W Reading Skills Introduction Reading is ane of the language skills that you will study and practice in this textbook. Remember reading is one of the most important activities any successful student daes in any course of study. It is impartant ta note that reading is an active process; you need to apply strategies that will enable you make sense of what you read The chapter aims at making you a good reader; somebady who willbe able ta monitor your rate of progress as you read and improve your understanding: Ta do this you will be introduced to a number of strategies or approaches at woth surface and deeper lovels. There will also be opportunites for you to practice. Specifically. you wi be intvaduced 10 strategies of reading namely: skimming, scanning, SQ3R, active reading, ceading for comprehension. You wil also be introduced to resources within a text such as graphics conventions, symbols, layout, punctuation, figures, diagrams, tables, pictures and word oats in sciences. Then the chajater will also discuss some barriers or dbstacles to effective reading. OUTCOMES Ay the end of this chapter you should be able to: + Describe @ variety of reading strategies effective readers use a5 they read a text for ‘comprehension. + Apply a chosen strategy to read an identlied passage + Discuss comimon barriers to effective reading + Suggest Ways of solving problems readers experience dusing their reatiing actwities, * Read any resource efficiently using any of the reading strategies discussed * Read texts critically ta help you evaluate the qven information, A good way of getting started on devetoping your reading skills is to think about how you read.a text or passage, There are three mai reading tachniques that you can use: scanning, skimming, and focused reading, Let's discuss each in turn, Scanning* The technique of scanning isa useful one to use if you want to.get an overview of the text you are reading as a whole ~ its shape, the focus of each section, the topics or key issues that are dealt with, and soon, In order 10 scan a piece of text you might look for sub= headings or identify key wards and phrases which give you clues about its focus. Another useful method is to read the first sentence of twa of each paragragh in order to get the general gist of the discussion and the way that it progresses. {Adapted rar Opcnlearn valle at hi //nenieam.ceen ac utinad/ressrsadvomahaTid-ataA rss (cea esa‘BUNDA COLIEGE OF AGRICULTURE | COMIMURCATION SEILS Scanning is used to find a particular piece of inforrnation. Run your eyes over the text looking for the specific piece of inforrnation you need. Use scanning on schedules, meeting plans, etc. in order to find the specific details you require. f yau see words or phrases that you don't understand, don't warry when scanning. Scanning is what you do to find an answer to a specific question. You may run your eyes quickly down the page in a zigzag or winding S patter. If you are loaking for a name, you ote capital letters. For a date, you look for numbers. Vocabulary words may be boldface Cr italicized. When you scan for information, you read only what is needed Examples of Scanning +The "What's on TV" section of your newspaper. + telephone number in the directory + Ahoroscope guide Skimming Skimming is used to quickly gather the most important information, or ‘gist’. Run your eyes cover the text, noting important information. Use skimming to quickly get up to speed on a current business situation. i's not essential to understand each word when skimming, Skimming is covering the chapter 1o get some of the main ideas and a general overview of the material, ttis what you do first when reading a chapter assignment. You don’t read {or details at this paint. Here is haw you skim a chapter: + Read the first paragraph of the chapter line by line + Next, read all the bold print headings starting at the beginning. + Read the first sentence of every paragraph. + Study any pictures, graphs, charts, and maps. + Finally, read the last paragraph of the chapter, ‘As you skim, you could write down the main ideas and develop a:chapter outline Examples of Skimming: + The Newspaper (quickly to get the gerieral news of the day) + Magazines (quickly to discover which articles you would like to read in more detail) + Business and Travel Brochures (quickly to get informed) Focused Reading Focused reading employs two sub skills namely extensive and intensive reading, However, the idea is to have an area of emphasis or focus. In ather words, it is 4 purposeful kind of reading, during which you target a specific area of study. Let us examine how the two skills relate to and differ from each other, stEXTENSIVE READING Extensive realing s used to obtain a general understanding of a subject and includes reading longer texts for pleasure, as well as business books. Use extensive reading skils to improve your general knowdedge of business procedures: Do not worry if you do not understand each word. Examples of Extensive Reading + The latest marketing strategy book + Anovel you read before going to bed + Magazine articles that interest you INTENSIVE READING Intensive reading is used on shorter texts in order to extract specific information. I includes very close accurate reading for detail. Use intensive reading skils to grasp the details of a specific situation. n this case, its important that yau understand each word, number or fact Examples of Intensive Reading + Alaboratary report + Ajourtal or newspaper article + Abusiness letter SEMINAR ACTIVITY: Skimming As a.group think of various situations where you would use the three skills above and answer these questions: + Explain when and wiry you would use your studies here at Bunda. + Wha in your seminar group is an effective reader? Discuss and justify your choice + Towhat extent is reading an active process? skimming technique in the context of Once you get the skimming, scanning and focussed reading down pat, yau are ready to Move on to the SQBR reading method which emplays each of these three techniques. What is the SQ3R? SQ3R was first developed by researchers at Ohio State University, SQ3R is a useful technique for understanding written information, It helps you to create a. good mental framework of a subject, into which you can fit the right facts. It helps you to set study goals and prompts you to use review techniques that will help you to remember. The acronym SQ3R stands for the five sequential techniques you should use to read @ book: Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review. survey (5) Scan the entire assignment to.get an overview of the material, Read sz‘BUNDA COLIEGE OF AGRICULTURE | CONINUNICATION SKILLS the headings to see the major paints, Read the introductory paragraphs and the sximmary at the end of the chapter. Do not forget to look at the tables, pictures, etc. Remember, you are scanning the material and not actually reading every sentence. Question (Q) ‘Make questions that can be answered during the reading of the material. This will give a purpose fo your reading. Take a heading and turn it into a question. For example, if a heading in a chapter about Cell Bivsion is in your biology text, make a question by turning the title around: "How does cell division occur?” or "How many steps are involved in cell division?” Read (R) Now yau read the material trying to find answers to your questions, This is a careful reading, line by line, You may want to take nates or make flashcards, Recite (R) AS you read, look away from your book and nates and try to ansiver your questions, This checks your learning and helps put that informatian in your memory, Review (R) To check your memory, scan portions of the material or your notes to-verify your answers. Review the material and note the main points under each heading, ‘This review step helps you retain the material, ‘The SQ3R method is just one technique that can be used to retain information you collect ‘while reading, Students learn in different ways, Therefore they should be aware of their learning styles. Knowing whether you are an Auditory (learn by hearing), Visual (learn by seeing) or Kinaesthetic (hands-on) leamer helps you to understand your best learning environment. The 3Q3R technique of reading can help to-enhance yaur reading skills no matter what your style is, SELF STUDY ACTIVITY: Scan, Skim and Focus 1. Sean Action Aids article below for the following key words and phrases. In which paragraphs do they appear; + Environmental management policies + Flood induced migration + Climate related activities + Disaster preparedness 2. Now skinr the article and see if this time you can also work out the meanings of the terms above using the context in which they are used. Also develop a set of questions. for further investigation. 3. Though you are familiar with content of the artile, ead it again, this time in a more focused way. Think about each section of the text, breaking off at regular intervals and + Extract the main points or examples about climate change in Malawi, + Jot down some notes and questions that come to mind as you read 53+ Use other reading resources that discus issues of climate change in Malawi answer the questions you developed in “2 above. Climate Change and Smallholder Farmers in Malawi: Understanding poor people's experiences in climate change adaptation by Action Aid Internationai® Key message & Climate change expases the underlying causes of food insecurit ‘Droughts and floods are exposing the ors in Hveohoods of smallholder farrers in hala 1n the past, nearby smallscale sugar and tea plantations were sources of employment for mast people in Nsanje: However, farmers say that flood-induced migration means that there ave naw many more peonle seeking work on the plantations than there are jobs ‘available, They aisa believe that the limited income opportunities in the face of increased floods and droughts have forced women to engage in unsafe sex practices, exposing thern to greater risk of HIV. They say that girls as young as 13 are being forced into eerly marriage due to hunger, thus aggravating the impact oF HIV and AIDS. In addition, the destruction of property and inirastructure places a huge burden on already strained health ‘are systeins. “Tam very worried about the future of the AIDS orphans that Iam lookiey ‘ater and my family which depends on ce, | arm asking if ActionAid could help me burchase a garden of my own so that lean maintain and provide a better future for ny amily,” sid Selimant Zaina, 79 yeer old victim of the 2605 drought:[BUND COLIEGE.OF AGRICULTURE | COMMUNICATION SKRLS Key message 5. Existini local government capacity caninot support the challenges smallholder farmers face in adapting to climate change. Lack af knowedige-of disaster and erronmental management policies, limitations on funding and demaged equiament within the district is weakening suppart towards community adaptation For example, the Districe Disaster Preparedness committee has not ‘been functioning efficiently due to lack of resources * These were sentiments expressed by 9 memiber of the District Assembly in Salma, The cuirént limitations to adapration are poor formivlotion Of policies, lack at knowledge of policies, and their lack of implementation at the district level The National Adaptation Programme af Action (NAPA) for Malawi, drafted by the Environmental Affairs Department, is the key guide to edsptation priovities, As it stands, there are concems that NAPA exists insolation af athier Key sectors, far example, the document currently addresses issues of agriculture end environment, bud health and gender are ignored District staff in both Nsanje and Salima were ignorant af its existence, «Situation that confirms that not all sectors were iavotved in drafting the document, This thas far reaching consequences tor its implementation. ‘Am element cf concern in Malev i the lack of intersectoral coordination that currently affects implementation of climate-relted activities, The planning and management of ‘climate change and alsaster management is currently caried out on a sectoral basis and the involvement of local communities fs limited. The absence of an averal planning and _management strategy, developed with the participation of community users, hampers succesthil adaptation, There arealso.cumenty fired skis and resources atthe loca evel {0 implement new polices CHAPTER FIVE: Assessment Task: SQ3R Reflect on the meaning of the SQ3R method of reading and: Explain how you would survey the abave JAction Aids article? + ist down any three questions you would ask as you plan to-read it comprehensively. + Give the main points you would recall, Active Reading’ Whatever the specific objective of reading, as a student you will aways need to\ead in an, active way. Active reading involves reading with a purpose; that és reading in order to grasp definitions and meanings, understand debates, and identify and interpret evidence. it requires you to engage in reading and thinking at-one anc the same time in order to: + Identity key ideas, + Extract the information you want fram the text, + Process that infarmation so that it makes-sense to you "Adapted fron Learn NE Pawn. sc or/rcfensedcereacig (2: BY NCSA)+ Respresent that information in assessments, using your own words. It may involve you pausing at intervals to think about what you have just read, checking that you have grasped the main point and perhaps even nating down questions that come to:mind or highlighting key wards that you might want to return to at a later date. A crucial part of active reading is matching the way you read to the purpose you have in mind = that is reading for a purpose. Active reading includes: + Applying what you know (prior knowledge) + Interacting with the author ‘responding critically to the text) + Predicting (trying to determine the importance of the selected text) + Solving problems (slowing to understand confusing passages) ‘+ Summarizing (at the end of each page or where carwenient) Resources Within a Text WORD RELATIONSHIPS One of the graphic organizers is the use of synonyms, antonyms and homonyms wich readers use when learning vocabulary in the course of reading any resource. This is done with the understanding that in some ways words are similar in one way or another. To begin with, synonyms are words that mean the same despite having some morphotogical differences. For example, words like cute/beautiul: huge/gigantic are synonyms, An antenym, on the other hand, is a word that has a opposite meaning of another word, ‘Words such as pretty/ugly, strong/weak; tallshort exposes different meaning and should be used differently. Further, homonyms are words that have similar sounds if pronounced and somebody might hardly recognize their difference if carelessly done so. Think about words like their/there; reactvtich; fiyfeet. Reading in this case which has to go with pronunciation has to take care of the possible differences that ought to be there. Note: Synonym is for sameness in meaning Antonym is for an opposite meaning Horionym is a word which can be heard ike another word So, fram the forgoing, itis observed that words are related in many ather ways such that they are alike, different and related to each ether. This means that understanding how words relate to each other helps readers to increase their vocabulary, enables them 10 analyze and synthesize any information they read from any reading resource at any level of study which leads to one’s building of a useful vocabulary. SEMINAR ACTITY: Synonyms Read the following sentences and identify words or phrases that have similar meanings Within the sentences. 56[BUNDA COLIEGE.OF AGRICULTURE | COMMUNICATION SKILLS 1. Scientists believe that these days people are using up tesaurces at an increasing rate, The acceleration in consumption is partially a function af the steady improvement in the standard of living 2. When phosphate, a pollutant, is emptied into a pond, algae grow very fast. Then ‘when algae flaurish, the water supply may be affected 3. The recent data on students’ performance at Malawi School Certificate of ‘Examination indicate that quality of education in Malawi is going down. The information alo indicates that students’ interest in schooling is low. 4 Should politicians regulate the amount of tuition in tertiary institutions? Some ‘academicians do not believe that politicians’ conttol is the solution to the rising cost of feeding students in calleges. 5. industrious students usually succeed in their studies. I is evident that all students ‘who worked hard in the previous years are in high positions, GRAPHIC AND SEMANTIC ORGANIZERS Graphic organizers illustrate cancepts and relationships between concepts in a text or using diagrams. Graphic organizers. are known by different names, such as story maps, chain of eventswebs, graphs, charts, cause and effect, etc. Graphic organizers do help readers focws on concepts ani how they ave related to other concepts. They also hétp students read and Understand textbooks, Therefore, graphic organizers can: + Help students focus on text structure ‘aifferences between fiction and nonfiction’ as they read, + Provide students with tools they can use to examine and show relationships in a text. + Help students write well-organized summaries of a text Here are some examples of graphic organizers: Venn-Diagrams Venn diagrams or set diagrams are diagrams that show all hypothetically possiblé logical relations between a finite cdllection of sets (groups of things), Vein diagrams were conceived around 1880 by John Verin. They are used in many fiekés, including set theary Probability; iogic; statistics, and computer science. ‘Venn diagram is constructed with a.collection of simple closed curves drawn in the plane. Venn diagrams normally consist af overlapping Circles. For instance; in a twe-set Venn diagram, one arcle may represent the group of alll wooden objects, while ancther circle may represent the set ofall tables. The overlapping area (intersection) would then represent the set of all wooden tables, Shapes other than Circles can be employed, and this is necessary for more than three sets." Storyboard/Chain of Events Used to order or sequence events within a text, For exaiiple, sting the steps for carrying ut an experiment. {Adspted from wikipedia, alla atts. wikia one/itVon aram (6: 8¥SA) s7Story Map Used to chart the story structure. These can be organized into fiction and nonfiction text structures. For example, defining characters, seting, events, prablem, and resolution in a fiction stary; however in a nonfiction story, main idea and details would be identified. AChart A chart is a visual representation af data, in which the data are represented by symbols such as bars in a bar chart or lines ina line chart. & chart can represent tabular numeric data, functions or some kinds of qualitative structures. The term "chart" as a visual representation of data has multiple meanings. A data chart is a type of diagram or graph that organizes and represents a set of numerical or qualitative data, The four common charts are histogram, line, bar and pie chart. The following is an example of a pie chart. ‘A histogram typically shows the quantity of points that fall within various numeric ranges (or bins). A bar chart uses bars to show frequencies or values for different categories, A pie chart shows percentage values as a sie of a pie. A line chart is a two-dimensional scatter plot of ordered observations where the abservations are connected following their order. CauserEffect Cause and effect essays are concerned with why things happen (causes) and what happens as a result (effects). Cause and effect is a common method of organizing and scussing ideas It is worth noting that writers of a cause and effect essay do distinguish between cause and affect. To determine causes, they ask, “Why did this happen?” And to identity effects, they ask, “What happened because to cause this?” The following is an example of one ‘cause producing one effect: ROOT means exami Deron Agr field agronomy field crop production Anthvope. man anthropology study of man Demos people democracy gavemment by the people Thermo heat thermometer instrument for measuring heat 200 anima zoology study of animals Prytho mind pacholigy study of the mind Circum around rcumterence distance around something se[BUND COLIKGE.OF AGRICULTURE | COMMUNICATION SEIS Auto salt automatic self regulating machines. Additional Strategies for Reading Science ADVANCED ORGANIZERS: Students pre-read the science text to understand its structure and the scope of its content, By consciously analyzing and recording the author's outline and advance organizers, students re better prepared to understand the text when they read it. MIND MAP A mind map is diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks.-ar other items linked to and, arranged around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as.an aid in study, organization, problem solving, decision making, and writing, The elements of a given mind map are arranged intuitively according to the importance of the cancepts, and are classified into groupings, branches, or areas, with the goal of representing semantic or other connections between pattions of information. Mind maps may also aid recall af existing memories of what is read. CONCEPT MaP ‘A-concept maps a way of representing relations between ideas, images or words, in the same way that a sentence diagram represents the grammar of a sentence, a road map represents the locations af highways and towns lito Hen wikipedia ocaywikilC oncept, They are graphical tools for organizing and representing knowledge. Concepts, usually represented as boxes or circles, are connected with labelled arrows in a downward branching hierarchical structure. The relationship between concepts can be articulated in Hinkinig phrases such as “gives tise to", “results in*, “is required by,” ‘or “conttibuites to* The technique for visualizing these relationships'amang different concepts is called "Concept mapping” KWL TABLES AND CHARTS A.KWL table, or KWL chart, isa graphical organizer designed to heip in learning, The letters KWL are an acronym for “what we knaw", what we went ta know, and “what we leained~. A KANL table is typically divided into three columns titled Know, Want and Learned. The table comes in various forms as some have modiied it to include or exclude information, It may be useful in research projects and ta organize information to help study for tests, The chart is a.comprehension strategy used to activate background knowledge prior to reading and is completely student centred, The teacher divides a piece of chart paner into three columns. The fist column, 'K’, is for what the students already know about a topic This stepis to be completed inefore the reading. The next colurnn, 'W', is for students to lst ‘what they want to learn about the topic during the reading, This step is also to be completed before the reading, The third column, ‘tis for what the students learned from the reading, This step, of course, is done after fishing the reading, The KWL chart can also bee used in reading instruction at the beginning of a new unit ‘Adapted rom Wikipedia ita /en-whineca.e/wliiiné magna (C6: BY-SA) 10-Adapted from Wikipedia: ita //en whine or/wihi/Concesn meaning (6: SA) 59Here is what the KWL chart cai look lke: « w 0 What | enw What | want to know Wher | learned ‘Write the information about Write the information about After the completion of the lesson or what the students know in what the students went to unit, write the information that the ths space, ‘knows in this space, students Feamed in this space, A KWL chart can be used to drive instruction in the classroom. The teacher can create lesson plans based upon, KWL chart activates students" prior knowledge of the text or topic tobe studied. By asking students what they already know, students are thinking about prior experiences or knowledge about the topic. Next, KWL charts set a purpose for the Unit. Students are able to add their input to the topic by asking them what they went to know, Students thes have 2 purpose for participating and enaaging in the tapic. Also, using @ KWL chart allows students to’ expand their idleas beyond the tet usedin the classroom" ROOT WORDS Students learn how ta construct and decipher scientific words by understanding the meanings of roots, prefixes-and suffixes common ta biology. chemistry, physics, and the earth and space sciences, cLoze ‘This is a reading activity in which a passage has some missing wards for the readerto fil in aither before or after reading, The activity « used to assess the readability of 2 passage, The higher the cloze scores for 2 gwen population, the more readable the passage, tn this chapter we introduce cloze as a technique for developing andl assessing reading comprehension JIGSAW Jigsaws is technique whereby students develop reading skills by dialoguing with others, Preparing notes, and teaching their peers, nitally, students are given some reading texts to master and in this case each student becomes an expert of his/her text, After mastery is ‘when then they share with athers either in pairs or groups. Itis-a best method because it promotes 2 100% participation in the reading task, COGNATES The wo'd cognate derives frém Latin cigiatus “blood velative*. tn liiguistics, they re words that havea corhmon etymological otigin: An exaniple of cognates within the same language would be Enolish shir and skirt, the farmer from Old énigish scyrte, the latter loaned from Old Norse skyrta, both from the same Comman Germanic *skurin-. Words ‘vith this type of relationship within a single language are called doublets. Further cognates af the same word in ather Germanic languages would include German Schtirze and Butch sehort “apron” ‘A. Adapted from Wikipedia: ita en kina or wi table Cs BSA ‘60[BUND COLIKGE-OF AGRICULTURE | COMMUNICATION SERS Cogates need not Have the same stieaning: dish (English) and Tisch (*table*, Geitnant aid desco (“table*, medieval italian), or starve (English) and sterben (*die~, German), or head. (English) and chef {"chief, head", French), serve as exemples es to how cagnate terms may diverge in meaning as languages develop separately, eventually becoming false friends. The understanding of this relationship helps readers of texts to know word meanings easily by referring 10 other wards with similar structures”. ‘Cause: You are out of fuel ‘Effect: Your car won't start. Sometimes, many causes.contribute 10.2 single effect or many effects may result fram a single cause’ LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION ‘The comprehension of language includes linguistic knowledge, background knowledge, making inferences, and the selt-requlation of comprehension (or meta cognition). LINGUISTIC KNOWLEDGE Comprehension of a text is reliant on af individual's knowledge of the language system. ‘We build up this knowlecige with repedted exposure to how language is used. As we interact with the language so we begin to Understand certain nuances. A language system is made up of phonology, semantics (ths includes word meanings and also morphalagy), and its grammatical structure, Far example phonolagy is about how a language sounds and how sounds are used to communicate differences in meaning. Semantic knowledge leaks at the various meanings of wortls, phrases oF sentences that allow us to comprehend knowledge. In order to improve your Inquistic knowledge you need to read widely and be exposed to words and meanings in varying contexts. i addition, word study and instruction that includes enbagraphy, morphology and spelling can strengthen your vocabulary learning, BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE ‘We are constantly building aur background knowledge. By the end of your secondary: school education you have already amassed background knowledge of the work! and its social and cultural contexts, Continued reading and reading broadly will arow this knowledge further, INFERENCES Comprehension beyond the word level requires the reader not only to activaté background knowledge but aso iitegrate meaning across sentences, As the message becomes less feitiia, the reader heeds to idk inferences. Readers née to actively consteuct @ mental model of the text that draws upon the text and their Gwn background knowledge. This is sometimes called active construction of meaning from text whereby we need to infer the meaning. 12 Adaped tom Wipe ts (le seh p/n te (tym (CC: SA) 13 Adapted trom Wikipedia, Available at: tz //an einen o/c conan (EC: BNSAD 61