of its high speed.
D. A computer is superior to man in many ways.

3. The Louisiana Purchase proved to be one of the shrewdest business

pacts in the entire history of the United States. The purchase doubled in
the area of the country and provided territory from which fourteen new
states were created either wholly or in part. It also gave us control over
the mouth of the Mississippi River and opened up the way to foreign
trade. Prior to the purchase, the waterway had been blocked by the

14
 Spanish, probably with the approval of Napoleon. The land that was
bought was rich in timber, minerals, and natural resources of many kinds.
Finally, the cost of the transaction was unbelievably low; the total of $15
million amounted to about four cents an acre.

A. The Louisiana Purchase was a very good business deal for the U.S.
B. The land bought by the Louisiana Purchase was rich in minerals.
C. The land bought by the Louisiana Purchase was very cheap.
D. Most Americans was pleased with the purchase.

4. There is a common belief that while the dog is man’s best friend, the
coyote is his worst enemy. The bad reputation of the coyote traces back
to his fondness for small animals; he hunts at night and is particularly
destructive to sheep, young pigs, and poultry. Yet it is sometimes wise to
encourage coyotes. Provided valuable farm animals are protected, the
coyote will often free the property of other animals, like rabbit, which are
ruinous to crops and certain trees. He is especially beneficial in keeping
down the rodent population. Where coyotes have been allowed to do their
work without molestation, ranchers and fruit growers have found them so
valuable that they would no more shoot them than would shoot their dogs.

A. Under certain conditions the coyote is helpful to man.

B. The coyote is feared because of his fondness for small animals.
C. Modern ranchers would no sooner shoot coyotes than they would
shoot dogs.
D. The coyote usually prefers rabbits and other rodents to sheep and
poultry.

5. In earlier days those who had overseas business which they believed
should be discussed personally, took ship and set out across the briny
deep. Once aboard they transacted their affairs, engaging in commercial
and social matters or conducting government business. Today ships and
passengers continue to sail the seven seas, and airplanes soar overhead.
But above them all, words speed through the sky – telephone
conversations quickly bring together in most personal fashion people who
are separated by thousands of miles.

A. Overseas telephone service today is ruling out all need for overseas
travel.
B. Nothing can take the place of person-to-person conversation in
settling business, social, and government problems.
C. Many conversations which once required overseas travel can now be
conducted by telephone.
D. Even with modern overseas telephone service people continue to
travel abroad by ship or by plane.

(https://www.mdc.edu/Kendall/collegeprep/documents2/MAIN
%20IDEASrevised815.pdf)

15
 Lesson

3
Lesson
Reading for One’s Purpose

What I Need to Know

Use appropriate reading style for one’s purpose
● What is speed reading?
● How do I determine the number of words I can read per minute?
● When is speed reading needed?
● When is it not helpful?
● How can I develop speed reading?
● Why speed reading and comprehension must go together?

What’s In
Comparing Scanning and Skimming

In previous lessons, you familiarized with two techniques in reading:

scanning and skimming. To review, have a look at the information below to compare
scanning and skimming.

scanning skimming

details main idea

specific relevant
information ideas

16
What’s New

Speed Reading is fast, silent reading. In doing this, readers will have
to expand their vision to read and understand several words at a glance. This
type of reading requires reading horizontally and vertically simultaneously to
take in as many words as one can and create a meaning out of it by piecing
them together.

Activity 1: Speed Test Yourself

Directions: You will need a cellphone with a timer. If you have no cellphone,
ask help from someone to time your speed with the aid of a clock or a watch.
Get ready and do it! Find out if you can read the whole text in one minute or
less.

The studio was filled with the rich odor of roses, and when the light summer
5 10 15
wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came through the open door
20 25
the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-
flowering
30 35 40
thorn. From the corner of the divan of Persian saddle-bags on which he was
45 50 55
lying, smoking, as was his custom, innumerable cigarettes, Lord Henry
Wotton
60 65
could just catch the gleam of the honey-sweet and honey-colored blossoms of
70 75
80
a laburnum, whose tremulous branches seemed hardly able to bear the
burden
85 90
of a beauty so flamelike as theirs; and now and then the fantastic shadows of
95 100 105
birds in flight flitted across the long tussore-silk curtains that were stretched
in
110 115
120
front of the huge window, producing a kind of momentary Japanese effect,
and
125 130
making him think of those pallid, jade-faced painters of Tokyo who, through
135 140 145
the medium of an art that is necessarily immobile, seek to convey the sense
of
150 155
160
swiftness and motion. The sullen murmur of the bees shouldering their way
165 170
through the long unmown grass, or circling with monotonous insistence round
175 180
the dusty gilt horns of the straggling woodbine, seemed to make the stillness

17
 185 190 195
more oppressive. The dim roar of London was like the bourdon note of a
distant
200 205 210
organ. In the center of the room, clamped to an upright easel, stood the full-
210 215 220

length portrait of a young man of extraordinary personal beauty, and in front of

225 230
it, some little distance away, was sitting the artist himself, Basil Hallward,
whose
235 240 245
sudden disappearance some years ago caused, at the time, such public
250 255
excitement and gave rise to so many strange conjectures. As the painter
260 265
looked at the gracious and comely form he had so skillfully mirrored in his art,
270 275 280
a smile of pleasure passed across his face, and seemed about to linger there.
285 290 295
But he suddenly started up, and closing his eyes, placed his fingers upon the
300 305 310
lids, as though he sought to imprison within his brain some curious dream
from
315 320 325
which he feared he might awake.
330
(Text from: https://www.readinglength.com/wpm/tpodg)

Questions to answer:

1. What is your speed? ______ words per minute (wpm)

2. After reading, did you remember any detail of what you have read?
Yes______ No______

3. Did you understand well what you read? Yes _____ No _____

4. In your own thinking, in what way would you be able to improve your
speed in reading? _______________________________________

18
 What is it

Speed Reading Studies have

Effective speed reading is found that the
a balance between pace faster you read,
and comprehension. the less
information you
take in,
particularly when
So, speed reading is
it comes to
clearly not the When you need to
answer if you're understand only the
reading a complex basic arguments or
legal or technical conclusions being
document, even if presented, though,
you are pushed for using a speed reading Similarly, it would be
time. technique can work. sensible to slow down if the
material you're reading is
new or unfamiliar.

When you need to

understand only the basic
A normal rate for learning is 100-200
arguments or conclusions
wpm, and for comprehension it is 200-
being presented, though,
400 wpm.
using a speed reading
technique can work.

19
 What’s More
Improve Your Speed Reading
Speed reading is normally done at a rate of around 400-700 wpm. Anything
above 500-600 wpm means sacrificing comprehension, although this varies from
person to person. (https://www.mindtools.com/speedrd.html)

How to Improve Your Speed Reading

Avoid distractions. Create an environment where there are as few interruptions and

distractions as possible, to allow you to focus  fully on the words in front of you.

Know what you want from the text. This can be useful if you are using the skimming
method, as it primes you to pay attention when you see relevant words, sentences or
phrases. You can then slow down at these points, or circle them for emphasis, but otherwise
move across the page quickly.

Practice, practice, practice. You have to practice speed reading to get good at it. The more
you train yourself, the more natural it will feel. (https://www.mindtools.com/speedrd.html)

Activity 2. Try this!

Directions: Read first the questions below the passage. Know what you want from
the text. Then, read with speed the passage about The Grasshopper and the Toad. See if
you can answer the questions without going back to the passage.

The Grasshopper and the Toad

(An African Folktale)

Grasshopper and Toad appeared to be good friends. People always saw

them together. Yet they had never dined at each other’s houses. One day Toad said
to Grasshopper, “Dear friend, tomorrow come and dine at my house. My wife and I
will prepare a special meal. We will eat it together.”
The next day grasshopper arrived at Toad’s house. Before sitting down to eat,
Toad washed his forelegs, and invited Grasshopper to do the same. Grasshopper did
so, and it made a loud noise.
“Friend Grasshopper, can’t you leave your chirping behind. I cannot eat with
such a noise,” said Toad.
Grasshopper tried to eat without rubbing his forelegs together, but it was
impossible. Each time he gave a chirp, Toad complained and asked him to be quiet.
Grasshopper was angry and could not eat. Finally, he said to Toad: “I invite you to
my house for dinner tomorrow.”
The next day, Toad arrived at Grasshopper’s home. As soon as the meal was
ready, Grasshopper washed his forelegs, and invited Toad to do the same. Toad did
so, and then hopped toward the food.
“You had better go back and wash again,” said Grasshopper. “All that
hopping in the dirt has made your forelegs dirty again.”
Toad hopped back to the water jar, washed again then hopped back to the
table, and was ready to reach out for some food from one of the platters when
Grasshopper stopped him: “Please don’t put your dirty paws into the food. Go
and wash them again.”

20
 Toad was furious. “You just don’t want me to eat with you!” he cried.
“You know very well that I must use my paws and forelegs in hopping about. I
cannot help it if they get a bit dirty between the water jar and the table.”
Grasshopper responded, “You are the one who started it yesterday.
You know I cannot rub my forelegs together without making a noise.”
From then on, they were no longer friends.
(https://www.worldoftales.com/African_folktales/African_Folktale_6.html)

Questions to answer:

1. What is the title of the reading material?

2. What is the purpose of the author in writing the material?
3. Who are the characters involved?
4. What happened in the material’s ending?
5. What lessons can be obtained from the material?

What’s More
Activity 3: Speed Reading with Comprehension

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions that
follow.

Metal Detectors

Have you ever been to the beach? Did you see a man with a headset
pointing a long pole at the ground? If so you might have seen a person using
a metal detector. People use these devices to find metal.
Metal detectors make magnetic waves. These waves go through the
ground. The waves change when they hit metal. Then the device beeps. This
lets the person with the device know that metal is close.
The first metal detectors were meant to help miners. They were big.
They cost a lot of money. They used a lot of power. And worst of all, they
didn't work well. People kept trying to make them better.
Metal detectors got smaller. Now they are light and cheap. They also
work better. That is why people bring them to the beach. They can look for
rings in the water. They can look for phones in the sand. Metal detectors help
them find these things. They usually just find junk though.

21
 Metal detectors also protect people. They help to keep guns out of
some places. They are in airports. They are in courthouses. Some schools
use them. They help guards look for weapons. Guards use special wands to
find metal on a person.
These devices save lives in other ways too. During wars, people plant
bombs in the ground. When the war ends, they don't clean up their messes.
This is unsafe for the people who live in those places. Others use metal
detectors to find bombs. They remove them and help the people.
These devices also make clothes safer. It sounds funny, but it's true.
Most clothes are made in big factories. There are lots of needles in these
places. Needles break from time to time. They get stuck in the clothes. They
would poke people trying them on. They don't though. That's because our
clothes are scanned for metal. Isn't that nice? Let's hear it for metal detectors.
They make the world a safer place.
(https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/reading-comprehension-
worksheets/nonfiction-rea)

Questions:
1. Which was not one of the problems with the first metal detectors?
a. They were too big. b. They were too expensive.
c. They didn't work well. d. They were unsafe.

2. Which best describes the main idea of the second paragraph?

a. It describes the sounds of a metal detector.
b. It explains how metal detectors work.
c. It warns about the effects of metal detectors.
d. It explains how magnetic waves move.

3. How do metal detectors make clothing safer?

a. Metal detectors make sure factory machines are working the right way.
b. Metal detectors make sure workers don't bring weapons into factories.
c. Metal detectors make sure that broken needles don't get into clothing.
d. Metal detectors help people recover lost clothing at the beach.

4. Why were metal detectors first used?

a. To help miners b. To help security guards
c. To help doctors d. To help soldiers

5. According to the text, metal detectors have been used in all of the following
except which?
a. schools b. churches

22
 c. courthouses d. airports

6. How do metal detectors help soldiers?

a. They warn soldiers when bullets are coming.
b. They help soldiers find hidden bombs.
c. They find weaknesses in their armor.
d. They create a relaxing beeping noise.

7. Why do people bring metal detectors to the beach?

a. Metal detectors help people keep the sand clean and safe.
b. Metal detectors look cool.
c. Metal detectors help people find valuable items.
d. Metal detectors help guards keep weapons away from the beach.

8. Which happens first?

a. The metal detector beeps alarmingly.
b. The magnetic waves hit metal and change.
c. The magnetic waves go through the ground.
d. The metal detector creates magnetic waves.

9. How did metal detectors get better over time?

a. They became cheaper. b. They became lighter.
c. They began working better d. All of these

10. Which title would best describe the purpose of this text?
a. A Day at the Beach: Using Your Metal Detector to Find Things
b. Metal Detectors: Complete the Story of Their Invention
c. Magnetism and More: How a Metal Detector Works
d. Metal Detectors: What They Do and How We Use Them

What I Have Learned

A
Activity 4: Generalization
Directions: Answer the question and complete the statements that follow.
1. What is speed reading?

23
 ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________
2. Speed reading is necessary when
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3. Speed reading is not necessary when
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
4. I can improve my speed by ____________________________________________

What I Can do

Activity 5: One Minute Reading

Directions: Read the material for one minute. Then, answer the
comprehension questions that follow.

Aspirin can be a fatal poison. People are used to taking aspirin

whenever they feel pain. It is true that aspirin is an efficacious pain-killer for
example in headache cases. However, aspirin is like any other medicine can
be dangerously harmful. Any unregulated use of it may result into the damage
to the lining of the stomach, prolonged bleeding time, nausea, vomiting,
ulcers, liver damage, and hepatitis. It is scientifically proven that excessive
use of aspirin turns it into a toxin. Its toxic effects are kidney damage, severe
metabolic derangements, respiratory and central nervous system effects,
strokes, fatal hemorrhages of the brain, intestines and lungs and eventually
death. Thus, the careful and regulated use of aspirin is most advisable so as
not to turn into a deadly poison.

Questions:

1. Aspirin is a _____.

A. poison B. food C. medicine

2. Aspirin can be fatal if ______.

A. you have a headache

B. used without prescription
C. taken by people

24
 3. Aspirin can _____.

A. help ease the pain C. worsen the pain

B. increase the pain

4. If used improperly, aspirin may_____.

A. damage the liver C. contaminate blood cells

B. decrease cancer cells

5. The author’s purpose in writing is to _____.

A. persuade B. entertain C. inform

Intensive Reading to
43
Lesson
Lesso
4
Determine the Author’s
25
33 Purpose
3
4
n

What I Need to Know

Read intensively to determine the author’s purpose

● What is in-depth reading?
● What is the key to in-depth reading?
● How does in-depth reading help you?
● What are the purposes of writing?

What’s In

Reading Techniques
3 4
1 2
speed intensive
scanning skimming
reading reading

What’s New
Activity 1. Simple Recall
Directions: Supply the information base from the previous lesson.

26
 _____________
scanning
______________

_____________
skimming
________________

speed _______________
reading ________________

understanding
intensive information
reading organizing of ideas
interpreting reading

(Source of picture: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-and-readin)

What is it
Intensive Reading

Intensive reading involves learners reading in detail with specific learning

aims and tasks. It can be compared with extensive reading, which involves learners
reading texts for enjoyment and to develop general reading skills.

Intensive Reading

Example 3
Example 1 Example 2
Scanning jumbled paragraphs
Reading a short text and Skimming a text for specific
and reading them carefully to
putting events from it into information to answer true or
put them into the correct
chronological order false statements or filling gaps
order

27
(Source of Text: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/intensive-reading)

Activity 2. Intensive Reading

Directions: Do an intensive reading of the following selection; then answer the
questions that follow.
In Spring it is the dawn that is most beautiful. As the light creeps over
the hills, their outlines are dyed a faint red and wisps of purplish cloud trail
over them.
In summer the nights. Not only when the moon shines, but on dark
nights, too. As the fireflies fly to and fro, and even when it rains, how beautiful
it is!
In autumn the evenings, when the glittering sun sinks close to the
edge of the hills and the crows fly back to their nests in threes, and fours, and
twos; more charming still is a file of wild geese, like specks in the distant sky.
When the sun has set, one’s heart is moved by the sound of the wind and the
hum of the insects.
In winter the early mornings. It is beautiful indeed when snow has
fallen during the night, but splendid, too, when the ground is white with frost;
or even when there is no snow or frost, but it is simply very cold and the
attendants hurry from room to room stirring up the fires and bringing charcoal,
how well this fits the season’s mood! But as noon approaches and the cold
wears off, no one bothers to keep the braziers alight, and soon nothing
remains but piles of white ashes.
(https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/160468-in-spring-it-is-the-dawn-that-is-most)

1. What are the four seasons mentioned in the article?

2. What specific details does Sei Shonagon use to describe each of the four
seasons?
3. Point out two passages that highlight the beauty of the natural world.
Which images are specially striking? Why do you think so?
4. Does the author show preference for a particular season? Prove your
answer.
5. Based on the author’s description, which season do you prefer? Why?
6. State the topic sentence or the main idea of each paragraph.

What’s More

Author’s Purpose:

1. To persuade
Written to convince you to change your thinking, spend money,
support a cause, or offer a solution to a problem

28
 Examples:
advertisements/commercials literature
Political speeches Opinion editorials
Church sermon Movie or book reviews

2. To inform
Written to give information or describe something. Authors use facts
and reasons to get the point across.

Examples:
Textbooks News articles informational brochures
Encyclopedias schedules charts/graphs
Instructions

3. To entertain
Written to interest the reader, or appeal to emotions such as
pleasure, sadness, anger, or humor.

Examples:
Fiction books and other stories plays and movies
Comic strips video games
Sports articles or programs showbiz news bits

4. To express
Written to share a writer’s feelings or express opinions.

Examples:
Poetry songs blogs love letters
Journals diaries letters to editors

(https://www.slideshare.net/libraryyard/authors-purpose-18704746 )

Activity 3. Author’s Purpose

Directions: Read the descriptions of each item and determine the author’s
purpose (to entertain, persuade, or inform). Then, in a sentence or two,
explain your answer.

1. A pamphlet urging people not to eat animals or use products made from
animals or animal suffering because the author thinks that is cruel and
unnecessary

Author’s Purpose:
_______________________________________________________

29
 Explain Your Answer:
Write a sentence or two.

2. A book of over 1,000 knock-knock jokes

Author’s Purpose:
_______________________________________________________

Explain Your Answer:

Write a sentence or two.

3. A cook book containing recipes for making cakes, cookies, and other
desserts

Author’s Purpose:
_______________________________________________________

Explain Your Answer:

Write a sentence or two.

4. The story of a young woman who, after the death of her grandfather, quit
her job in the business world and returned home to help her aging
grandmother

Author’s Purpose:
_______________________________________________________

Explain Your Answer:

Write a sentence or two.

5. A politician’s speech about how homes should be provided to families who

cannot afford them

30
Author’s Purpose:
_______________________________________________________

Explain Your Answer:

Write a sentence or two.

6. A poem about a “packrat,” a person who refuses to throw things away,

even things that most people would consider garbage

Author’s Purpose:
_______________________________________________________

Explain Your Answer:

Write a sentence or two.

7. An article comparing and contrasting American and Swedish health care

systems

Author’s Purpose:
_______________________________________________________

Explain Your Answer:

Write a sentence or two.

8. The Shakespearean tragedy Romeo and Juliet, where two young lovers
are forbidden from seeing one another due to a centuries old blood feud
between their two families

Author’s Purpose:
_______________________________________________________

Explain Your Answer:

Write a sentence or two.

31
 9. A young girl’s note to her parents giving reasons why they should buy a
puppy

Author’s Purpose:
_______________________________________________________

Explain Your Answer:

Write a sentence or two.

10. A website describing a local dog leash ordinance, detailing its history and
the penalties for walking around with one’s dog unleashed

Author’s Purpose:
_______________________________________________________

Explain Your Answer:

Write a sentence or two.

(https://www.oercommons.org/authoring/6283-author-s-purpose/view)

What I Have Learned

Activity 4: Generalization
Directions: Complete the statements that follow.
1. To persuade is to _______________________________.
2. To entertain is to ________________________________.
3. To inform is to __________________________________.
4. In-depth or intensive reading is different from other techniques because
______________________________________________.

What I Can do
32
 Activity 5: Read the selection. Do the activities that follow.
The Last Flower
(A Parable)
James Thurber

World War XII, as everyone knows, brought about the collapse of civilization.
Towns, cities, and villages disappeared. All the groves and forests were
destroyed, and all the gardens, and all the works of art. Men, women, and
children became lower than the animals. Discouraged and disillusioned, dogs
deserted their fallen masters. Books, paintings and music disappeared from
the earth, and human beings just sat around doing nothing. Years went by.
Even the few generals who were left forgot what the last war had decided.
Boys and girls grew up to stare at each other blankly. Love had passed from
the Earth.
One day, a young girl who had never seen a flower chanced to come upon
the last one in the world. She told the other human beings that the last flower
was dying. The only one who paid any attention to her was a young man.
Together, the young man and the girl nurtured the flower and it began to live
again. One day, a bee visited the flower, and a hummingbird. Before long,
there were two flowers, and then a great many. Groves and forests flourished
again. The young girl began to take interest in how she looked. The young
man discovered that touching the girl was pleasurable. Love was reborn into
the world.
The children of the young man and the girl grew up strong and healthy. They
learned to run and laugh. Dogs came out of their exile. The young man
discovered how to build a shelter. Pretty soon everybody was building
shelters. Towns, cities, and villages sprung up. Song came back into the
world, and troubadours and jugglers, tailors and cobblers, painters and poets
and sculptors, and soldiers and Lieutenants and Captains, and Generals and
Major Generals, and liberators. Some people went to one place to live, and
some to another. Before long, those who went to the valleys wished they had
gone to live in the hills. And those who had to live in the hills wished they had
gone to live in the valleys. The liberators, under the guidance of God, set fire
to the discontented. So presently, the world was at war again. This time, the
destruction was so complete that nothing at all was left in the world, except
one man, one woman, and one flower.
(http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/thurberlastflower.pdf)

A. Which of the following information is stated or suggested in the reading

selection? Put a check mark ( ̷ ) on the space before the given detail.

______ 1. The World War XII brought about destruction of civilization.

______ 2. Dogs deserted their masters.

______ 3. Love disappeared from the earth.

______ 4. The girl and the young man found the flower.

______ 5. The liberators stopped the growing discontent of the flower.

______ 6. The girl and the young man took care of the flower.

33
 ______ 7. World War XII was so destructive that only two people were left in
the world.

______ 8. After World War XII, all works of art disappeared from the earth.

______ 9. World War XIII came right after World War XII.

______ 10. After the blooming of the last flower came love and laughter.

B. Discuss the following questions:

1. What happened after World War XII?

2. What brought back love into the world?

3. Do you agree that it is possible for man to destroy the world?

4. The author gives us events in the future. How does he make them seem real?

5. What do you think of the story? What has the author succeeded in doing?

C. The story can be divided into three parts. What are they? Retell the story in
your own words.
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

SUMMARY

This Module comprises four (4) Lessons namely: scanning for logical connectors,
skimming to determine text types, reading for one’s purpose and intensive reading to
determine the author’s purpose. As you have finished the lessons, you have learned four
techniques in reading – scanning, skimming, speed reading and intensive reading. These
techniques call for comprehension. It does not mean to say that you have finished Module 1
then you are finished with reading. This is the first base to many more readings in the future.
It is important that you are comfortable with reading activities and be interested in reading to
master the skill in Reading Comprehension.

Assessment: (Post-Test)

34
 Multiple Choice

Directions: Read the given situation in each number. Choose the most correct
answer as you skim or scan in the given situation.

1. You're skimming a book called "Plant Life" to see if it would be a good source for you
research paper on how flowers grow. Where would you look to see if it has the info
you need?
A. the title C. the table of contents
B. the cover D. the first paragraph

2. It's time to pick a book for silent reading time. You have a stack of novels in front of
you. What is the best thing to look at to decide if the book will interest you?
A. the title C. the first sentence or paragraph
B. the list of chapters D. the index

3.  You're interested in learning more about dogs, but you don't want a boring book full
of text. What is the best part of the book to look at to see if it will interest you?
A. the title C. table of contents
B. the cover D. the pictures

4. You’re skimming a newspaper to find the comics section. What is the best thing to look
at to find the section you want?
A. the section headings C. the headlines
B. the pictures D. the index

5. You're reading a short story and want to quickly determine what it is about.
What is the best thing to look at?
A. the title
B. the first and last sentence of each paragraph
C. dialogue
D. the author

Direction: Determine the purpose of the Author: to persuade, to inform, to entertain.

Write your answer on the spaces before each number.

__________ 6. A handbook teaching people how to negotiate.

__________ 7. A public service announcement telling the residents to stay inside
their houses.
__________ 8. A rap song about COVID-19 by popular music artist.
___________ 9. A cell phone application that suggests dozens of recipes based on
on your ingredients.
__________ 10. A pie graph showing how many people are infected with CORONA
VIRUS around the Philippines.

Directions: Choose the word from the box that corresponds to the description of
each number. Write the word in the space before each number.

Narrative Expository Descriptive Persuasive

to inform to persuade to entertain to express

35
__________11. This type of texts furnishes you with relevant facts and figures
but do not include their opinion.

__________12. This type of texts focuses on describing a character, an event, or

a place in great detail.

__________13. This type of texts contains justifications and reasons as well as

the opinions and the biases of the author to convince others to agree with the
author’s point of view.

__________14. This type of texts tells a story. The author creates different
characters and tell you what happens to them.

__________15. An author’s purpose to convince you to change your thinking.

__________16. The author’s purpose to arouse interest or evoke laughter.

__________17. The author’s purpose to give facts and reasons to get the point
across.

Passage
You need a balanced diet to stay healthy. A balanced diet provides the amount of
nutrients your body needs every day. By eating lots of different foods, you will get
the nutrients you require to stay healthy. If you don’t eat properly, your immune
system becomes weak and you easily get sick. So, you better eat to stay healthy.

18. What is the topic of this paragraph?

A. eating foods
B. the importance of a balanced diet
C. planning your diet
D. different foods

19 . Which sentence states the main idea about the topic?

A. When you eat lots different foods you get the nutrients you require.
B. A balanced diet provides the amount of nutrients your body needs every
Day.
C. You need a balanced diet to stay healthy.
D. It is implied.
20. What is the purpose of the author?
A. to inform C. to entertain
B. to persuade D. to express

Key Answers

36
Pre-Test

C 6. Scanning 11. Skimming

C 7. Scanning 12. Scanning

D 8. Scanning 13. Scanning
B 9. Scanning 14. Skimming
A 10. Skimming 15. Skimming

16. Life Cycle of a Monarch Butterfly

17. four steps
18. a pupa
19. Science
20. butterfly
21. Expository 26. To entertain
22. descriptive 27. to inform
23. persuasive 28. Descriptive
24. narrative 29. B
25. to persuade 30. C

Post-Test
C 2. C 3. D 4. A 5. B
To persuade
To inform
To entertain
To entertain
To inform
Expository
Descriptive
Persuasive
Narrative

LESSON 1
Activity 1

Activity 2

37
Activity 3
Connectors join two separate sentences.
Connectors help to arrange ideas
 Text Type: Narrative
Paragraph 4
Underlined connector: but at the same time, not
only that, but, as well as 38
Text Type: Expository
Paragraph 5
Underlined Connector: before, then, lastly
39
 Activity 5
A 2. A 3. A 4. A
5. C

LESSON 3
Activity 1
(Answer will vary as it requires individual experience.)
Activity 2
The Grasshopper and the Toad
To entertain
Grasshopper and toad
The toad and the grasshopper who used to
be friends ended up as enemy.
Accept your friends the way they are.
(Consider other answer within the context.)
Activity 3
d 6. b
b 7. c
c 8. d
a 9. d
b 10. D
Activity 4
Speed reading is fast silent reading.
Speed reading is necessary when you need
only the basic argument or conclusions.
Speed reading is not necessary when you
are reading legal or technical document or if you are
reading a new or unfamiliar material.
Speed reading can be improved by constant
practice.
Activity 5
C 5. A
B
A
A
LESSON 4

Activity 2
spring, summer, autumn, winter
Spring dawn is most beautiful.
In 40
summer, the moon shines; on
dark nights fireflies fly to and fro.
In autumn, when the sun has set,
one’s heart is moved by the sound of the wind and
REFERENCES

Books
American Education Publishing. 2008.Total Reading 6. School Specialty
Children’s Publishing.

41
Bermudez, Cruz, Nery, and SanJuan. 2012. English Expressways 11. Quezon
City, Philippines: SD Publications, Inc.
Cabrera and De Asis. 2008. Improving Study, Thinking, Reading and Writing
Skills for College Freshmen. Manila, Philippines: Bookstore Publishing
Corporation.
Flores, Dela Cruz and Ladera. 2008. Ventures in Communication.Quezon
City, Philippines: Rex Bookstore, Inc.

Websites
www.freereadingtest.com

Links
African Folktales – “The Grasshopper and the Toad”, Accessed April 19, 2020
https://www.worldoftales.com/African_folktales/African_Folktale_6.html
Amy Chua, “Example of Expository Essay in Literature”, Accessed June 02,
2020
https://literarydevices.net/narrative-essay/
Author’s Purpose – Slide Share
https://www.slideshare.net/libraryyard/authors-purpose-18704746

Author’s Purpose Activity 2 – ereadingwoeksheets – Yumpu, Accessed June

04, 2020
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/52924505/authors-purpose-
activity-2-ereading
Author's Purpose | OER Commons, Accessed June 04, 2020
https://www.oercommons.org/authoring/6283-author-s-purpose/view
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/52924505/authors-purpose-
activity-2-ereading
picture of a hand holding a book, Accessed June 04, 2020
https://www.pexels.com/photo/book-in-the-hand-5835/
Definition of Main Idea, Accessed June 03, 2020
https://www.mdc.edu/Kendall/collegeprep/documents2/MAIN
%20IDEASrevised815.pdf

‘ English Language Arts Worksheets>Main idea”, Accessed June 03, 2020

http://webapps.towson.edu/Speedreading.htm
Main idea worksheets – Easy Teacher Worksheets, Accessed June 03, 2020
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https://www.mdc.edu/Kendall/collegeprep/documents2/MAIN
%20IDEASrevised815.pdf

Intensive Reading/Teaching English, Accessed June 03, 2020

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/intensive-reading

Life cycle of a monarch butterfly, accessed May 30 2020

https://www.activewild.com/life-cycle-of-the-monarch-butterfly/

42
Logical connectors accessed June 15, 2020
https://blog.abaenglish.com/paragraph-connectors-in-english

Main idea worksheets – Easy Teacher Worksheets, Accessed June 03, 2020
https://www.easyteacherworksheets.com/langarts/mainideas.html
https://www.mdc.edu/Kendall/collegeprep/documents2/MAIN
%20IDEASrevised815.pdf

Narrative – Literary Device, Accessed June 02, 2020

https://literarydevices.net/narrative-essay/

Nonfiction Reading Test Metal Detectors

https://www.mingoschools.com/cms/lib/WV02215465/Centricity/Domain/262/
Day%203
(Paragraphs used for Lesson I Activity 2), Accessed June 02, 2020
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(Paragraphs used for Lesson I Activity 2), Accessed June 02, 2020
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https://literarydevices.net/persuasive-essay/

(Picture of a hand holding a book), Accessed June 04, 2020

https://www.pexels.com/photo/book-in-the-hand-5835/
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The Last Flower
http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/thurberlastflower.pdf

43
 For inquiries and feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Bureau of Learning

Resources (DepEd-BLR)

Department of Education – Division of Gingoog

City
Office Address: Brgy. 23, National
Highway,Gingoog City
Telefax: 088 328 0108/ 088328 0118
E-mail Address: [email protected]

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