Reasons for Reading and Tips for Comprehension

Reasons for Reading

 Reading is an active skill. It constantly involves guessing, predicting, and asking oneself questions. Reading involves a variety of skills, some of which you will learn by the end of this unit, however the first thing to consider is the purpose for reading something.

All meaningful reading needs a purpose. Even without consciously stating why they are reading, strategic readers survey the text and evaluate the purpose for reading it. Typically when teachers give students an assignment, they also provide a purpose for reading. Teachers tell the students that they will be reading to learn about a particular topic, such as the Civil War in social studies. Students must be able to identify their own purposes for reading, as well as read for an assigned purpose.

The process of reading should begin before a book is opened.  Your purpose dictates how you’re going to read a text. There are two main reasons for reading: (1) reading for pleasure, (2) and reading for information (in order to find out something or apply that information). People read in order to:

•  Be entertained, informed or persuaded
•  Learn how to do something
•  Analyze the author
•  Reflect upon and extend personal experience and prior knowledge
• Generate questions for further research about the topic or concept
• Gather information for a discussion
• Solve a problem/Answer a question

It is important for students to keep the purpose in mind so that they can sort and organize new information, and justify how the information gained helps them achieve the purpose for reading it. 

A Good Reader

A good reader reads with a purpose. He/She has a clearly defined reason for reading – a question that needs to be answered, facts to remember, ideas to grasp, or just the pleasure of following a well-written story. Such a person reads to digest the concepts and ideas that the author is trying to communicate. He/She reads critically and asks questions to evaluate whether the author’s arguments are reasonable or not. A good reader recognizes biases and doesn’t simply believe everything that he/she reads. If you are not a good reader yet, there are several ways you can improve your reading. 

Effective Reading

Pre-Reading

Before you start reading, there are ways to gather clues about the text you’re going to read. Pre-reading steps lay the groundwork for effective reading. When you’re about to read a book, notice the following first:

1.      Chapter Headings and Subheadings: chapter titles and bold-faced subheadings announce the details about the main topic.

2.      End-of-Chapter Summaries: The author usually gives a summary of the chapter at the end to explain the point he/she was trying to make.

3.      Pictures/Graphs/Charts: Make a note of how they supplement the text, and what point they emphasize.

4.      Highlighted Terms/Vocabulary/Other facts: Sometimes key terms are highlighted within the text. They may help you define your purpose for reading.

If you begin your reading assignment by seeking out these elements, you’ll have completed your pre-reading step. What is prereading? It is simply beginning your assigned reading by reviewing these clues and defining your purpose for reading.

Understanding Text Structure:

Understanding how the authors have organized their writing provides information which students can use while reading. For example, if a text has a ‘cause and effect’ organization, students can ask themselves ‘what were the reasons for so-and-so event? Why did it happen?’ These questions based on text structure provide a focus for adding new information. Some important questions you can ask yourself before reading:

Ø  What’s the main topic of what I’m going to read?

Ø  What do I already know about this topic?

Ø  What’s my purpose for reading this?

Ø  How is this text organized?

Reading Faster

Sometimes certain words in a chapter/text will help you concentrate on the important points and ignore the unimportant. Knowing when to speed up, and when to slow down, ignore, or really concentrate will help you read faster and effectively.

When you see words such as ‘likewise, in addition, moreover, furthermore’ etc, you should know that nothing new is being introduced. In this case, you can speed up or skip what’s coming.

On the other hand, when you see words such as ‘on the other hand, nevertheless, however, rather, but’, slow down – you’re getting information that adds a new perspective or contradicts what you’ve just read.

Lastly, watch out for words like ‘to summarize, in conclusion, therefore, consequently, thus’ – especially if you’re reviewing for a quiz or an exam. This is where the real essence is, where everything that was said before is happily tied up in a nice bow and ribbon, enabling you to avoid having to unwrap the entire chapter.

Becoming a critical reader:

Critical reading is a type of reading during which you seek to identify thoughts, ideas, or concepts – each demanding a thorough study and evaluation. Critical reading requires that you are able to identify the author’s arguments, measure their worth, and apply it to your own experiences. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to effectively analyze and interpret most of what you read:

·         Is there a clear message communicated throughout?

·         Are the details factual?

·         Are the examples given relevant?

·         What is the author’s bias?

·         What is the author’s motive?

·         Are the main points logically ordered?

·         Does it relate with your own beliefs and experiences?

·         Is the author rational or subjective?

·         Are explanations clear?

·         Are the arguments and conclusions consistent?

 Comprehension

Finding the theme/ main idea

In any good writing, there is a controlling thesis or message that connects all the specific details and facts. Good comprehension results when you are able to grasp this main message, even if you forget some of the details.

Typically in a paragraph, the first or the last sentence announces the main point or idea of that paragraph. Authors often give examples, stories, evidence, facts etc to support the main point or give further explanation. In order to comprehend effectively, you need to learn how to spot the main idea and the supporting details. Read the following:

People in my family love our pet dog Punch. However, I have several reasons for wanting to get rid of Punch. First of all, he knows I don’t like him and often glares at me. Another reason is that he sheds fur everywhere. Punch rises early and I like to sleep late. He will start barking at 7 a.m. and it’s my job to take care of him.

In the above passage, the main point or theme is this: Reasons for wanting to get rid of Punch. The rest of the passage consists of supporting details/facts to further elaborate the main idea.

Aids to better comprehension:

Ø  Read regularly, at least give pages a day. You cannot understand a passage if you don’t understand the words and sentence patterns. Read regularly for at least three months, and you English will improve considerably.

Ø  Beware the opening sentences of a passage. In many cases, they will tell you the main idea/topic.

Ø  Don’t worry if you don’t know the meaning of some words. You may be able to guess the meaning from context, or you may be able to grasp the overall meaning even if you omit the word.

Ø  Make notes or quick drawings about the passage.

Ø  Take colored pencils to the examination room. You can use different colors to underline words about people or events in the passage.

Ø  Read the whole of each question before you answer part of it. Sometimes you miss important instructions given at the end of a question.

Ø  Mentally simplify or re-express difficult sentences until you find out what they mean. See if you can simplify a complex or compound sentence by eliminating clauses which contain additional information.

Ø  Use your own words if possible.

Ø  Try to make the act of learning sequential – comprehension is built by adding new knowledge to existing knowledge.

Ø  Review and rethink at designated points in your reading. Test yourself to see if the importance of the material is getting through.

Ø  If things don’t add up, discard your conclusions. Go back, reread, and try to find an alternate conclusion.

Ø  Summarize what you’ve read, rephrasing it in your notes in your own words.

Ø  Understand the difference between literal and figurative meaning of a word. For example, the word ‘sea’ can be used for its literal meaning: ‘There are many fish in the sea’; or for its figurative/metaphorical meaning: ‘She was surrounded by a sea of troubles’. 

References:

Etherton,A. (2001). General English Certificate (4^th Ed.). Nelson Thornes: UK.

Fry, R. (2005) Improve Your Reading (5^th Ed). Thomson-Delmar Learning: USA.