Reading Comprehension and Redaction

Introduction:

How is the following place named?

Do you like Reading? How about writing?

Which is the most difficult for you?

Snapshot:

Reading comprehension is the ability to read text, process it and understand its
meaning. It relies on two, interconnected abilities: word reading (being able to
decode the symbols on the page) and language comprehension (being able to
understand the meaning of the words and sentences).

When we make sense of a text, however, we don’t just remember the exact
words and phrases we read. Rather, we form a mental model of what the text
describes by integrating the sense of the words and sentences into a
meaningful whole, like a film that plays in our head.

Good comprehension is vital if reading is to have a purpose, if a reader is to

engage with and learn from a text and, ultimately, if a reader is to enjoy what
they’re reading.

Are you a fan of books? Which is your favorite one? If not interested in
books, what are your reading preferences?

If you’re in a writing-centric or writing-heavy role—for example, marketing—you

might already be aware of how your writing skills help you daily. But even if you
aren’t in one of these jobs, “Writing is an essential skill in the workplace,
especially today with more and more people working remotely”, says Muse
career coach Jennifer Smith, founder of “Flourish Careers”. In an increasingly
online world, “There's less face-to-face interaction and more written interaction.”

Strong writing skills help you to communicate with others without having to
schedule a meeting or phone call. They ensure readers understand the key
points of what you’re trying to get across, come away with the ideas and
impression you want them to, and, in many cases, take action to do whatever
you’re hoping they’ll do.

How many have you written for work now? Is it an easy task for you?

Vocabulary:

Survey, skim, come in handy, chunk, keywords, engage, outline, draft, style
formatting, handouts, wordiness, plagiarism, response, essay, paper.

Grammar:

Reading techniques

Reading techniques are approaches to reading that you can employ to become
a better and more accomplished reader. The techniques will help you read
faster, understand what you read better, and remember what you read better.

1. SQ3R Technique
SQ3R is named after its 5 steps – Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and
Review. The reading technique is great for comprehension and memory.

 Survey: This first step in the SQ3R technique is preparing your mind to
receive the material. Surveying involves getting a quick idea of the whole
material.
Different ways to survey a reading material include:

1. Reading the introduction

2. Looking at the chapters/ headings and subheadings
3. Looking at the pictures or charts
4. Reading the summary
5. Looking up the study questions 

 Question: This step is about preparing questions that you will find answers
to in the material as you read. Creating questions automatically gives you a
purpose as you read. It’ll then make you pay more attention to what you
read.

 Read: Reading as the third step of the SQ3R model is more productive than
reading the material straight-up. This is because you’ll already have an idea
of the material and questions in mind that you seek answers to. To help you
in this step, make notes as you read. Also, after reading a section, highlight
the most important points.
  Recite: This is where you answer the questions that you’d created before
starting to read. Reciting aids comprehension as you digest what you’d read,
make sense of it, and get answers to your questions. 

 Review: This is simply making mental notes of what you’d read to see how
much of it you remember. Thus, this step is all about retention.

2. Skimming
Skimming is a reading technique used to get the main gist of a material. It’s all
about going through a chunk of text quickly and less about comprehension.
Skimming can also come in handy when you need to review something you’ve
read before. When skimming a previous read, you move your eyes quickly over
the material to help refresh your memory. 

You use skimming technique when:

 Going through a newspaper or magazine to know what’s covered

 Going through a product review to have an idea of the product’s features

3. Scanning
Scanning is similar to skimming in approach. It also involves going through a
chunk of text quickly without any care for comprehension. The difference
between skimming and scanning is on purpose. While skimming is done to get
the main idea of the whole material, scanning is done to find specific information
in the material. 

Scanning is a reading technique that you’ll find useful in many situations. One of
such situations is reviewing a reading material to revive understanding of what
was read. In reviewing, you move your eyes quickly over the text, searching for
keywords or keyphrases that’ll refresh your memory. 

4. Active Reading
Active reading is a technique that aids both comprehension and retention. It
involves engaging with the reading material when reading it so that you’ll
understand it and evaluate it based on your needs. 

Some tips for active reading are:

 Ask questions. As you read, ask yourself questions like “what does this
mean,” “what is the significance of this statement,” etc.
 Highlight and make notes. As you read, highlight important points in
the reading material.
 Link to existing knowledge. Try to understand how what you’re reading
relates to what you know about the topic.
 Write a summary. Summarize what you’ve read in your own words.
Write down the key points. 


5. Detailed Reading
Detailed reading is a technique that involves carefully reading and analyzing
every word for a deeper understanding of the material. Detailed reading is used
to extract accurate information from a material.

Detailed reading usually starts with skimming. First, you skim the material to
have an idea of what it is. Then you carefully read through.

When doing a detailed reading, you need to look up the meaning of unfamiliar
words or phrases. You also need to piece words together for better
understanding. You use this technique when reading research articles, reports,
and literary works.

Improving writing

The writing process is something that no two people do the same way. There is
no "right way" or "wrong way" to write. It can be a very messy and fluid process,
and the following is only a representation of commonly used steps.

Steps of the Writing Process

Step 1: Prewriting

Think and Decide

 Make sure you understand your assignment.

 Decide on a topic to write about.
 Consider who will read your work.
 Brainstorm ideas about the subject and how those ideas can be
organized. Make an outline.

Step 2: Research (if needed) 

Search

 List places where you can find information.

 Do your research. 
 Evaluate your sources.
 Make an outline to help organize your research.

Step 3: Drafting

Write

 Write sentences and paragraphs even if they are not perfect.

 Create a thesis statement with your main idea.
  Put the information you researched into your essay accurately without
plagiarizing. Remember to include both in-text citations and a
bibliographic page.  
 Read what you have written and judge if it says what you mean. Write
some more.
 Read it again.
 Write some more.
 Read it again.
 Write until you have said everything you want to say about the topic.

Step 4: Revising

Make it Better

 Read what you have written again.

 Rearrange words, sentences, or paragraphs into a clear and logical
order. 
 Take out or add parts.
 Do more research if you think you should.
 Replace overused or unclear words.
 Read your writing aloud to be sure it flows smoothly. Add transitions.

Step 5: Editing and Proofreading

Make it Correct

 Be sure all sentences are complete.

 Correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
 Change words that are not used correctly or are unclear.
 Make sure you are using the appropriate style formatting.
o APA Formatting
o Chicago Style Formatting
o MLA Formatting 
 Have someone else check your work.

Activity:

1. Here is a link to an essay, read it using one of the previously studied

techniques:

https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/essay/essay-on-leadership-meaning-nature-
and-importance-of-leadership/28005

Then, write your own opinion in an expository essay. Cover 4 paragraph with a
length of no less than 7 lines per paragraphs.

2. I invite you to open this link and discover different pieces of reading
which you can use to practice reading and writing at the same time.

https://agendaweb.org/reading/reading-pdf
 3. Write an argumentative, expository or a narrative text choosing a topic of
your preference, then read it aloud in class.

4. Read this very famous story, do a summary of this and say what what
reading and writing tips you used.

https://www.englishclub.com/reading/story-black-cat.htm