Dr Nazmi Abdel-Salam Al-Masri Sept 2013 IUG Unit (1) Introduction to Academic Reading

Understanding active reading What do you understand from this saying? “God helps those who help themselves.”

Understanding active reading  “Reading is important because it develops the mind. The mind is a muscle. It needs exercise. Understanding the written word is one way the mind grows in its ability.” (Learn to Read)

Understanding active reading  The prior knowledge you bring to the text you intend to read will positively affect how you understand what you read. One of the strategies to activate your prior knowledge to understand a text faster is examining the title of the text you are about to read.

Understanding active reading  Reading plays a key role in almost every course of study. Yet many students do their reading in an unfocused way. This can often lead to poor results. So let us start by trying to clarify our ideas about reading.

Understanding active reading The KWL strategy below is useful strategy for effective reading:  What do I Know?  What do I Want to learn?  What did I Learn?

Understanding active reading  Skilled readers are thinking readers. They know how to monitor their reading for comprehension and how to adjust if comprehension is lost. They prepare for reading tasks before starting to read, construct meaning as they read, and reflect on their reading when they finish. (The Northwest Florida State College. 2010: 20).

Understanding active reading As a skilled reader engages a text, (s)he also engages  a thinking process that leads to the development of meaning. The thinking process involves interplay of processes such as the reader drawing on  prior knowledge while also  making inferences about the text (Griffith &Ruan, 2005, p.6 quoted in The Northwest Florida State College. 2010: 20).

Understanding Academic Reading Skilled readers follow these strategies  You will read for different reasons, depending on the purpose. You will need to ask yourself a) why you are reading certain material and b) what your purpose may be. c) What information do you require?

Understanding Academic Reading Skilled readers follow these strategies  The way you read a newspaper or a magazine, for example, is very different to the approach you would take when reading an academic textbook.

Understanding Academic Reading Skilled readers follow these strategies Academic reading is more than just recognising words on a page. It requires  concentration on a deeper level, and  you will need to understand the meaning of what the author is trying to say and  think about the main theories and concepts.

Below are some explanations of the importance of academic reading. Read them carefully & choose the 2 most important ones for you. a) Academic reading is very different from everyday reading. Whilst studying at university you will read a large number of texts & publications, requiring your concentration & good understanding. b) Academic reading introduces you to new ideas & enables you to think about them in a different way. c) You will need to grasp main ideas, theories, key themes & arguments.

Below are some explanations of the importance of academic reading. Read them carefully & choose the 2 most important ones for you. a) Once you have understood these ideas, you can express yourself in essays & exams. b) It is important to learn & practise the skills you need to read academic texts, as this will increase your comprehension & save you time. c) Using various reading techniques will help you research & understand your subject both broadly and specifically.

Below are 2 columns containing academic reading skills. Which column is a Myth and which one is a reality? A B You have to read everythingNo – be selective! You have to read every word in a text No – read the important bits first You should read everything at the same speed in the same way No – choose a reading strategy that matches the type of text and matches the purpose for reading Reading a text once is enoughNo – read important bits first, then re-read again more slowly

Modes/ types of Reading Skimming -scanning - extensive reading -intensive reading As a university student, you will be assigned a lot of reading. Sometimes it is important to read slowly and carefully. Other times, you are just trying to find specific information. Skimming and scanning are skills that will help you with both of these types of reading.

Modes / types of Reading Try to complete the spaces with one of these: skimming - scanning a) When we …………….through a text, we run our eyes over it very quickly - reading the title, the first few sentences of each paragraph, the conclusion to get the main idea and an impression of how long and difficult the text is. b) When we ………………………. or search a text, we look for specific information which we know, or suspect, is there. This specific information could be key word, name, date, location, number, fact, opinion, idea, factor, cause, etc.

Modes / types of Reading Try to complete the spaces with one of these: extensive reading - intensive reading a) We read shorter texts, extracting specific information, accurate reading for detail. b) ………………… We read longer texts for pleasure & needing global understanding Depending on the purpose of their reading, readers choose between either of four modes of reading: skimming, scanning, intensive reading or extensive reading. Sometimes you may use more than one mode.

Modes / types of Reading Skimming - scanning extensive reading -intensive reading Depending on the purpose of their reading, readers choose between either of 4 modes of reading Sometimes you may use more than one mode.

Modes / Types of reading Skimming - scanning - extensive reading - intensive reading Reading Task 1. Reading a novel to pass time on a plane 2. Reading a novel to pass an exam 3. An announcement t for a final exam 4. A text for reading comprehension exam

Modes / Types of reading Skimming - scanning - extensive reading - intensive reading Reading Task 5. Telephone directory 6. An academic article conclusion 7. A poem 8. Train timetable

Modes / Types of reading Skimming - scanning - extensive reading - intensive reading Reading Task 9. Whether a text humorous or serious 10. You are searching for possible answers to exam questions in your textbook. 11. You've downloaded an article from a database but you are not sure whether it is relevant or not

Building Vocabulary: Using Context Clues to Learn Word Meaning When authors write, they often include context clues to the meaning of words they use but think that some of their readers may not know. The context clue is usually presented in the sentence or paragraph in which the word occurs. Here are six types of context clues and six examples that illustrate how theses six types of context clues can be used by authors to help the reader understand the meanings of words. (Based on How-to- Study.com)How-to- Study.com