Reading Comprehension

General things to note when reading:

• Identify the main idea

• Identify the purpose of the text, the target audience, point of view of its author, the tone and attitude, and how communicates his/ her ideas; be able to separate fact from opinion; and make predictions based on information presented in the text

• Infer the meaning of unfamiliar words and expressions using context clues, and comprehend a wide variety of vocabulary, idioms, and cultural expressions

• Identify practices, products, and perspectives of Hispanic cultures and information pertaining to other disciplines, such as science, geography, history, art, etc.

Suggestions for Reading:

    Before reading

• Read the introduction and title thinking of the information presented as well as the possible point of view of the author and the intended audience

• Scan the whole passage to get a general basis for what happens. This means looking at subheadings or scanning information

• Scan the questions to get an idea of what is needed to be found in the passage

• Use visuals to help determine the purpose and its relation to the words

    During reading

• Underline key words and ideas that enable you to retrieve information quickly

• Identify the main ideas through looking a repeated words or phrases as well as words that are topically related

• Identify the setting, action, and main characters which means getting a general basis for what’s happening, note who, what, when, where, why and how and maybe even some of their characteristics.

• Identify the practices (customs and traditions), perspectives (attitudes, values, and ideas) of Hispanic culture and notice how they differ from you culture

• Focus on words you recognize and use context clues to determine unfamiliar ones

    After reading

• Reflect on the reading by synthesizing the information provided; take the information at face value.

Key Concepts:

How to identify the Main Idea?

    The main idea of a story is what the author wants the reader to understand after the entire text. To identify it, you should look at the passages, including the title, and make notes of the words that are important and think of a unifying idea with them. Note certain verbs and nouns.

How does one Think Critically?

    To think critically, read and summarize the selection to ensure you know what the content means. The summary should have the main idea. Then, analyze the evidence presented and draw inferences where you can and identify the tone. Synthesize the information by connecting the information that you read with prior knowledge about the topic and any personal experiences. Lastly, evaluate the whole work by assessing the overall work. This could mean identifying the target audience, the tone of the author and even the validity of the argument through checking if there is evidence missing and other predictions that go beyond summary.

How does one understand details?

Details can be understood through looking at the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the passsage that can easily be recognized through the diction and phrasing.

How does one determine the intended reader?

    Determining the intended reader is done through the content of the reading itself. Look closely at the topic of the passage and identify individual that may have an interest towards the topic or an individual that may need to be persuaded.

How does an individual make predictions?

    Predictions are made through prior knowledge. Predictions can be made from just simply reading the title of a work. On the exam, predictions are usually question through hypothetical scenarios.

Understanding Meaning:

Being able to infer meaning is crucial for reading certain texts. It is not necessary to understand every word in a piece to have a good understanding of it. In order to make educated guesses, use the following strategy:

• Read the entire sentence or paragraph to have a frame of reference

• Identify the part of speech of the word e.g noun, adjective, verb, adverb

• Use context clues. For example, if the word is an adjective, what noun is it describes. If its a verb, who’s the subject. If its an adverb, what verb is it describing.

• Look for cognates or words apart of the same language family

Reading Graphs, Tables, and Charts:

When looking at graphics, graphs, tables, or charts, here are some strategies:

• Read the introduction and title of the graphic

• Read the labels on the graphic

• Pay attention to the patterns printed on the sections of the graphics to understand the information

• Analyze the information gathered from the graphic, table, or chart. Ask what conclusions can be made from the chart and how they may relate to a previous article. Predict how a following audio may relate.

To understand bar graph, review the following strategies:

• Read the introduction and title

• Read the label on each axis

• Determine the value that each bar represents

• Analyze the relationships between each bar groups and how they compare and contrast

To understand pie charts, review the following strategies:

• Read the introduction and title

• Read the labels for each part of the pie

• Understand what each part represents and how they compare and relate

• Analyze each part in relation to the while

To understand tables, review the following strategies:

• Read the introduction and title

• Read the row and column headings

• Determine the value of each of the numbers in the tables (percentages, in tens, thousands, etc.)

• Read down form the left and then across to the right

A common mistake with interpretations from graphics is that students force meaning or point of view from the graphics. The information in the graphics are almost always neutral and do not suggest a particular point of view.

Conclusion:

• Understand the format of the print text

• Read the introduction and scan the passage to get the general idea. Predict what the selection may be about

• Reread more carefully to

  • identify the key vocabulary (underline them),

  • identify characters,

  • identify setting, and

  • understand what is happening,

• Use background knowledge

• Evaluate the information you have gleaned from the puece to

  • determine the tone and mood of the piece

  • determine the intended reader, and

  • draw conclusions about the piece

• Read the chart from left column and then across