Developmental Reading Midterm Reviewer PDF

**DEVELOPMENTAL READING** **A PREVIEW ON READING** **What is reading?** *Caroll Gray:* "Reading early in life gives a youngster a multitude of friends to guide intellectual and emotional growth." *Richard Sleete:* "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." *Chinese Proverb:* "...

**DEVELOPMENTAL READING** **A PREVIEW ON READING** **What is reading?** *Caroll Gray:* "Reading early in life gives a youngster a multitude of friends to guide intellectual and emotional growth." *Richard Sleete:* "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." *Chinese Proverb:* "After three days without reading, talk becomes flavorless." *Frederick Douglas:* "Once you learn to read, you will be forever free." *Isaac d'isrelli:* "The delights of reading impart the vivacity of youth even in old age." *Fracis Bacon:* "Reading maketh a full man." **What is a book?** *Chinese Proverb:* "A book is a garden carried in a pocket." *Cicero:* A man without books is as a body without a soul." *Carolina Maria de Jesus:* "The book is man's best invention so far." *Thomas a Kempis:* "I have sought rest everywhere, and only found it in corners, and books." *Ray Bradbury:* "You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them." *Alice Williams Brotherston:* "Books we must have though we lack bread." *Henry David Thoreau:* "Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations." **READING AS A PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESS** Reading involves both an organic or **physiological process** and a mental or **cognitive processes**. But it is difficult to put a demarcation line between these two processes as they overlap since the mind controls all human activities. Thus, some reading experts simply refer to this process as being **neuro physiological** in nature. In the physiological process, the most basic step is for the eyes to see, identify, and recognize the printed word or images (illustrations, diagram, picture). The stage of reading revolves around the ability to identify and recognize **words** which are the smallest unit of visual identification and meaningful recognition. But the act of reading does not take place if the **letters** are perceived in isolation. Studies show eye movement in reading with the eye perceiving and pausing on the printed material horizontally **from left to right** and **top to bottom** (for the westerner) or right to left and bottom to top (for Asians such as the Chinese). Scientific experiments have also shown that there are **several eye movements**: a. **fixation** or the eyes stopping or getting fixated on the word or words. The duration of fixation is the length of time the eyes have to pause. Most readers take four eye pauses per second, while poor readers need more time to pause in order to see with accuracy; b\. **inter-fixation** or the eyes moving from stopping point to the other (horizontally from left to right, upcoming down under); c\. **return sweeps** with the eyes swinging back from the end line to the beginning of the next line; d\. *short quick hop and jump movements* called **saccades**, done especially by literate people, to move ahead on a line of print; e\. **regressions** or backward right-to-left movement in case there is need to double check what is being read; f\. **span of recognition** or the eyes' recognition of a group words. It is believed that readers can add to their reading ability by widening the span of recognition by means of chunking of phrases, a focus on the **total word pattern**. As the span widens, fixation decreases resulting in increased speed in reading. To reflect, **one reads ideas not words**. The habit of reading decreases the work of word deciphering, resulting in an ease in perceiving meaning, relationship and messages of the printed material. **READING AS COGNITIVE PROCESS** Similar to the neuro-physiological aspect in reading, the mental or cognitive process in the perception of meaning, also known as **comprehension**, is also complex. Scientists, however, were able to identify two basic steps in reading comprehension, and these are: 1\. The **extraneous process** that creates a stimulus on the visual centers of the brain. This stimulus consists in two essential aspects, namely (a) ***word recognition*** or the written symbols and (b) ***attentive adjustment*** by the reader on these symbols. 2\. **Fusion/interpretation/construction of meaning** by the mind out of the stimuli. Actually, these two steps involve other complex processes to include: Immediate arousal of associations in the recognition of the written symbols -- their pronunciation, vocabulary meaning, context, etc.; Other stimuli inclusive of what is kinesthetic or auditory; These stimuli are distributed to brain centers (instinct, feelings, imagination, reason, abstract intelligence, will); and Synthesis or the fusion of related inputs from the brain centers resulting in the recognition of the meaning of the printed symbols. In their own words, scientists have described the cognitive process in reading as: *Richards:* "Selecting and combining relevant items of experience that are implied by the immediate context, by the author's mood, tone, or intention, and by everything the reader knows that makes clear the meaning of the passage." *Thorndike:* "Selecting the right elements of the situation and putting together in the right relations and also with the right amount of weight of influence or force for each." Analyzing these mental activities, reading experts have also highlighted such acts as observation, data judgment, recall, imagination, problem recognition, judgment, analysis, etc. At this stage, it helps to know that there are levels of comprehension making us aware of faculties of the mind at work in each particular reading activity: 1\. **Literal**. Knowing what's read as is *(Wh and H questions).* 2\. **Interpretative**. What is read combined with one's subjective ideas. 3\. **Applied**. Forming opinions and applications. 4\. **Evaluative**. Judgment on the reading materials such as on the information, data, the event, persons involved, etc. Scientists also make reference to metacognition which refers to higher comprehension skill characterized by: self-awareness careful reading and greater retention making previous assumptions or hypothesis the deliberate and combined ability to reflect, question, classify, summarize, and predict information reading which gives attention to **SQ3R *(Survey, Questions, Read, Recite, Review)*** **READING AS PSYCHO-SOCIAL PROCESS** Reading is a **social activity** that engages humans in the world. It is also **purposeful social communication**, as it involves all facets of life from what is private to what is official, from what is personal to one that is public. Imagine the load of messages that we would miss without reading -- personal emails and letters, newspaper news and commentaries, government documents, agency plans, etc. Reading is also **professional** as it is a form of communication done in all the professions and human pursuits including scientific and technological research and studies. As you graduate, you would want your prospective employers to read job application letter, resume, and sample of your written work. **READING AS SKILL/SKILLS** **16.** Reading from the Internet **15.** Exposure to Reading from Mass Media **14.** Starting Your Private Library Collection **13.** Borrowing Library Books for Research and Enjoyment **12.** Using the Encyclopedias and Other Reference Books **11.** Using the Dictionary **10.** Using Parts of the Book **9.** Classifying and Organizing Facts **8.** Inferring Meanings, Drawing Conclusions **7.** Finding the Supporting Details **6.** Finding the Main Idea **5.** Vocabulary Building **4.** Using Contextual Clues **3.** Using Structural Analysis **2.** Using Phonetic Analysis **1.** Basic Sight Words **Reading Skills Ladder** **THE READING ACQUISITION FRAMEWORK: *AN OVERVIEW BY WESLEY A. HOOVER AND PHILIP B. GOUGH*** From the *cognitive perspective of learning to read*, ***reading comprehension*** (or, simply, reading) is the *ability to construct linguistic meaning from written representations of language*. This ability is based upon *two equally important competencies*: one is **language comprehension**--the *ability to construct meaning from spoken representations of language*; the second is **decoding**--the *ability to recognize written representations of words*. Both of these are complex abilities themselves, each based on other abilities, as shown in the graphic. In this simple view of reading, both **language comprehension** and **decoding** are necessary for *reading comprehension success*. Neither is  sufficient in itself. On the one hand, *being fully competent in a* *language but having no ability to recognize its written words will* *not allow successful reading comprehension*. On the other hand, *neither will having the ability to recognize the written words of a* *language but not having the ability to understand their meaning*. In this view, the only route to successful reading comprehension is through success at both language comprehension and decoding. Weakness in either ability will result in weak reading comprehension. Thus, knowing where **obstacles to reading** and its acquisition exist requires assessing both language comprehension and decoding abilities. Let\'s consider the abilities needed for success in these two broad domains. The **ability to read and understand a passage of text** depends upon two equally important skills: the ability to *decode the words* in the text; and the ability to *understand the language* the text is written in. Children who do not have problems understanding spoken language and who are able to fluently and easily decode text do not have problems with reading comprehension. On the other side of the coin, children who do have problems with reading comprehension always have problems with either the ability to understand language or the ability to decode written words. There are **three basic types of reading disorder**: **Hyperlexia**, which is characterized by the *ability to rapidly and easily decode text without understanding what is being read.* **Dyslexia**, or the *ability to understand spoken language but an inability to decode text.* **Garden-variety reading disorder**, which characteristically involves a *difficulty decoding text and a difficulty understanding spoken language.* **LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION** The *ability to construct the meaning of spoken language*, or language comprehension, requires a complex mix of different abilities, each somewhat dependent on the other. However, two large domains of knowledge are required for success. The first is **linguistic** **knowledge**, or *knowledge of the formal structures of a language*. The second is **background knowledge**, or *knowledge of the world, which* *includes the content and procedural knowledge acquired through* *interactions with the surrounding environment*. The combination of these two allows us to **make inferences from language**. We can *go* *beyond the literal interpretation allowed by competence in the language*, to inferences from language that are built in combination with our knowledge of the world. **LINGUISTIC KNOWLEDGE** Knowledge that underlies *competence in a language* can be divided into three large domains. 1\. **Phonology** describes knowledge of the ***sound structure of a language*** and of the *basic elements that convey differences in meaning*, including their *internal structure* and their relationships to each other. *The child who cannot produce or hear the sounds that distinguish one word from another will not be able to use language effectively to communicate.* 2\. **Semantics** deals with the ***meaning components of language***, both at the level of individual units *(words and their meaningful parts, or morphemes, such as \"pre\" in the word \"preview\")* and at the higher levels that combine these units *(morphemes into words, words into sentences, sentences into discourse).* Thus, part of linguistic knowledge involves learning the ***individual meanings of words*** *(or vocabulary)* as well as the ***meaning of larger segments***--*sentences and discourse structures (e.g., narratives and expositions).* 3\. **Syntax** constitutes the ***rules of language that specify how to combine different classes of words** (e.g., nouns, verbs, adjectives) **to form sentences***. In short, syntax defines the *structural relationship between the sounds of a language (phonological combinations) and the meaning of those combinations.* **BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE** In communicating through language, successful comprehension requires both the ability to use the language and knowledge of the substance to be communicated. One way to describe such knowledge is in terms of **schemas**--*structures that represent our understandings (e.g., of events and their relationships).* Schemas can represent fairly ***common knowledge** (e.g., dining in a restaurant, including being seated, ordering, being served, eating, and finally paying a bill)* or fairly ***esoteric knowledge** (e.g., how computer programs complete searches for information)*. If you have a well-developed schema in a particular domain of knowledge, then understanding a conversation relevant to that domain is much easier because you already have a ***meaningful structure in place for interpreting the conversation***. **DECODING**  *Alphabetic languages* are those whose writing systems relate the written and spoken form of words systematically. In English, both systematic and unsystematic (or idiosyncratic) relationships exist, and the successful reader must master both. Decoding is the ***ability to recognize both types of relationships*** ***between written and spoken words***. And both of these are necessary for successful **word recognition**. Knowing these systematic relationships allows us to read many new words that we've never before encountered in written form. *Knowing the exceptions allows us to access the meaning of a* *known word whose spelling violates the systematic relationships.* **CIPHER KNOWLEDGE** The ***systematic relationships between written and spoken words*** are those that consistently relate the **units of the written word** *(the letters of the alphabet)* and the **units of the spoken word** *(not the sounds themselves, but the abstract units--the phonemes--that underlie the sounds).* Knowledge of these relationships is known as *cipher knowledge*. **LEXICAL KNOWLEDGE** Beyond the systematic relationships captured in cipher knowledge are the ***exceptions***--*those instances where the relationships between the units of the spoken and written word are unique and do not follow a systematic pattern*. Knowledge of these exceptions, or lexical knowledge, is necessary for a child to be able to access the meaning of words she knows (e.g., \"stomach\") but that do not entirely follow the patterns captured in her cipher knowledge. **UNDERSTANDING THE READING PROCESS** The reading process is the ***sequential pattern in the cognitive process of absorbing, understanding, appraising, and recalling what is written in a text.*** When you read a text, you first **absorb the words** *(recognition/decoding)* and **understand the text** *(comprehension),* then *appraise and evaluate it*. Eventually, you retain what you read, and finally, you turn your attention to the next text. Good readers understand the processes involved in reading and consciously control them. This awareness and control of the reading processes is called **metacognition**, which means ***\"knowing about knowing.\"*** Some students don\'t know when they don\'t know. *They continue to read even though they are not comprehending*. Poor readers tolerate such confusion because they either don\'t realize that it exists or don\'t know what to do about it. ***Poor readers focus on facts***, whereas ***good readers try to assimilate details into a larger cognitive pattern.*** **READING AS A PROCESS** Reading is a process that includes three phases: ***before reading**, **during reading*****,** and ***after reading**.* In the **BEFORE-READING/PRE-READING PHASE**, students prepare themselves to read. They may decide or be told *why they\'re going to read a piece of text (purpose)*. They may use their *background knowledge (schema) to make predictions of what the text is going to be about.* Teachers may have them use a concept map called a **KWL chart** where students put down ***what they know*** (**K**), what they ***want to know*** (**W**), and after they have read ***what they learned*** (**L**) from their reading. Moreover, *glancing through titles, headings, and images arouses curiosity in the readers,* making them more involved in the reading. This is the stage where the readers do a ***surface-level reading*** to get acquainted with the theme of the story. They can quickly ***skim and scan*** the content to pick unfamiliar words, key phrases, and visuals. It helps them understand if a text is informative, persuasive, or entertaining. **DURING-READING PHASE** is where you get down to the *actual reading part (**reading for details**)*. Students can be engaged in ***individual reading*** or ***read aloud***. While the students read, the reader will think about the ***purpose for reading*** and about his or her ***prior knowledge***. This may occur during *short pauses taken while reading.* Finally, the **AFTER-READING PHASE** occurs when the reader takes time to *think about what he or she knew before the reading and what he or she learned or connected with during the reading*, and then he or she links this information together *to build new knowledge.* Generally, readers ***summarize what they have read, reflect, and question their understanding of the text*** to fill in the gap left from the previous stages. After-reading phase includes: a\. ***responding*** - where students react to what they have read, most often this is through discussion; b\. ***exploration*** - where students explore their new information, may read more texts to expand their knowledge of the new subject, and may learn new vocabulary words that they came up against in the text; and c\. **applying** - where students take the new knowledge they have learned and do more with it; often, they will have projects that measure how much they have learned. Throughout the reading process, but specifically in the during-reading phase, *reading and/or thinking strategies can be useful to improve comprehension.* **FIVE READING AND THINKING STRATEGIES OF GOOD READERS** 1\. **Predict: *Make educated guesses***. Good readers make predictions about thoughts, events, outcomes, and conclusions. As you read, your predictions are confirmed or denied. If they prove invalid, you make new predictions. This constant process helps you become involved with the author\'s thinking and helps you learn. 2\. **Picture: *Form images***. For good readers, the words and the ideas on the page trigger mental images that relate directly or indirectly to the material. Images are like movies in your head, and they increase your understanding of what you read. 3\. **Relate: *Draw comparisons***. When you relate your existing knowledge to the new information in the text, you are embellishing the material and making it part of your framework of ideas. A phrase of a situation may remind you of a personal experience or something that you read or saw in a film. Such related experiences help you digest the new material. 4\. **Monitor: *Check understanding***. Monitor your ongoing comprehension to test your understanding of the material. Keep an internal summary or synthesis of the information as it is presented and how it relates to the overall message. Your summary will build with each new detail, and as long as the message is consistent, you will continue to form ideas. If, however, certain information seems confusing or erroneous, you should stop and seek a solution to the problem. You must monitor and supervise you own comprehension. Good readers seek to resolve difficulties when they occur; they do not keep reading when they are confused. 5\. **Correct gaps in understanding**. Do not accept gaps in your reading comprehension. They may signal a failure to understand a word or a sentence. Stop and resolve the problem. Seek solutions, not confusion. This may mean rereading a sentence or looking back at a previous page for clarification. If an unknown word is causing confusion, the definition may emerge through further reading. When good readers experience gaps in comprehension, they do not perceive themselves as failures; instead, they reanalyze the task to achieve better understanding. **BASIC TECHNIQUES IN READING COMPREHENSION** Experts found out that teacher should cultivate the habit of reading for ideas, and not read one word at a time thinking of the meaning of separate words. **Beginner reader** finds this pattern of ***word-for-word*** reading comfortable since he is still groping to learn individual words. But as the reader matures, he would certainly fin this method tiresome and unnecessary. The **average reader** and more mature reader has improved his reading habit by picking up ***longer thought units*** in which he gets ***meaning from the text***. The **good reader** has taken in ***larger units at a time***, taking in an ***increased and longer unit of meaning***. **READING AS A COMMUNICATION PROCESS** ***What is language?*** Language is a *code of system used by humans to communicate*. And as there are diverse languages, there are diversities in the code system or symbol system as devised and used by man. In language, there are certain characteristics that can evoke effective and positive reactions on man. Experts say that these characteristics of language are also *conducive to man's reading recognition and appreciation*. 1\. **Clarity**. The reader can more easily and immediately understand language when the code symbols are ***concrete rather than abstractions and generalizations***. 2\. **Simplicity**. Complex wording written for the sake of verbal erudition is less easily understood, compared with what is expressed ***directly and to the point***. 3\. **Adapted Language**. Words of expressions should relate to the reader's age, educational attainment, gender, ethnic origin, and other personal factors ***(demographic profile).*** 4\. **Forceful**. Stimulating language provides color, interest, and excitement. 5\. **Vivid Language.** Vivid wording is ***descriptive*** and stirs the ***senses of the reader***. Reading becomes ***multidimensional***. These five characteristics of language add ***meaningfulness*** to the reader. As a reader yourself, you may now see the ***relevance of language to effective and meaningful reading***. **READING AS PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT** It is clear that the student teacher who must also develop reading skills, has the responsibility to direct and guide his future pupils along the stages of reading development. In doing so, the teacher must ensure the *continuity and progression of the reading experience.* In general, the **Reading Stages/Periods** are: 1\. **Reading Readiness** -- *Nursery and Kindergarten Pupils* 2\. **Beginning Reading** -- *Grades 1 and 2* 3\. **Rapid or Expanding Reading Growth** -- *Grades 3 and 4* 4\. **Refinement and Use of Reading as a Study Tool** -- *Grades 5 and 6, High School, and College* ***Learning Acquisition in Every Stage*** A. **Reading Readiness.** In this stage, the teacher: prepares pupil for learning how to read; guide the child in acquiring functional listening and speaking vocabulary; initiates activities using real/concrete objects such as alphabet blocks, toys, picture books, etc.; impart skills in auditory and visual discrimination, motor-ocular coordination; introduces fun experiences such as listening to stories, reading rhymes, and children's poems. B. **Beginning Reading**. This is the stage for the child to *recognize and remember words, phrases, and sentences as symbols for ideas that correspond to early experience*. For this purpose, the teacher: introduces words, seeing to it that these words relate to real-life situations; initiates both oral and silent reading, with preference to oral reading in order to aid the child in recall, correct pronunciations, and clear enunciation of words. engages the child in repetitive, interesting, and meaningful vocabulary building activities. C. **Rapid or Expanding Reading Growth.** The teacher guides the child in the *mastery of reading techniques* by: enriching vocabulary, deepening comprehension, and awakening critical thinking through answer-search to problems; encouraging free reading; applying skimming and scanning techniques in the use of table of contents, glossary, and index of books; assigning summaries, outlines, and book reports. D. **Refinement and Use of Reading as a Study Tool**. This is a period of *serious and interpretative reading* in which the high school teacher guides the student in the *use of reading as a tool for effective study of other required subjects*. The teacher, therefore: encourages independent reading and ample use of library materials; introduces research work as would be useful in problem-solving in other subjects; encourages the practice of note-taking, efficient organization of notes, and wide reading for pleasure; engages the student in oral reading using poetic, exhortative, and dramatic materials. **OBSTACLES IN READING; SELECTIVE READING** ***Intellectual*** or ***emotional maturation lag*** is a cause for **reading retardation.** There is a close correlation between **intelligence** and **reading achievement**. *Those with high I.Q. will acquire higher reading skills faster than those with lower I.Q.* Basic to success in reading are: *(a)* **visual acuity with eyes integrating images well** and *(b)* **auditory acuity with clear hearing of the sounds of words**. ***Reading is intertwined with language,*** and so, non-speakers of a language will have more difficulties reading a second language. **Reading and listening** (particularly sounds of words) are closely related. ***Proficiency in listening is conducive to proficiency in reading.*** **Obstacles in Reading Achievement** **A. Physical** Malfunction of the visual and auditory faculties In particular, eye defects such as near/far-sightedness, speech impediments, etc. Physical discomfort among students such as headache, stomachache, hunger, thirst, etc. **B. Psychological** Child's lack of self-confidence, feelings of rejection and other negative personality traits (shyness, being withdrawn, poor rapport with others, conflict with parents and peers, etc.) Teacher personality factors such as lack of competence, emotional immaturity, lack of social sense, etc. General emotional atmosphere at home and school, including the attitude among parents in guiding their children's progress in school **C. Environmental** Conditions at home and school, including conditions of poor room lighting, ventilation, seating arrangement, noises around, etc. **D. Socio-Economic** Low economic status (poverty) of children of poor families Sensationalism and retrogressive literacy as fostered by commercialism in mass media Policies and programs of government and of the schools on the development of reading programs. *Should these programs be extended not only to student teachers in college, but to all college students?* **SELECTIVE READING** Selective reading is a process of *reading with purpose*. Reading with purpose will mean ***only reading the texts that keep the useful information.*** You can select or choose any book that carries the knowledge you were craving to gain. It develops the ***ability to select the most important information from the whole text*** instead of "swallowing" everything without chewing. **Skimming** and **scanning** are *two forms of selective reading*. ***The reader does not read all the content***. Instead, he/she *consciously selects and reads only portions or specific parts of the text*, skipping over a considerable amount. The rate used for skimming and scanning may be *200-400% faster than the normal reading rate*. It *improves reading speed and accuracy*, as well as *reducing time and effort*. Students in college or graduate school cannot read all of the assigned reading to them. Thus, becoming a selective reader is important factor for academic success. **THEORIES OF TEACHING READING: *BOTTOM-UP READING MODEL; THE TOP-DOWN APPROACH* BOTTOM-UP READING MODEL** Bottom-up reading model, also known as ***part-to-whole model***, considers the importance of the ***written or printed text as it brings about reading.*** According to *Leonard Bloomfield,* reading starts with the *understanding of the code*. Analysis of the code helps in *getting easily the meaning of the text*. Meanwhile, *Emerald Dechant* asserts that, reading starts with the processing of the ***smallest linguistic unit***, and moves gradually to putting together the smaller units, which result in recognizing and understanding the ***higher units***. This strategy is described as a procedure that incorporates *perceptual accuracy,sound, and theability todiscover a series oftexts,words,spelling patterns, and other language units.* ***Bottom-up reading does not address the entire reading process for proper understanding***. Thus, bottom-up reading is the strategy to interpret letters, sounds, words, and structures until the entire text is decoded to comprehend the meaning of the text, and it is often used in the ***lower-level reading process.*** Generally, bottom-up reading strategies begin with ***letter-sound correspondences** (the bottom)* to achieve ***comprehension** (the top).* Bottom-up processing begins with letters and sounds, building to morpheme and word recognition, and then gradually moving to grammatical structure identification, sentences, and longer texts. **TOP-DOWN APPROACH** Top-down reading model, also known as inside-out model, concept-driven model, and ***whole-to part model***, uses the *meaning given by the reader to the text*. It allows readers to *decode a text even without understanding the meaning of each word*. It emphasizes ***reading for meaning*** instead of giving attention to each word, its letters and sounds. It identifies the amount and kind of ***information derived from reading*** as an important element. Top-down reading strategies emphasize the importance of ***schemata***, or *prior experiences and background knowledge*, in understanding a reading material. In top-down reading strategies, the reader must have ***knowledge, comprehension, and language skills*** that play a major role in ***interpreting the meaning of the text.*** This happens when someone uses background information to *predict what they are about to read.* They develop *expectations about what they will read*, and *confirm or reject these asthey read*. In the top-down strategy, reading can be learned by ***processing greater units of language focusing on the reader\'s knowledge.*** Thus, a reader integrates his *knowledge into the reading*. Distinctive from bottom-up, this strategy makes a reader produce ***meaning from a text.*** Generally, ***comprehension resides in the reader***. Top-down processing is the idea that to process and understand a text, we ***start with "higher-level"*** features -- *background knowledge, context, overall meaning* -- and proceed through a series of steps "down" to ***"lower-level"*** semantic, syntactical and phonological features. **INTERACTIVE READING MODEL** An interactive reading model is a reading model that recognizes the interaction of bottom- up and top-down processes simultaneously throughout the reading process. **Here\'s a simple breakdown:** **Decoding Words (Bottom-Up):** Readers identify individual words, grammar, and sentence structure to understand the basics of what is written. **Using Background Knowledge (Top-Down):** Readers draw on their own knowledge, context, and experience to interpret and make sense of the text, filling in gaps or inferring meaning when needed. **Engaging with the Text Actively:** Readers ask questions, make predictions, and look for answers within the text, which keeps them focused on finding key information. **Core Concept of Interactive Reading Model** It focuses on the belief that what motivates a student to read is important. A reader is more likely to retain knowledge of the material they are reading if they have an interest in what they are reading. A student\'s attitude toward reading is important, and a way to help students have a positive attitude toward reading is to allow them to pick topics of reading that interest them. Example/s of interactive reading model Reading a Novel: The reader decodes each sentence for immediate meaning, especially for challenging vocabulary or unusual syntax (bottom-up). They also draw on their knowledge of the storyline and characters to predict what might happen next or understand a character's motivations (top-down). As they read, they might pause to mentally summarize a chapter or note how a character's actions align with previous behaviors, keeping them engaged and enhancing understanding. Studying for a History Exam: A student decodes dates, names, and specific events (bottom-up) to understand the factual information. They then relate those events to broader historical themes they already know (top-down), like understanding how a particular battle affected the outcome of a war. To keep the information organized, they may create timelines or ask, "Why was this event important?" to help retain the main points. **LITERARY APPRECIATION SKILLS** Literary appreciation is the ability to study, understand evaluate, or make a critical judgment of literary works. The [writing] styles, themes, figurative and non-figurative use of language, literary devices and other elements that are visible in a literary work are considered and studied through the use of literary appreciation. Other scholars of literature also have their own varying definition on the concept of literary appreciation. Notable of these scholars are Ogenwele (2006) and Donelson and Nilsen (2009). 1\. Ogenwele (2006) defines literary appreciation as the evaluation of works of imaginative literature as an intellectual or academic exercise. Through this evaluation, the reader can properly and easily interpret the intent of the writers as well as the complexities and the advantages and disadvantages of the literary work. 2\. Similarly, to Donelson and Nilsen (2009), literary appreciation echo this sentiment and add that it is the process by which one 'gauges one's interpretive response as a reader to a literary work. **Elements of Literary Appreciation** There are some indispensable elements of literary appreciation. They are provided below: 1\. **Plot:** This is the sequential arrangement of events in a literary work. It\'s the storyline and must be detailed. 2\. **Theme:** The theme is the central idea that is inferred from reading and interpretation of the plot, imagery, and symbolism in a literary work. In other words, it is the central issue raised in the work. A generalization about life; we do not use names of characters, places, or events. Avoid any statement that reduces the theme to some overused familiar saying or cliché. Should be expressible in the form of a statement. 3\. **Style:** This is the way the language is structured or the ways or manner in which a work is written. Technically, every writer has his or her own style of writing. 4\. **Mood:** This is the feeling of atmosphere that the writer created for the reader through the description of the setting, what the characters say and the use of language. This element of literary appreciation is important in order to fully appreciate the literary work by having a classical overview of the writer\'s intent, mood, or emotions. 5\. **Diction:** This has to do with the author\'s choice of words. 6\. **Literary devices:** The literary devices used in the work could also help the reader fully understand the work, despite the expressions used.