READING

Rowell de Guia
Bataan Peninsula State University
Reading is a process in which the
reader constructs meaning using the
information on the printed page and the
knowledge stored in the reader’s head.
Several types of reading may occur while
studying or at work. One way in which these
may be categorized , as suggested by Brown
(1989) can be outlined as follows:

Skimming
Scanning
Intensive Reading
Extensive Reading
■ Skimming is rapid reading
focusing on the title,
headings, topic sentence,
sign posts to get the main
idea of a text.
■ Skimming is used when reading with some general
questions in mind.
■ Skimming is used in making decisions on how to
approach a text such as when determining if a
careful reading is required.
■ 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.
■ How is skimming done?
■ Read the title if any.
■ Read the introduction or the first paragraph.
■ Read the first sentence of each of the following
paragraphs.
■ Read any headings or sub-headings.
■ Look at any pictures or phrases that are in boldface
or italics
■ Read the summary or last paragraph.
Scanning
■ 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. 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.
How is scanning done?
■ The student forms questions before
reading. What specific information are
they looking for?
■ The student looks for contextual clues.
The student tries to anticipate what the
answer might look like and what sorts of
clues would be useful.
■ The student is aware of the graphic form
that the answer may take, such as a
numeral, a written number, a capitalized
word or a short phrase that includes key
words.
Intensive Reading
■ 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 is Intensive Reading done?
■ Highlighting plain sense to understand
the factual, exact surface meanings in
the text
■ Identifying implications to make
inferences and become sensitive to
emotional tone and figurative language
■ Identifying relationships of thought
between sentences or paragraphs
■ Integrating information from the text to
one's own background information.
Extensive Reading
■ Extensive Reading means reading
very easy, enjoyable books to build
reading speed and fluency.
■ Extensive Reading gives students
chances to read longer pieces of
reading, which they choose, which
they can read at their own speed
and at their own ability level.
How is it done?
■ Extensive Reading builds vocabulary. When learners read a
lot, they meet thousands of words and lexical (word)
patterns that are not taught in textbooks. Extensive
Reading allows the learner to develop an awareness of
collocations (common word partnerships) and thousands of
lexical phrases.
■ Extensive Reading helps learners understand grammar. In
textbooks learners meet hundreds of grammar patterns.
However, textbooks do not provide enough meetings with
grammar for real acquisition to occur. Extensive Reading
provides opportunities to see grammar in context so
learners can deepen their understanding of how grammar
is really used.
■ Extensive Reading helps learners to build reading speed
and reading fluency. In particular, developing reading
speed is important because it helps learners to understand
language faster and better.
■ One objective of Extensive Reading is reading for pleasure.
This builds confidence and motivation which makes the
learner a more effective user of language.
Exercise 1
1. Is the sample text a business
letter? What is it?
2. What is the text about?
3. How much time will you be
needing to finish reading the
text?
Exercise 2
1. What is the title (headline) of the
news?

2. Who wrote the news?

3. How much does an individual

working in the healthcare industry
earn according to the news?
Exercise 3
1. What does the English test
include?
2. Where was the English test
given?
3. Who are required to take the
English test?
4. What will be the next move of the
nurses who failed the English test?
Exercise 4
What do the following words mean
a. shattered;
b. hurdle;
c. stringent;
d. flunked;
e. rigorous;
f. on board;
g. string of tests;
h. retention;
i. hailing?