Reading is
the third skill in learning English as a foreign
language. You read a
text, new sentences and new vocabulary, then your brain can imitate
them, producing similar sentences to express the meaning you want.
When
you read a lot, paying attention to useful vocabulary, you will soon
start to use new words and phrases in your speaking and writing. It may seem like you need more time to learn a language by reading and
listening, as opposed to learning based on grammar rules.
"Reading" is the process of looking at a series of written symbols
and getting meaning from them. When we read, we use our eyes to receive
written symbols (letters, punctuation marks and spaces) and we use our
brain to convert them into words, sentences and paragraphs that
communicate something to us.Reading can be silent (in our head) or aloud (so that other people can hear).
Reading is a receptive skill - through it we receive
information. But the complex process of reading also requires the skill
of speaking, so that we can pronounce the words that we read. In this
sense, reading is also a productive skill in that we are both receiving
information and transmitting it (even if only to ourselves).
Reading is the third language skill we may acquire in
our native language. As with listening, it is a receptive, or passive
skill, as it requires us to use our eyes and our brains to comprehend
the written equivalent of spoken language.
It is one of the two
artificial language skills, as not all natural spoken languages have a
writing system.
Kinds of reading:
1-Critical reading
Critical reading means engaging in what you read
by asking yourself questions such as, ‘what is the author trying to say?’
or ‘what is the main argument being presented?’
2-Active reading / Comprehensive reading:
It means a comprehensive reading.
To do active reading:
1-Do a survey or read for skimming.
2-Ask a question about the reading text to discover
the purpose of the reading text.
3-Start reading the text critical to discover the
details.
4-Recall or remember what you have read.
4- Reading for pleasure.
5-Do a review of what you have read.
3-Contemplating reading:
It
means reading something with a determination to
understand and evaluate
it for its relevance to your needs
and desires. It means reading with a
profound thinking
about the content of the reading text.
Questions to ask of any text while
reading critically:
1-What is the author writing about? (The subject).
2-Why is the author writing about it? (The purpose).
3-Who is the author? (Authorial voice).
4-Who is the author writing to? (The audience).
5-Who is the author writing against? (The debate).
6-What is the main point? (The thesis).
7-So what? (the conclusion).
8-How does the author prove it? (The evidence).
9-How does the author try to convince the reader?
(Persuasive technique).
10-What’s behind it all? (Underlying assumptions).
Skimming:
Reading for skimming refers to an extensive reading.
It means that you
read a text quickly and generally
to get the general ideas of the
text.
This is applied when you deal with a long
comprehension text.
If
you have ever attended English classes, you have
probably been asked to
skim a text and then complete a
task connected with it. This is one of
the activities you
have to do in an exam/test.
Most teachers encourage
students to read very quickly,
just to get the main points out of the
text. Reading in
such a way not only isn't very useful but may even slow
down your progress!
Scanning:
Reading for scanning refers to an intensive reading.
It means that you
read a text slowly and intensively to get
the specific meanings and
information of a text. When
you read in your native language, you read
for content.
Your brain focuses on key words that convey the meaning
of
the text. This way you are able to read faster.
But this is wrong to do
when reading in a foreign language.
You want to concentrate on the
grammar, too.You should
analyze the sentences closely.This is applied
when you
deal with a close text.
Comprehension,
Act of or capacity for grasping with the
intellect. The term
is most often used in connection with
tests of reading skills and
language abilities, though other
abilities (e.g., mathematical
reasoning) may also be
examined.
(Techniques for Teaching
Reading )
Reading skill:
It is an input receptive skill.
Goal:
Reading
for pleasure, getting knowledge through
distinguishing the main idea or
the word formation
and the contextual clues of the reading text.
Strategy:
Pre-reading:
.The teacher refers to the title and the pictures that
deal with the text.
.The teacher elicits the learners' existing knowledge
about the text.
The teacher asks the students simple questions
about the reading text
photos and title to guess
what they are going to read about.
During reading:
. The Learners do reading for skimming.
. The teacher monitors learners' comprehension.
. The teacher Verifies predictions and checks for inaccurate guesses.
. The learners do reading for scanning.
. The teacher checks learners' comprehension.
. 1-Learners
do extensive reading for skimming to
get general ideas.
. 2-Learners
predict and guess through the context.
. 3-Learners
do intensive reading for scanning to get detailed information.
Post reading :
. The teacher evaluates comprehension in a
particular task or area
. The teacher evaluates overall progress in reading.
. The teacher decides if the strategies used were appropriate.
. The Teacher modifies the strategy if necessary.
. Learners do storytelling, feedback, role playing
and practice through electronic exercises.
. I monitor and check.
Reading Aloud:
Students
do not learn to read by reading aloud. A person
who reads aloud and
comprehends the meaning of the text
is coordinating word recognition
with comprehension and
speaking and pronunciation ability in highly
complex ways.
There are two ways to use reading aloud productively
in the language classroom:
1- Read
aloud to your students as they follow along silently.
You have the
ability to use inflection and tone to help them
hear what the text is
saying.
2-Use
the "read and look up" technique. A student reads
a phrase or sentence
silently as many times as necessary,
then looks up (away from the text)
and tells you what the
phrase or sentence says.
Dyslexia:
Dyslexia,
an inability or pronounced difficulty to learn to
read or
spell, despite otherwise normal intellectual functions. Dyslexia is a
chronic neurological disorder that inhibits a person’s ability to
recognize and process graphic symbols, particularly those pertaining to
language.
Primary symptoms include extremely poor reading skills
owing
to no apparent cause, a tendency to read and write words and letters in
reversed sequences, similar reversals of words and letters in the
person’s speech, and illegible handwriting.
Skills needed for active reading:
1. Decoding
Decoding is a vital step in the reading process. Kids use
this skill to sound
out words they’ve heard before but
haven’t seen written out. The ability
to do that is the
foundation for other reading skills.
1-Decoding relies on an early language skill called phonomic
awareness . (This skill is part of an even broader skill called