Improving Your Reading Skills

A KEY TO BE A BETTER WRITER

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed,

and some few to be chewed and digested; that is
some books are to be read only in parts, others to be
read but not curiously; and some few to be read
wholly, and with diligence and attention.
- Francis Bacon

Starter: 1 whole pc of yellow pad paper

Answer the following informal reading inventory.
1. How often do you read?
a. All the time
b. More often than not
c. Sometimes
d. Almost never

2. Do you enjoy reading?

a. Yes
b. Sometimes
c. No
3. What is your usual purpose for reading?
a. to fill in extra time
b. to fulfill academic requirements
c. to gain new knowledge or information

4. What are the usual types of materials that you read?

a. textbooks
b. general reference books
c. newspapers
d. magazines
e. nonfiction like biographies
f. fictional stories/books
g. others (_____________)

5. What reading materials do you find easier to read?

a. textbooks
b. general reference books
c. newspapers
d. magazines
e. nonfiction like biographies
f. fictional stories/books

6. What reading materials do you find most difficult to

read?
a. textbooks
b. general reference books
c. newspapers
d. magazines
e. nonfiction like biographies
f. fictional stories/books

7. What are the factors that affect your difficulties in

reading?
a. content material
b. structure of material
c. language used in the material
d. vocabulary used in the material

8. In general, how would you rate yourself as a reader?

a. excellent
b. very good
c. average
d. poor

Fill in the grid with your answers

My strength/s
as a reader
I enjoy reading different
types of materials.

My weakness/es
as a reader
I am a slow reader.

Target goals in
reading
I will improve my skills in
evaluating ideas.

There is really no such thing as best reading style,

strategy, approach, or even attitude.
What is important is you are aware of what you can do
and how can you improve your skills.

GOAL of successful readers

Before
READING FAST
Now
READING WITH FLEXIBILITY
- the ability to choose appropriate reading skills and
reading rate to meet ones reading purpose and to match
text type, familiarity with the topic, difficulty of the words
in the reading text

Characteristics of Flexible Readers

1. They have clear reading goals. They know when they
need to read a text to get the main idea or to get
specific details.
2. They adjust their reading pace depending on their
goals and the difficulty of the text.
3. They are not bothered by difficulty words, because
they believe that they can understand the passage
even if there are some unfamiliar words.

Characteristics of Flexible Readers

4. They match their reading strategies and reading
goals.
5.They know that they do not have to read all reading
passages intensively.
6. They know when to skim and scan, or preview
certain texts.
7. They read a lot because they want to learn new
things.

Do you have those characteristics? If not, dont worry.

Reading flexibility just requires practice.
A. address your own READING BLOCKS
B. FAMILIARIZE with the different reading skills,
and their purpose

A. address your own READING BLOCKS

Reading blocks are the processes and perceptions that hinder
you from understanding the materials you are reading.
Lack of clear purpose
Limited vocabulary
Lack of concentration
Lack of confidence in your reading ability
Limited awareness and use of strategies

In order to address these obstacles, you need to be

conscious of the BUILDING BLOCKS in attaining
reading efficiency and effectiveness.
Goal-oriented reading
Constant practice
Effective strategies
Self-directed reader

B. FAMILIARIZE with the different reading skills,

and their purpose

1. Reading Skill: Rapid Reading

Purpose: Fast-reading to get the main idea

(skimming) or to locate specific information
(scanning) in a text
2. Examples:
Skimming for the main idea of the article
1.

Scanning for specific names in a telephone

directory

2. Reading Skill: Previewing

Purpose: Surveying to get a birds eye view of a text
2. Examples:
1.

1.

Checking books you want to buy by predicting the contents

through the title and by checking the synopsis at the back

2.

Getting the overview of a textbook by looking at chapter

headings

3. Reading Skill: Literal Reading

Purpose:

1.

Noting and relating details

Looking for context clues

1.
2.

2. Examples:
1.

Distinguishing relevant from irrelevant points

2.

Using clues to understand meaning of words

4. Reading Skill: Inferential Reading

Purpose: Drawing conclusions and predicting the
outcome based on the information in the text
2. Examples:
1.

1.

Guessing motivation of a character in a text using dialogue or

description

2.

Generalize ideas presented in the text

5. Reading Skill: Critical Reading

Purpose: Distinguish facts from opinions and
evaluating tone, implications and propaganda
tools.
2. Examples:
1.

1.

Questioning claims made by the author

2.

Expressing opinions about ideas in the text

ACT now!!!

Try to familiarize yourself with the different skills and

purposes of reading in order to match them with
your own practice in reading.
Even though speed is not the number 1 criterion in
effective reading, the rate or pace you read is still an
important consideration especially if you want to
cope with your academic load.

Complete the table

Type of material

Reading purpose

Pace

News paper headlines

Get the main idea

Fast - Medium

Dictionaries

Finding the meaning of a word

Recipes

Learn how to cook an exotic fish

Instruction manuals

Learn how to use a new gadget

Lab reports

Find out how the experiment was

conducted in order to replicate
the study

Textbooks

Prepare for a quiz

Novels

Prepare a book report

Anthology of fictional
stories

Read for pleasure

Tables and charts

Write an interpretation of the

data

Maps

Locate yourself in a new place

1 whole yellow pad paper

Jump-start your reading practice by reading and keeping a reading log.
1. Title of the article/chapter/book
2. Author
3. Summary (in not less than 3 sentences) or Main idea
4. New ideas I learned (at least two)
5. Significant ideas/phrases/lines in the text and why
6. Ideas I agree with and why
7. Ideas I disagree with and why
------------------------------8. Words in the text that I like to use in my own writing
9. Ideas I can relate to my previous knowledge and elaborate them
10. Ideas I want to learn more about and explain why
11. Other reactions and comments

Reading Logs
#1 Oct. 16, 2014
#2 Oct. 20, 2014
#3 Oct. 22, 2014
#4 Oct. 24, 2014
#5 Oct. 27, 2014
#6 Oct. 29, 2014
#7 Oct. 31, 2014
#8 Nov. 3, 2014
#9 Nov. 5, 2014
#10 Nov. 7, 2014

Yellow pad paper

Submit on time (first 5 minutes)