ELS 108 Academic Reading Skills

ELS 108 Academic Reading Skills

In this section of our ELS 108 course, we will focus on developing your academic reading skills through a variety of strategies and techniques. These skills are essential for success in university studies and other professional settings where you may need to analyze and interpret complex texts. Here's what you can expect from our instruction on academic reading:

Identifying Main Ideas and Supporting Details

One crucial aspect of academic reading is understanding the structure and organization of text. Our program will teach you how to identify main ideas within paragraphs and recognize supporting details that help clarify those concepts. This skill is particularly important when studying disciplines like history, literature, or political science, where authors present arguments supported by evidence drawn from diverse sources.

Building Vocabulary

Academic reading often involves encountering new vocabulary terms specific to certain fields. We will focus on expanding your lexicon and decoding unfamiliar words using context clues. In turn, this will help improve your comprehension and retention of information, making it easier to understand technical jargon in various subject areas.

Active Reading Techniques

Our ELS 108 curriculum covers active reading strategies that encourage engagement with the material rather than passive consumption. By practicing these methods consistently, students develop enhanced critical thinking and problem-solving abilities that serve them well beyond college classes. Some key active reading techniques covered include underlining or highlighting key points, asking questions about the text, summarizing sections in your own words, and practicing note-taking while reading.

Developing Speed and Efficiency

We also emphasize speed reading techniques in our ELS 108 course. While comprehension should always be prioritized over sheer speed, learning to navigate texts more efficiently saves time and allows readers to process larger amounts of information without sacrificing accuracy. As part of this training, we encourage learners to employ pacing strategies, follow the author's line of argument, and avoid overthinking individual words or phrases.

Skimming and Scanning

Skimming and scanning are valuable skills for preliminary understanding of texts or for locating specific information within a document. Our ELS 108 course covers these techniques, helping learners quickly identify essential information without reading every word. These skills are particularly important when working with texts like scholarly articles, textbooks, or long reports where time efficiency matters.

In conclusion, ELS 108 offers a comprehensive approach to academic reading skill development. By mastering these strategies, students can:

• Understand complex texts more efficiently.
• Develop a deeper vocabulary and comprehension of specialized terminologies.
• Improve critical thinking skills through active engagement with materials.
• Increase speed and accuracy in processing large volumes of written content.

Employing these techniques consistently will enable you to excel in various educational contexts and ensure successful navigation of your future academic endeavors.