Reading strategies

Reading strategies

by julian amaya

​DO YOU KNOW ANY STRATEGY TO USE IN ENGLISH READING COMPREHENSION?

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​1. Estrategia 1: Predecir el contenido (predicting).

​This strategy involves the ability of readers to get meaning from a text by making informed predictions. Good readers use predicting as a way to connect their existing knowledge to new information from a text to get meaning from what they read.⁹ Before reading, they may use what they know about an author to predict what a text will be about. The title of a text may trigger memories of texts with similar content, allowing them to predict the content of the new text.

​Example

Word Splash Activity

What is a Word Splash? A Word Splash created by providing a topic, a list of 4-8 words, and asking the students to write or type a paragraph that connects those 4-8 words to the offered topic. They watch the video and then review their paragraph for accuracy.

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​2. Estrategia 2: Hacer una lectura rápida (skimming).

​Skimming is one of the tools you can use to read more in less time.  Skimmingrefers to looking onlyfor the general or main ideas, and works best with non-fiction (or factual) material. With skimming, your overall understanding is reduced because you don’t read everything. You read only what is important to your purpose. Skimming takes place while reading and allows you to look for details in addition to the main ideas.

​Example

​A learner taking a reading exam decides to approach text by looking at the title, introductions, and any diagrams and sub-headings, then skim reading to get a clear general idea of what the text is about.

In the classroom Skimming is a specific reading skill which is common in reading newspapers, messages and e-mails. It is important that learners understand that there is no need to read every word when skimming, so often teachers set this as a timed task to encourage speed.

​3. Estrategia 3: Escanear el texto para encontrar información específica (scanning).

​Scanning is the act of searching a particular information in a text with a particular approach. For instance, if you want to know the meaning of the word ‘virtuous’ from a dictionary, you will start searching the letter v first, then I, and then R; by then you probably will have found the word. This process of searching is called scanning . It is a technique of fast reading.

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Before starting to scan a text for a particular information, you know some basic things about that text. You will not be able to scan a text efficiently if you do not have a basic idea about that text. If the text is completely unknown to you, you should skim it first to get some ideas about that text. This will help you to guess the section or part of the text where you might find the information you need.

​Example

​A learner taking a reading test needs to scan a text on population rates quickly to find out if a series of statements about the population figures are true or false.

In the classroom As the above example shows, scanning is a specific reading skill which is often used in combination with others such as skimming and intensive reading. Learners need to learn different ways and understand that choosing how to read is an important step in building reading skills.

​4. Estrategia: Visualizing

​This involves the ability of readers to make mental images of a text as a way to understand processes or events they encounter during reading. This ability can be an indication that a reader understands a text. Some research suggests that readers who visualize as they read are better able to recall what they have read than are those who do not visualize.

​Example

​Students are bombarded with the visual images on TV and video games. As a result, they often view reading as a passive activity. A simple technique -- visualization -- can help transform students from passive to active readers while improving their reading comprehension

​Generating and Asking Questions

​This strategy involves readers asking themselves questions throughout the reading of a text. The ability of readers to ask themselves relevant questions as they read is especially valuable in helping them to integrate information, identify main ideas, and summarize information. Asking the right questions allows good readers to focus on the most important information in a text.

​Making Inferences

​This strategy requires readers to evaluate or draw conclusions from information in a text. Authors do not always provide complete descriptions of, or explicit information about a topic, setting, character, or event. However, they often provide clues that readers can use to "read between the lines"-by making inferences that combine information in the text with their background knowledge.

Multiple Choice

¿Para qué son importantes las estrategias de lectura?

• Para hacer resúmenes del texto

• Para leer más rápido

• Para saber escribir

• Para hablar del texto

Multiple Choice

¿Qué es el skimming?

• Es una herramienta para identificar textos argumentativos y hacer textos

• Es una estrategia que permite hacer una lectura consciente del texto con el fin de responder un cuestionario

• Esta estrategia consiste en leer el texto rápidamente para tener una idea general de su contenido, sin prestarles atención a los detalles. 

• Es una estrategia que permite conocer textos de todo tipo con el fin de fusionarlos

Multiple Choice

¿Para qué sirve la visualización?

• Para ver mejor las palabras en los textos

• Para hacer imágenes mentales de un texto como una forma de comprender los procesos o eventos que encuentran durante la lectura

• Para reconocer en el texto imágenes plausibles e interpretar aspectos relevantes del autor

• Para ver la opciones de respuesta en el texto

Multiple Choice

¿Qué es importante tener en cuenta antes de aplicar scanning a un texto?

• Tener información básica del texto?

• conocer profundamente la biografía del autor

• Conocer en el contexto del texto

• Saber la intención del autor

Multiple Choice

¿cuáles son los aspectos positivos de la generacion de preguntas al texto?

• sacas la palabras clave, leer más rápido

• sacar las ideas principales, sustraer palabras

• hacer resumen, identificar ideas, mostrar interes

• integrar información, identificar ideas principales y resumir información.