Reading Skills: Types and Techniques

Basic of Reading Skills

• Reading skills are the abilities and techniques enabling effective reading, understanding, interpretation, and engagement with texts.

Types of Reading

• Extensive reading is for pleasure and general understanding, like novels and magazines.
• Intensive reading is for specific information and detailed understanding, like textbooks and research articles.

Level of Reading Skills

• Basic reading skills include phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
• Advanced reading skills include skimming, scanning, reading for specific information, critical and inferential reading.

Skimming

• Skimming is rapid reading to gain a general idea or gist of the text.
• Skimming involves understanding the broader context of a text.

Skimming Techniques

• Focus on the first and last sentences of paragraphs.
• Read titles, headings, and subheadings to grasp main themes.
• These elements highlight the structure and key points.
• First sentences of paragraphs often contain the main idea or summary.
• Look for repeated words, bold or italicized text, and keywords relevant to your needs

When to Use Skimming

• Previewing a Text: Before in-depth reading to understand the structure.
• Assessing Relevance: To decide if the text meets your needs.
• Time Management Strategies: When you have limited time to read.

What do you SKIM everyday?

• Subject lines or the first few sentences of Emails.
• Menus for specific items or prices.
• Advertisements to catch deals, discounts, or key offers.
• Schedules\Timetables to check dates, times, or events.
• Text Messages for urgent or important points.
• Highlighting steps or key details in Instructions manual.
• Searching for relevant sections or keywords Web Pages.
• Browsing chapter titles or summaries of Books or Magazines.

Types of Questions Using Skimming

• Determine the central theme or primary subject of a passage.
• Understand the purpose or the author's intention behind the writing.
• Find a suitable title for the passage.
• Identify the topics covered in the text and obtain an overview.

Scanning

• Scanning is fast reading to find specific information or details.
• Scanning is about locating particular details within a text.

Scanning Techniques

• Determine the specific information being searched for.
• Quickly move your eyes over the text to locate keywords.
• Once a keyword is found, read the surrounding text to understand the context.

When to Use Scanning

• Finding Specific Facts and Figures: Such as dates, names, or statistics.
• Answering Specific Questions: When you need precise information.
• Efficient Reference Checking: To quickly locate information within a text.

What do you SCAN everyday?

• Contact Lists to search for a phone number or name.
• Flight or Train Schedules to locate specific times or destinations.
• Receipts to look for totals or specific purchases.
• Price Tags to check the cost of an item while shopping.
• Books or Articles to search for a particular word, phrase, or fact.
• Maps to locate a street name or landmark.
• Exam Papers to look for certain questions or instructions.
• Product Labels to check ingredients or expiry dates.

Types of Questions Using Scanning

• Find information about a specific topic or detail in the text.
• Identify a paragraph containing details about a particular subject.
• Identify Who is the main character?
• Ascertain Where did the event take place?
• Determine What percentage is given in the passage?
• Determine How many items are listed?
• Find the meaning of a word within the passage.
• Identify which section discusses specific content.

Reading for Specific Information

• Focused reading is used to find particular pieces of information.
• Specific information involves finding exact facts.
• Reading for details involves understanding and remembering important information for a comprehensive view.

Techniques for Reading for Specific Information

• Glance over the text to understand its structure.
• Be clear about what specific information is needed.
• Identify key terms related to the information being searched for.
• Use scanning techniques to find specific sections.
• Read the surrounding text to verify the information.

Examples of Reading for Specific Information

• Research Papers: Find experiment results, hypothesis, or conclusions.
• News Articles: Locate specific facts or events reported.
• Instruction Manuals: Look for specific instructions or steps.