Strategies to understanding the meaning of text

Preview

1. Read the headline and subtitles

2. Look at picture and other graphics; read caption

3. Skim side bars

4. Read section outline in textbook and articles

Activate Prior Knowledge

1. Consider what you already know about the subject

2. Think about connections to other knowledge you possess

What can we read

1. Novel

2. Poems

3. Letters

4. Newspaper etc.

Reading Strategies

1. Understanding vocabulary in context

2. Reading for general meaning (Predicting / Previewing, Skimming, Finding the main idea)

3. Reading for specific information (Inference Scanning)

4. Contextual referents / Rhetorical devices and clause markers

Understanding meaning from context

What to do when you find a new word when you're reading…

1. Ignore it. Continue reading.

2. Look at it.

3. Cover it up with your finger and try to read the sentence.

4. Think about the general idea of the text.

5. And if nothing else works and you still can't understand the main idea of the text, use the dictionary.

Predicting / previewing

There are many specific strategies that are used when we read for the main idea. These can signal important main ideas and give us an idea of the gist of selection.

1. Headlines, headings and subheadings

2. illustration

3. Caption

4. Changes in typesetting (italics or bold, for example)

Skimming

1.Read the title, subtitles and subheadings

2. Look at the illustrations

3. Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph.

4. Let your eyes skim over the text, taking in key words.

Skimming and Scanning

What is Skimming ?

"To read quickly to get the general idea of a passage"

How to Skimming

1. Read the title, subtitles and subheadings

2. Look at the illustrations

3. Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph.

4. Let your eyes skim over the text, taking in key words.

When skimming

1. Don't read everything but try to skip the text.

2. Read the first and last sentences of paragraphs.

3. Read the introduction and the summary.

4. Read a few examples until you understand the concepts they are meant to illustrate.

What is Scanning ?

"Search for specific information (key word)"

Get only what you need

Scanning is rapidly running your eyes over the text in order to locate specific details.
Three steps to scanning include:

1. Search for the keyword

2. Move quickly over page.

3. Less reading and more searching.

How to scanning

1. Look at any heading. Find the section you want

2. Quickly look for the information you need.

3. Stop reading when you find what you want.

Conclusion

Skim to understand the generalidea of a passage

Scan forspecitic words, numbers, details or answers.