Analytical Reading

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What is Reading?

Reading is the act of looking at words and understanding

or comprehending what they are saying, or the act of
saying those words out loud or of interpreting those
words. An example of reading is when you look at a book
and the words in it and understand the story.

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 Types of Reading:
Reading can be of several
types depending upon
the reason you are
reading the specific text.
These types are
Scanning
Skimming
Light Reading
Word by Word
Reading to study
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Scanning:

Scanning is when you through the material for a specific purpose or a specific word.

For example reading a telephone diary or a dictionary.

You are looking for it quickly.

You know what you are searching for(key words and names).

You ‘see’ every item on the page, but you don’t necessarily read the pages- you
ignore anything you are not looking for.

Thus, when you discover the key words, being searched for, you will be unable to
recall the exact content of the page.

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Skimming:

When you read quickly to gain a general impression as to whether the text is
of use to you. Skimming provides an ‘overview’ of the text. It is useful to look
at chapter/section headings, summarizes and opening paragraphs for
example it helps in:

In selecting a book.

In surveying a chapter before reading or studying.

In finding appropriate material for use in research.

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Light Reading:

Light reading is something you read easily, requiring no deep thought or

concentration, and quite likely to be amusing. For example reading a novel or story. It
is usually:

Read at a pace which feels comfortable.

Read with understand.

Skim the boring, irrelevant passages.

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Word by word type of reading:

This type of reading is time consuming and demands a high level of

concentration. Some material is not readily understood and so requires a slow
and careful analytical reading. People use this type of reading for unfamiliar
words and concepts, scientific formulae. It can take up to an hour just to read a
few lines of text.

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Reading to study:

The aim of this type is to understand the material in some

depth. The method involves five simple steps;
Survey

Question

Read

Recall

Review

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Survey: Skim through to gain an overview and note key points.

Question: Devise questions you hope the text will answer.

Read: Read slowly and carefully.

Recall: Recall from memory, write down the main points made by the chapter.

Review: Revisit your questions-compare these to your recall and establish how well
the text has answered them; fill in any gaps by further reading and note-taking.