Introduction to Reading

In this semester long course we will be looking at several reading strategies designed to improve your reading ability.  They will include; before during and after reading activities
Each week, you'll be introduced to a new reading strategy and then have a chance to practice it in the class.  Outside of class, you'll be expected to read a longer story or article which will be discussed in the following class.  The longer story or article will allow you to focus on the lesson learned in class as well as the interesting topic of the story itself. 

In the classroom discussions you will be asked questions that focus on your critical thinking skills.  They will consider;

• What was my first impression of this text? (What moved me in this text? How and why did it move me?)
• Did I enjoy reading this text? Can I identify why I did or did not?
• Did I relate the text to other human experiences, especially my own? 
• Did I distinguish between fact, inference, and opinion in reading the text?
• Did I distinguish between the thoughts and feelings I brought to the text and those that can reasonably be attributed to the text?
• Did the text offer any new insight or point of view? If so, did it lead me to a change in my thinking? If not, did it confirm thoughts or opinions I already held? Do I need further information?

Reading Selections

These are to examples of the reading selections that you will be given in class

The Lottery
A Clean Well-lighted Place

Reading Strategies

Right now you are reading English. That means that you are using your brain in a very active way. Reading is a very active process. It is true that the writer does a lot of work, but the reader also has to work hard.

You will usually encounter new words when you read. If there are too many new words for you, then the level is too high and you should read something simpler. But if there are, say, a maximum of five new words per page, you will learn this vocabulary easily. You may not even need to use a dictionary because you can guess the meaning from the rest of the text (from the context). Not only do you learn new words, but you see them being used naturally.

When people write, they usually use "correct" English with a proper grammatical structure. This is not always true when people speak. So, by reading you see and learn grammatical English naturally.

You can read as fast or as slowly as you like. You can read ten pages in 30 minutes, or take one hour to explore just one page. It doesn't matter. The choice is yours. You cannot easily do this when speaking or listening. This is one of the big advantages of reading because different people work at different speeds.

If you choose something to read that you like, it can actually be interesting and enjoyable. For example, if you like to read about soccer or science in your own language, why not read about soccer or science in English? You will get information about those topics and improve your English at the same time.