Reading Comprehension: Techniques & Cognitive Processes

• Reading involves decoding symbols to understand and create meaning
• It aids in language learning, communication, and sharing ideas
• Technique involves using special knowledge or skill to accomplish something
• Reading techniques are methods for decoding symbols to improve understanding for communication and sharing ideas
• Rhea was able to summarize O. Henry's "The Last Leaf" after reading and understanding it

Cognitive Processes

• Cognitive processes affect mental content and involve thinking, remembering, obtaining, and storing knowledge

Decoding

• Decoding is finding or understanding meaning, recognizing and interpreting information, and translating written words into sound

Deriving

• Deriving is taking or obtaining something from a specific source

Language Acquisition

• Language acquisition is the process of developing the ability to perceive, understand, and use language to communicate

Skimming

• Skimming is quickly moving your eyes over text to get the main ideas and an overview

Skimming Uses

• Skimming is useful for pre-reading to get a more accurate idea of the text
• It helps in reviewing material that has already been read
• Skimming is utilized for quickly reading unimportant material

Skimming Steps

• Read the title
• Read the introduction or lead-in paragraph
• Completely read the first paragraph
• Read each subheading to find relationships
• Read the first sentence of each remaining paragraph
• Most paragraphs have the main idea in the first sentence
• The last sentence can be valuable if the author begins with a question or anecdote

Scanning

• Scanning is rapidly covering material to find specific information
• Scanning is useful for finding names, dates, statistics, or facts without reading everything

Steps for Scanning

• Keep in mind the specific information needed
• The word or idea you're searching for will come more clearly to mind
• Think about how the information might be presented (numbers, nouns, etc.)
• Analyze how the content is organized before scanning
• Scan the entire article in one search if its familiar or brief material
• Skim if the material is lengthy or difficult so you know which part to scan
• Quickly move your eyes over several lines and read the entire sentence once you find the information

Phrase Reading

• Phrase Reading involves focusing attention on phrases and is typically learned by people who enjoy reading

Phrase

• A phrase is a group of words that combine to mean something

Clustering

• Clustering is a simple exercise to help develop skills to Phrase Read
• It takes 10-20 minutes of daily practice and within three weeks you will learn the skill

Non-Prose Reading

• Non-prose or graphic materials are visual forms summarizing information and ideas through words, symbols, pictures, and drawings

Graphs

• Graphs visually represent quantitative data to show relationships (e.g., bar graph, pie graph, line graph, pictograph)

Diagrams

• Diagrams use lines and symbols to show relationships between parts, steps of a process, or key aspects (e.g., tree chart, timeline, technical diagram, process diagram)

Charts

• Charts are visuals that summarize data, explain processes, or describe relationships (e.g., tabular, outline, flow, and organizational charts)

Maps

• Maps are flat representations of geographical areas using scales and models