Reading skills

Types of Reading Overview: Several types of reading may occur in a language classroom. One way in which these may be categorized , as suggested by Brown (1989) can be outlined as follows:                             A. Oral                              B. Silent                                   I. Intensive                                      a. linguistic                                      b. content                                 II. Extensive                                     a. skimming                                     b. scanning                                     c. global The first distinction that can be made is whether the reading is oral or silent. This web page will not deal with oral reading, only silent reading.  Within the category of silent reading, one encounters intensive and extensive reading.  Intensive reading is used to teach or practice specific reading strategies or skills. The text is treated as an end in itself.  Extensive reading on the other hand,  involves reading of large quantities of material, directly and fluently.  It is treated as a means to an end. It may include reading reading simply for pleasure or reading technical, scientific or professional material. This later type of text, more academic, may involve two specific types of reading, scanning for key details or skimming for the  essential meaning.   A relatively quick and efficient read, either on its own or after scanning or skimming, will give a global or general meaning.  This web page then will first examine intensive reading. The second part will deal with extensive reading, with a focus on how it results in a general or global meaning. The fourth part gives a short comment on how intensive and extensive reading may operate in the same class. The fourth part examines scanning and the fifth, scanning. A final sixth part comments on how scanning and skimming may be used in the same reading.      Intensive Reading What it is Brown (1989) explains that intensive reading "calls attention to grammatical forms, discourse markers, and other surface structure details for the purpose of understanding literal meaning, implications, rhetorical relationships, and the like." He draws an analogy to intensive reading as a "zoom lens" strategy .  Long and Richards (1987) say it is a "detailed in-class" analysis, led by the teacher, of vocabulary and grammar points, in a short passage." Intensive Reading,  sometimes called "Narrow Reading",  may  involve students reading selections by the same author or several texts about the same topic. When this occurs, content and grammatical structures repeat themselves and students get  many opportunities to understand the meanings of the text. The success of  "Narrow Reading" on improving reading comprehension is based on the premise that the more familiar the reader is with the text, either due to the subject matter or having read other works by the same author, the more comprehension is promoted. How it looks Characteristics: usually classroom based  reader is intensely involved in looking  inside the text  students focus on linguistic or semantic details of a reading  students focus on surface structure details such as grammar and discourse markers students identify key vocabulary students may draw pictures to aid them (such as in problem solving) texts are read carefully and thoroughly, again and again  aim is to build more language knowledge rather than simply practice the skill of reading  seen more commonly than extensive reading in classrooms Materials: usually very short texts - not more than 500 words in length  chosen for level of difficulty and usually, by the teacher chosen to provide the types of reading and skills that the teacher wants to cover in the course Skills developed: rapid reading practice  interpreting text by using:            -word attack skills            -text attack skills             -non-text information Activities: Intensive reading exercises may include: looking at  main ideas versus details understanding what is implied versus stated making inferences looking at the order of information and how it effects the message identifying words that  connect one idea to another identifying words that indicate change from one section to another Munby (1979) suggests four categories of questions that may be used in intensive reading. These include: Plain Sense -  to understand the factual, exact surface meanings in the text Implications - to make inferences and become sensitive to emotional tone and figurative language Relationships of thought - between sentences  or paragraphs Projective - requiring the integration of information from the text to one's own background information Note that  questions may fall into more than one category.  Extensive Reading What it is Brown (1989) explains that extensive reading is carried out "to achieve a general understanding of a text." Long and Richards (1971, p.216) identify extensive reading as "occurring when students read large amounts of high interest material, usually out of class, concentrating on meaning, "reading for gist" and skipping unknown words." The aims of extensive reading  are to build reader confidence and enjoyment. Extensive  reading is always done for the comprehension of main ideas, not for specific details. Types of programs: Extensive reading may appear as any of the following:  a complement to an intensive reading program an extra-curricular activity where students read out of class the main focus of a reading course (termed an Extensive Reading Program) where students work with a class set of books, individual reading of material, of their own choice, with follow-up activities such as reading logs, reading journals, book reports or projects. Although it is less common for extensive reading to form  an  entire reading course, there are well-established  Extensive Reading Programs operating around the world. They have been carried on  in many countries, at varying levels of education from Elementary School to College, and  in different languages. Characteristics: Day and Bamford (1980) put forward ten characteristics identified  in successful Extensive Reading Programs. They are duplicated (in abbreviated form) below: Students read as much as possible. A variety of materials on a range of topics is available.  Students select what they want to read . The purposes of reading are usually related to pleasure, information and general understanding. Reading is its own reward. Reading materials are well within the linguistic competence of the students in terms of vocabulary and grammar. Reading is individual and silent. Reading speed  is usually faster than slower.  Teachers orient students to the goals of the program. The teacher is a role model of a reader for the students. Activities that may occur: Reading may be combined with a speaking component. For example, they may interview each other about their reading. Reading may be combined with a writing component.  For example, after reading the newspaper, students may be asked to write a newspaper report.  Class time may be included  for book exchange, if there is an in-class library. Students may set their own goals for their next session. Students may  progress from reading graded reading material to authentic text . It should be expected that students will "slow down" in their reading then, it it becomes more challenging. Students may complete any of the following:                    1. a reading log (recording number of pages read and at what level)                                           2. a reading journal (reflections on the text read)                           A reading journal may take the following format:                                - date, title of  book and author                                - the category of the book if known by the student                                - a brief statement on what the book is about                                 - a summary of each part as it is read                                - student's reactions to each part                           Often teachers will respond to the students and if so, the student should leave                                room in the journal for this.                    3.  a reflection on what they noticed about their own reading                     4.  a book report or summary  - Helgesen (1997) recommends not spending more                              than 20 minutes on a report                     5. a retelling of part of the text                     6. book project  In some Extensive Reading Programs, teachers will allow their students to report on their reading in their native language so as not to make the "proof" of reading more difficult than the reading itself. This, of course, only works if the teacher understands the student's first language.  Extensive reading programs are often cited as being more "pleasurable" because there are no "tedious"  exercises to complete.  Intensive and Extensive Reading Together It is common for both approaches to reading to be used in the same class. For example, where extensive reading is encouraged, the teacher may have all the students read the same text so they can discuss the topic together or learn a specific skill such as as writing an outline.   In a class where intensive reading is mostly used, students may be asked to read texts of their own choosing to report back on,  in either an oral or written format.  In both approaches, it is not the nature of the skills that are of most interest but rather, the results.  Scanning What it is Scanning is a technique you often use when looking up a word in the telephone book or dictionary. You search for key words or ideas. In most cases, you know what you're looking for, so you're concentrating on finding a particular answer. Scanning involves moving your eyes quickly down the page seeking specific words and phrases. Scanning is also used when you first find a resource to determine whether it will answer your questions. Once you've scanned the document, you might go back and skim it. When scanning, look for the author's use of organizers such as numbers, letters, steps, or the words, first, second, or next. Look for words that are bold faced, italics, or in a different font size, style, or color. Sometimes the author will put key ideas in the margin. Reading off a computer screen has become a growing concern. Research shows that people have more difficulty reading off a computer screen than off paper. Although they can read and comprehend at the same rate as paper, skimming on the computer is much slower than on paper. Scanning is a quick reading, focusing on locating specific information. Scanning involves quick eye movements, not necessarily linear in fashion, in which the eyes wander until the reader finds the piece of information needed.  Scanning is used when a specific piece of information is required, such as a name, date, symbol,  formula, or phrase, is required. The reader knows what the item looks like and so, knows when he has located  what he was searching for. It is assumed then, that very little information is processed into long-term memory  or even for immediate understanding because the objective is simply matching. When it is used Scanning is used often with technical, scientific or professional materials to locate specific information.  Scanning is a valuable skill for second language learners to develop because often they do not require a detailed read of a text. There are many everyday uses for scanning, relevant to a purpose, such as reading a schedule.  Skimming What it is Skimming is used to quickly identify the main ideas of a text. When you read the newspaper, you're probably not reading it word-by-word, instead you're scanning the text. Skimming is done at a speed three to four times faster than normal reading. People often skim when they have lots of material to read in a limited amount of time. Use skimming when you want to see if an article may be of interest in your research. There are many strategies that can be used when skimming. Some people read the first and last paragraphs using headings, summarizes and other organizers as they move down the page or screen. You might read the title, subtitles, subheading, and illustrations. Consider reading the first sentence of each paragraph. This technique is useful when you're seeking specific information rather than reading for comprehension. Skimming works well to find dates, names, and places. It might be used to review graphs, tables, and charts. Skimming is a quick reading to get:  -  to know the general meaning of a passage                                                                                - to know how the passage is organized,  that is, the structure of the text                                     -  to get an idea of the intention of the writer Skimming is a more complex task than scanning because it requires the reader to organize and remember some of the information given by the author, not just to locate it. Skimming is a tool in which the author's sequence can be observed, unlike scanning in which some predetermined information is sought after.  When it is used Skimming is used when reading some some general question in mind. Skimming is used in making decisions on how to approach a text such as when determining  if a careful reading is deserving. Skimming is used to build student confidence and an understanding that it is possible to gain meaning without reading every word in a text. Skimming is used as part of the SQ3R method of reading, often for speed reading. This method  involves the student in surveying, questioning, reading,reviewing and reciting. Skimming is used for the initial survey and for review. Skimming is a skill that a  student may want to develop if they are planning to continue with academic studies. It  is often used in reviewing for a test. Skimming and Scanning Together Skimming and scanning are sometimes referred to as types of reading and at other times, as skills. Skimming involves a thorough overview of a text and implies a reading competence. Scanning is more a limited activity, only retrieving information relevant to a purpose. Brown (1994) suggest ed that "perhaps the two most valuable reading strategies for learners as well as native speakers are skimming and scanning." (p.283) Pugh (1978) suggested that since scanning is a less complex style of reading it can be introduced first. Skimming requires greater fluency and more practice is required, so it should be introduced later. Often skimming and scanning are used together when reading a text. For example, the reader may skim  through first to see if it is worth reading, then read it more carefully and scan for a specific piece of information to note. Students need to learn that they need to adapt their reading and techniques to the purpose of the reading.  By practicing skimming and scanning, the individual learns to read and select specific information without focussing on information that is not important for meaning.