Developing reading strategies

Reading is a method of communication that enables a person to turn writing into meaning. It allows the reader to convert a written text as meaningful language with independence, comprehension and fluency, and to interact with the message.

Reading is a great habit that can change human life significantly. Reading, activity characterized by the translation of symbols or letters, into words and sentences that have meaning to the individual. The ultimate goal of reading is to be able to understand written material, to evaluate it, and to use it for one's needs.

It can entertain us; amuse us and enrich us with knowledge and experiences narrated. There exist some reading techniques, which if mastered at a growing stage can help us, be better and far more comprehensive readers.

These skills might not necessarily be learned as rigid theories or rules but if understood well once they can definitely enhance the reading skills and increase the quality and quantity of output that we get from after reading

Before we start with reading, we need to know various aspects and dimensions it relates to. We should understand that Reading and Studying mean different according to their usage domains and objectives. It is the functional attributes that make them altogether different yet, completely inter-related. Academically, we need to study and appear for evaluation for the ‘comprehension’ we have gained.

Integrating Reading Strategies Instruction in reading strategies is not an add-on, but rather an integral part of the use of reading activities in the language classroom. Instructors can help their students become effective readers by teaching them how to use strategies before, during, and after reading. Before reading: Plan for the reading task

· Set a purpose or decide in advance what to read for

· Decide if more linguistic or background knowledge is needed

· Determine whether to enter the text from the top down (attend to the overall meaning) or from the bottom up (focus on the words and phrases)

· Verify predictions and check for inaccurate guesses

· Decide what is and is not important to understand; Reread to check comprehension; Ask for help

After reading: Evaluate comprehension and strategy use

· Evaluate comprehension in a particular task or area

· Evaluate overall progress in reading and in particular types of reading tasks

· Decide if the strategies used were appropriate for the purpose and for the task ; Modify strategies if necessary

To identify relevant reading purposes, ask students how they plan to use the language they are learning and what topics they are interested in reading and learning about. Give them opportunities to choose their reading assignments, and encourage them to use the library, the Internet, and foreign language newsstands and bookstores to find other things they would like to read.3. The reading approach must be authentic: Students should read the text in a way that matches the reading purpose, the type of text, and the way people normally read. This means that reading aloud will take place only in situations where it would take place outside the classroom, such as reading for pleasure. The majority of students' reading should be done silently. Example for reading, Lesson1 (Beginning Level)

Rain forests (By Scott Adelson)

Have you ever seen a rain forest? Where do rain forests grow? What is unusual or

unique about rain forests? Are they important to the world? This text is about special forests in tropical areas of the world that are being cut down, and about a special group that is trying to save them.

Vocabulary to Watch for

Debt – money you owe to another person; Organization – group; Conservation- saving the land and the animals; Reserve – a safe place for animals and nature

READ

In many tropical countries, people are cutting down rain forests to make room for farms. They hope that the farms will make money for them so that they can pay their debts. But a new organization is trying to help these counties save their forests. The name of this organization is Conservation International. Conservation International pays countries not to cut down their rain forests.

Their first agreement was with Bolivia, for a 4,000,000 acre reserve in the Amazon River basin in northeast Bolivia. The region has savannahs, deep woods, and rain forests. It is famous for the different plants and unusual wildlife that live there. Bolivia and Conservation International will take care of the reserve together.

This idea of helping countries make rain forest reserves is so unusual that Brazil and Ecuador, which are both interested in this program, are already having talks with Conservational International.

Respond Understanding the Details

Do you understand the text? Try to answer the following questions. You may look in the text. Practice scanning for important words or numbers?

1. Why do some tropical countries cut down their rain forests?

2. What is the name of the organization that is helping to save rain forests?

The Big Picture: Reading for the Main Idea

What do you think is the most important idea in this text?

a. Small countries need help to save their rain forests.

b. Conservation groups are trying to help tropical countries save their rain forests.

DISCUSS: What do you think? Are people in your country worried about conservation? Do you think it is a good idea to pay countries not to cut down their forests? What do you think is the most important conservation problem?

Literature:

1. Ackersold, J. A., & Field, M. L. (1997). From reader to reading teacher: Issues and strategies for second language classrooms. New York: Cambridge University Press.

2. Anderson, N. (1999). Exploring second language reading: Issues and strategies. Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.