READING

1 WHAT IS READING?

Reading is the Mother of All Study Skills, according to Ron Fry’s How to
Study Program. It is one of the most valuable skills a person can acquire. Reading is
not merely an ability to recognize written or printed words, but it also refers to putting
meaning to what you read and drawing a unified thought of what is read.

Reading is an active dialogue between the author and the reader, and is the
basic tool for learning in all subjects.

Reading is a subtle and complex process that involves sensation, perception,

comprehension, application, and integration. It is a process of thinking, evaluating,
imagining, reasoning and problem solving. The efficient reader is expected to be
able to perform these mental activities with reasonable proficiency.

2 READING TECHNIQUES

SKIMMING
This is a method of rapidly moving the eyes over text with the purpose of
getting only the main ideas and a general overview of the content.
SKIMMING IS USEFUL IN THREE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS.

 Pre-reading--Skimming is more thorough than simple previewing and can

give a more accurate picture of text to be read later.
 Reviewing--Skimming is useful for reviewing text already read.
 Reading--Skimming is most often used for quickly reading material that, for
any number of reasons, does not need more detailed attention.

STEPS IN SKIMMING AN ARTICLE

 Read the title--it is the shortest possible summary of the content.
 Read the introduction or lead-in paragraph.
 Read the first paragraph completely.
 If there are subheadings, read each one, looking for relationships among
them.
 Read the first sentence of each remaining paragraph.
a. The main idea of most paragraphs appears in the first sentence.
b. If the author's pattern is to begin with a question or anecdote, you may find
the last sentence more valuable.
 Dip into the text looking for:
a. Clue words that answer who, what, when, why, how
b. Proper nouns
c. Unusual words, especially if capitalized
d. Enumerations
e. Qualifying adjectives (best, worst, most, etc.)
f. Typographical cues--italics, boldface, underlining, asterisks, etc.
 Read the final paragraph completely.

Mastering the art of skimming effectively requires that you use it as frequently
as possible. Skimming can usually be accomplished at about 1000 words per
minute.
SCANNING This rapidly covers a great deal of material in order to locate a
specific fact or piece of information.
Scanning is very useful for finding a specific name, date, statistic, or fact
without reading the entire article.

STEPS IN SCANNING AN ARTICLE.

 Keep in mind at all times what it is you are searching for. If you hold the
image of the word or idea clearly in mind, it is likely to appear more clearly
than the surrounding words.
 Anticipate in what form the information is likely to appear--numbers, proper
nouns, etc.
 Analyze the organization of the content before starting to scan.
a. If material is familiar or fairly brief, you may be able to scan the entire
article in a single search.
b. If the material is lengthy or difficult, a preliminary skimming may be
necessary to determine which part of the article to scan.
 Let your eyes run rapidly over several lines of print at a time.
 When you find the sentence that has the information you seek, read the entire
sentence.

In scanning, you must be willing to skip over large sections of text without
reading or understanding them. Scanning can be done at 1500 or more words per
minute.

FINDING THE 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:

1. Who or what is the paragraph about?

2. What aspect or idea about the ‘who’ or ‘what’ is the author concerned with?

Read and think about the following sample paragraphs, in which the main idea
sentences are underlined.
Paragraph One

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.
(Notice that the first sentence tells what the paragraph is about; the sentences that
follow support the idea stated in the first sentence.)

Paragraph Two

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.
(Note that the first three sentences give details to explain why it was the best year in
the company’s history.)

Paragraph Three

There are great numbers of deer around here. This whole area is 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.
(The author begins and ends with examples. The main idea is stated in the second
sentence.)

Paragraph Four

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 aspect of American life is untouched by advertising.
(The main idea is stated at the beginning of the paragraph and then restated at the
end.)
Paragraph Five

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.
(The author has split the main idea. This paragraph begins with positive comments
on penicillin.
The word but signals a shift in thought, and the paragraph ends with a statement of
its limitations.)

Paragraph Six

Do you wear glasses? Make sure your glasses fit well. The earpieces should
be at eye level. Don’t try to adjust the earpieces yourself. Take your glasses for
adjustments to the place you bought them. Keep your glasses in a case when
you’re not wearing them. This will prevent scratches. Keep the lenses clean. A
soft cloth is best for cleaning.
(The main idea is implied. All of the sentences in the paragraph give details about a
main idea. In this paragraph the implied main idea is that taking care of your glasses
involves many steps.)

FINDING THE SUPPORTING DETAILS

A very important reading skill one can acquire is finding the main idea in a
passage or reading. A closely related reading skill is locating supporting details.

Supporting details are reasons, examples, facts, steps, or other kinds of

evidence that back up and explain a main idea.

Details make up most of the information in what a person reads, but some
details are more important than others. There are two kinds of supporting details:
major and minor. Just as the main idea is the most important idea and more general
than its supporting details, major details are the most important and are more
general than the minor details. The minor details are more specific and help fill out
and explain the major details.

Major details are important to comprehension which is increased when one

asks which of the details are most important and why. Primary purposes of major
details are listed below with brief explanations:

 To define a topic, to show what the topic is; to give an expanded version of
the kind of explanation a dictionary would give
 To give examples, usually as part of an explanation, or help a reader
understand a broad topic
  To describe, so that a reader can picture the topic
 To give reasons that support an argument or opinion
 To explain a fact or idea in a passage that uses logical reasoning to make the
fact or idea clear

IDENTIFYING MAJOR SUPPORTING DETAILS

I. Outlining

Preparing an outline of a passage often helps one understand and see clearly
the relationship between a main idea and its supporting details. Outlines start with a
main idea followed by the major supporting details and then the minor details. The
template of an outline looks like the following:

Main idea
Major detail
Minor detail
Minor detail
Major detail
Minor detail
Minor detail

Below is an example of an outline from a passage dealing with factors

interfering with memory.

Main idea: Several factors can interfere with having a good memory.
Major detail: 1. Lack of motivation
Minor detail: Without the desire to learn or remember something, you probably
won’t
Major detail: 2. Lack of practice
Minor detail: To stay sharp, memory skills must be used on a regular basis.
Major detail: 3. Self-doubt
Minor detail: If you’re convinced you won’t remember anything you probably won’t.
Major detail: 4. Distraction
Minor detail: Distracting noises or conversations can interfere with you
remembering information.

The major details in the above outline serve as examples of the several
important functions of gossip. The minor details specially describe or further explain
the major details.

II. Signal Words

Another tip to identifying major supporting details is to look for words that
signal major details. Here are some common signal words:

one to begin with also further

first (of all) for one thing in addition furthermore
second(ly) other next last (of all)
third(ly) another moreover final(ly)
 In the selection below each of the bold signal words indicate or announce a
major detail being explained. The main idea in this case is underlined.

Although only human beings communicate through words, other animals also
communicate in their own ways. First, animals can communicate by means of
nonverbal sounds, such as chirps and birdsong, mews, barks, howls, and roars.
Next, animals communicate through chemical signals: male dogs, for instance, use
urine to mark their own turf. A third means of animal communication is touch, such
as nuzzling and licking—as well as grooming among, for example, monkeys. Last of
all, animals communicate by visual signals. Dogs, of course, wag their tails; also,
they and some other furry animals raise their hackles (the hairs between the
shoulders) when threatened, in order to appear larger. Baring the teeth is another
visual signal. And honeybees perform a famous “wiggle dance” to inform each other
about sources of food.

3 KINDS OF READING

1. Idea reading- This is to get the main idea of the material. This involves the
three psychological processes of reading- Sensation, Perception, and
Comprehension. The reader is only getting the main idea on the paragraph.
2. Exploratory reading- This is done when the reader wants to know how the
whole selection is presented. It aims to get the accurate picture of the whole
presentation of ideas. How the whole selection is presented. It is referring to
structure, method of paragraph development.

Examples: Long articles in magazines. , short stories, descriptive texts

3. Analytic reading- A careful examination of each work to identify word

relationship is the main purpose of analytic reading.
It is a careful attention to each word and its importance in relation to other
words in the sentence or the paragraph.

Examples: Reading mathematical problems, scientific formulas, and certain

definitive statements of key ideas that require a questioning/inquisitive mind

4. Critical reading- This makes the reader weigh facts, information, or ideas
presented in the selection, so that he, too, can perform judgments or
 conclusions about them. In this, readers are questioning, analysing, and
evaluating the text using their critical thinking skills.

Examples: Reading done in periodicals, books, ads which are loaded with
propaganda devices designed to sway opinions

5. Narcotic reading- This is done by a person who wants to get rid of his
everyday troubles, depressions, frustrations, problems, through reading
magazines, stories, novels, essays, and others.
This is done by those people who are frustrated and depress and they use
reading as their hobby to get rid of their problems.

6. Extensive reading- If the reader spends his leisure time by reading any kind
of material that is interesting to him, he will consider his act of reading
extensive reading. It is reading for pleasure and the main purpose of this is to
relax and enjoy.

7. Examples: comics, humorous stories, tales, novels, short articles in the

newspapers and magazines, jokes, and other forms of light reading materials

8. Intensive reading- Doing serious reading books, periodicals, and other

library materials for research work or a report is the main concern of this kind
of reading.It is a careful or in-depth reading
Examples: the kind of reading you do when you study, prepare a term paper,
or an oral report

9. Developmental reading- In case the reading activities of a person are under

a comprehensive reading program that consists of several stages starting
from the reader’s preschool period to his collegiate level developmental
reading is the kind of reading that this reader submits to himself.
It is done when a reader is under a comprehensive reading program that lets
him go through stages & monitors him.

4 LEVELS OF COMPREHENSION
1. LITERAL COMPREHENSION
It involves what the author is actually saying. The reader needs to understand
ideas and information explicitly stated in the reading material. Some of this
information is in the form of recognizing and recalling facts, identifying the main idea,
supporting details, categorizing, outlining, and summarizing. The reader is also
locating information, using context clues to supply meaning, following specific
directions, following a sequence, identifying stated conclusion, and identifying
explicitly stated relationships and organizational patterns. These organizational
patterns can include cause and effect as well as comparison and contrast. For
example, some questions and activities may include:
What words state the main idea of the story?
How does the author summarize what she/he is saying?
Outlining the first paragraph of the story.
What happened first, second and last?
How are these things alike? How are they different?
What things belong together?

2. INFERENTIAL COMPREHENSION
This deals with what the author means by what is said. The reader must
simply read between the lines and make inferences about things not directly stated.
Again these inferences are made in the main idea, supporting details, sequence, and
cause and effect relationships. Inferential comprehension could also involve
interpreting figurative language, drawing conclusions, predicting outcomes,
determining the mood, and judging the author’s point of view. The following
questions are usually asked:
What does the author value?
What is the theme?
What effect does this character/event have on the story?
How do you think this story will end?

3. CRITICAL COMPREHENSION
This concerns itself with why the author says what he or she says. This high
level of comprehension requires the reader to use some external criteria from his/her
own experience in order to evaluate the quality, values of the writing, the author’s
reasoning, simplifications, and generalizations. The reader will react emotionally and
intellectually with the material. Because everyone's life experiences are varied,
answers to some of the following questions will vary:
Could this possibly happen?
Is this argument logical?
What alternatives are there?
Is this a fact or an opinion?
Do you agree or disagree with the author?
What is the best solution to this problem?

4. APPLIED COMPREHENSION
Understandings at the literal and interpretive levels are combined,
reorganized and restructured at the applied level to express opinions, draw new
insights and develop fresh ideas. Guiding students through the applied level shows
them how to synthesize information, to read between the lines and to develop a
deeper understanding of the concepts, principles and implications presented in the
text.
Question: How would the author’s message apply to other situations given what you
memorized and understood at the other two levels?
Although comprehension takes place at several levels, mastery at any one level is
not a prerequisite to comprehension at another level.