LESSON 1: Pre-Reading Strategies

Reading

can be defined as a cognitive process of decoding symbols to derive meaning from a text

Previewing

means looking at the readily visible parts of the text

Skimming

looking for the main point of reading and identify the ideas that develop it ; physically moving your eyes rapidly along the page and tracking your finger along the lines of the text to speed up your reading

Scanning

looking for specific information

Schemata

gives you prior idea ; past experiences and knowledge we remember whenever we are faced with a new stimulus ; enable you to be certain ; culture and Semantic Barriers may affect the schemata that was formed

Accomodation

replacing old information with new

Formal Schemata

how it is written ; rhetorical patterns when writing ; cover discourse level items

Linguistic Schemata

language, grammar, vocabulary ; include the decoding features needed to recognize words and how they fit together in a sentence

Context Clues

are words, phrases, and sentences that surround an unfamiliar word

Synonyms

used when the text has words or phrases that are similar in meaning to the unknown word ; signaled by the words: “like” or “as”

Antonyms

is a word that reveals the opposite meaning in relation to the unknown word

Examples

are specific details in a text that are used to clarify the meaning of a word

Explanation

may be given as clues to describe an unknown term ; “because”, “that is”

Definition

may follow an unfamiliar word ; “is”, “means”, “is defined as”, “refers to”

Situations

the meaning of a word may change depending on its context or how and where it is used

Denotation

basic, precise, literal meaning of the word that can be found in a dictionary

Connotation

is the positive, negative, or neutral feelings, attitudes, ideas, or associations with a word

Critical Reading

evaluate claims, seek definitions, judge information, demand proof, and question assumptions ; this type of reading goes beyond passively understanding a text because you process the author’s words and make judgments after carefully considering the reading’s message

Metacognition

being conscious of one’s own mental problems ; in reading, it is the ability as a reader to plan

Keeping a Reading Journal

you are writing your feelings and ideas in reaction to your reading assignment

Annotating the Text

simply means making notes on your copy of the reading

Outlining the Text

by locating the thesis statement, slaims, and evidence, and then plotting these into an outline, you can see how the writer structures, sequences, and connects his or her ideas

Summarizing the Text

getting the main points of the essay and important supporting details

Questioning the Text

asking specific questions on points that you are skeptical about

Explicit Information

information that is clearly stated

Implicit Information

ideas that are suggested

Claim

also known as thesis statement ; is what the writer tries to prove in the text by providing details, explanations, and other types of evidence

Claims of Fact

state a quantifiable assertion or a measurable topic

Claims of Value

they consists of arguments about moral, philosophical, or aesthetic topics

Claims of Policy

posit that specific actions should be chosen as solutions to a particular problem

Context

the social, cultural, political, historical, and other related circumstances that surround the text

Intertextuality

is the modeling of a text’s meaning by another text

Hypertext

is a nonlinear way of showing information