READING COMPREHENSION - 1

READING FOR FACTS AND GUESSING MEANINGS FROM CONTEXT

Introduction: Reading comprehension is defined as the level of understanding of any written thing.

Description: Proficient reading depends on the ability to recognize words quickly and effortlessly. If word recognition is difficult, it interferes with the ability to comprehend what is being read.

Comprehension usually comprises of students answering teachers' questions, writing responses to questions on their own, or both. The method that was being used earlier was the read-test method, but research concludes that there are many effective ways to attempt comprehension. Much work has been done in the area of reading strategies to interpret and analyze text. The common practice is to summarize what is read to make sure it makes sense. The technique is associated with the idea of self-regulation and reflects social cognitive theory.

One strategy for reading comprehension is the technique called SQ3R. This stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review. In order to get an understanding of the text, chapters must be surveyed. This consists of quickly looking at the title, headings and any subheadings. After surveying, questions should be asked to self about the topic.

The next thing is to begin reading quickly for the key words. There may be key words seen even in the titles or subtitles of the chapter. After reading a portion or section of the passage, recite by reading out loud. By orally summarizing what has been just read helps to cement the content in memory. The last technique is review what has been read. By writing down key facts from the passage and reviewing it, information can be better understood.

Reading strategies

There are many reading strategies suggested by educators. The National Reading Panel identified positive effects such as skimming, scanning, summarizing, asking questions, answering questions, comprehension monitoring, graphic organizers and cooperative learning. Visualization occurs when a student can create a picture or movie in their mind while reading text. Another way is to think about bringing words to life. Summarizing is telling what is important about the text. A summary might include the answers to who, what, where, when, why and how. Evaluation is about making judgments on what is read and then explaining why those judgments are made.

Reading difficult texts

Some texts, like in philosophy, literature or scientific research, may appear more difficult to read because these texts are considered difficult even by scholars. Some times it is always suggested to read the given questions first followed by the comprehension passage. This strategy allows the reader to completely understand the need of the question, and then the passage can be skimmed to get the answer from the passage.

Conclusion: Comprehension is about the level of understanding and by following the above strategies it is easy to comprehend content.