Reading Skill

Pre-Reading I

Reading Skill

Here are some of the reasons why reading is important:

1.      Helps you learn to think in the new language

2.      Helps you build a better vocabulary

3.      Makes you more comfortable with written English

4.      Reading may be the only way for you to use English, if you live in a non-English country

5.      Reading can help you plan to study in an English-speaking country.

How to become a better reader

1.      Reading for pleasure : read as much as you can. Read some books, magazines, stories or anything you like.  Find a book that is interesting to you.

2.      Working on your reading skills : you can use many different skills. here are six important skills you will work on : previewing, asking questions as you read, guessing what new words mean, finding the topic and the main idea, understanding patterns in English, and using signals words.

3.      Learning to read faster : reading faster is important, because of the way your brain works. When you read slowly, your brain doesn’t get enough information.

4.      Learning to think in English : you need to work on understanding English sentences. Learn how to get the meaning sentences.

Three ways of making the experience of reading more enjoyable :

1.      try to buy something to read that really interests you. Read and enjoy it. Stop when you get bored

2.      try and encourage a friend or partner to read th same thing you selected and then have a discussion on what you’ve read with your friend.

3.      Set yourself strict limits for reading things you have to read.

Speed-reading

The average reading speed is about 240-300 words per minute. For the average reader, the eye fixes on each word individually. Basic idea of speed-reading is that you rapidly scan each line, focusing on the center of page, moving your eyes as quickly as possible down the page, never regressing, and picking out verbs and nouns. But, success in speed-reading is manly determined by how fast the reader can recognize the meanings of the words on the page.

Speed-reading techniques have their role though, if :

1.      You want or need skim quickly through a text to isolate something vry specific from it.

2.      You’ve already developed a good vocabukary and can differentiate between words spelt the same or in a similar way.

Three Important Factors Which Can Inhibit Your Reading Efficiency :

1.      Concentration

When you have problems about concentration such as you cant concentrate for a specific block of time, or your concentration is easily distracted by others, environment and internal thoughts you can combate it by break up your reading into small sections and take a break between two sections. The environment you create to study has a great impact on your ability to concentrate.

2.      Vocabulary

The better your vocabulary the better understanding and recall of information read.

3.      Comprehension

The best way to know if you are comprehending material is to monitor your recall as you read

References

Grant, P. Effective Reading. Published on page www.charteredbanker.com and accessed on September 19, 2015.

Mikulecky, B.S. (1986). Reading power. United States : Addison-Wesley Company, Inc.

NSLRC The Essentials of Languange Teaching : Strategies for Develeping Reading Skills. Retrieved from http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/reading/stratread.htm. On  September 20, 2015 at 11.30 AM

Saint’s Marry College : Reading Strategies. Retrieved from https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/academics/academic-resources-support/student-academic-support-services/tutorial-academic-skills-6. On  September 20, 2015 at 11.55 AM