Reading and Writing Lesson 1

The Reading Process: Pre-Reading Strategies

Reading

A cognitive process of decoding symbols to derive meaning from a text.

Purpose for Reading

It is the "WHY" in reading. It varies from situation to situation and it shapes the way we reads.

Previewing

Taking a 'sneak peek', it means "to look before"

pre

The prefix of preview. it means 'before'

view

The root word of preview. It means 'look'

- clues about the title
- clues about the front and back cover
- author of the book
- the table of contents, pictures, and other illustrations.

What to consider when previewing

Skimming

for getting the gist of something. Look at the main points of the reading material and identify the ideas that develop it.

400-700 wpm

The speed at which one reads when skimming.

- Preview
- Read the first and last paragraph
- Read headings, subheadings, titles, subtitles, and illustrations
- Read the first sentence of every paragraph

How to Skim

Scanning

For a specific focus/looking for a specific information. You have a question in your mind and you read a passage only to find the answer, ignoring unrelated information.

- Used to search for key terms
- Good to use when determining whether a source will have the answers you are looking for
- Works well with dates, names and places

How to Scan

Skimming and Scanning

These are not substitutes for complete reading. They are done BEFORE reading a text, not INSTEAD of reading it!