PREVIEW FOR A BETTER COMPREHENSION

COMPREHENSION SKILLS

Previewing for better comprehension

Preview text before reading it. This can help students improve their reading comprehension skills. Students can apply this approach whether they're reading a short passage or an entire book. Before they begin reading, students should scan the entire text and observe its title and any chapter or subheadings. Students should then reflect briefly on the author, the time period, the intended audience and the format of the text. Students should spend a few minutes thinking about these components and formulate their own opinions and questions. Previewing the text beforehand gives students something to think about and helps keep their minds active while they read.

Scanning is a reading technique to be used when you want to find specific information quickly. In scanning you have a question in your mind and you read a passage only to find the answer, ignoring unrelated information.

How to Scan:

State the specific information you are looking for.

* Try to anticipate how the answer will appear and what clues you might use to help you locate the answer. For example, if you were looking for a certain date, you would quickly read the paragraph looking only for numbers.

* Use headings and any other aids that will help you identify which sections might contain the information you are looking for.

* Selectively read and skip through sections of the passage

Skimming refers to the process of reading only main ideas within a passage to get an overall impression of the content of a reading

selection.

How to Skim:

* Read the title.

* Read the introduction or the first paragraph.

* Read the first sentence of every other paragraph.

* Read any headings and sub-headings.

* Notice any pictures, charts, or graphs.

* Notice any italicized or boldface words or phrases.

* Read the summary or last paragraph.

Vocabulary Knowledge for Effective Reading

Vocabulary is an important prerequisite for developing reading comprehension and oral and written expression. Students who do not have a strong vocabulary continue to struggle to gain meaning from text while reading, and struggle to understand new concepts presented in oral discussions. Vocabulary is an essential skill for learning to read and write, and vocabulary strategies are necessary when students are “reading to learn.”

There are two types of vocabulary:

1. Receptive Vocabulary

o Listening vocabulary : the words we need to know to understand what we hear or listen to

o Reading vocabulary : the words we need to know to understand what is presented to us in text

2. Productive or Expressive Vocabulary

o Speaking vocabulary : the words we use in speaking

o Writing vocabulary: the words we use when writing

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