Republic of the Philippines

D E P A R T M E N T OF E D U C A T I O N
Region VI – Western Visayas
Division of Negros Occidental
E.B. MAGALONA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
National Highway, E.B. Magalona, 6118

Reading and Writing Skills Handouts

Reading is a cognitive process of decoding symbols and to derive meaning from a text. It is always an
interaction between the text and the reader. We read to gain and share information and ideas, whether for
academic, personal, or professional purposes.

Reading is also a skill that can be improved through consistent practice. In order to comprehend the text,
we apply many skills simultaneously while we read: identifying author’s purpose, grasping the main ideas
of the text, locating important details, using context clues to understand unfamiliar words, answering
specific questions, analyzing the text’s points, and critiquing the text.

Applying Effective Reading Strategies

A. Getting and Overview of the Text
1. Previewing
Previewing means looking at the readily visible parts of the text, like titles and subtitles, and also
visuals and graphs, pictures, and charts.
2. Skimming and Scanning
Skimming the text means you look for the main point of the reading and identify the ideas that develop
it.
Scanning the text is looking for specific information.
B. Using Context Clues
1. Synonyms are used when the text has words or phrases that are similar in meaning to the
unknown word.
Example: Alice envisaged the Jabberwock in her mind. She imagined it’s sharp claws and jaws, and
then shivered in fright.
2. An antonym is a word that reveals the opposite meaning in relation to the unknown word.
Example: The Jabberwock was relentlessly pursued by the boy, unlike the others who gave up easily
when they heard how terrifying the creature was.
3. Examples are specific details in a text that are used to clarify the meaning of the word.
Example: The boy’s father was ecstatic when he found out that the Jabberwock was conquered by his
son. His behavior included laughing, cheering, and hugging his son.
4. Explanations and Definitions
a. Explanations may be given as clues to describe an unknown term. When phrases like
“because” or “that is” follow a word, these may be explanations.
Example: Humpty Dumpty told Alice that “brillig” means the same thing as four o’clock in the
afternoon, because that is when people started broiling things for dinner.
 b. Definitions may follow an unfamiliar word. Terms like “is”, “means”, “is defined as”, and “refers
to” are used with definitions.
Example: Hearing someone “outgrabe” – which means he is whistling, bellowing, and sneezing
all at once – can be a funny sight.
5. Situations
The meaning of a word may change depending on its context, or how and where it is used.
Example:
a. The boy wondered if he should have brought some back up, in case he could not take on
the Jabberwock by himself.
b. The hero’s conquest of the Jabberwock is an exemplary case of bravery.
c. The hero is lucky that the murder of the Jabberwock does not merit a case in court!
C. Using Denotation and Connotation
1. Denotation is the basic, precise, literal meaning of the word that can be found in a dictionary.
2. Connotation is the positive, negative, or neutral feelings, attitudes, ideas, or associations with a word.
These shades of meaning are affected by social overtones, emotional meanings, or cultural implications.
Example:
Father
Denotation: a male parent
Connotation: -association: positive
-feelings: love and respect
Daddy
Denotation: a male parent
Connotation: -association: positive
-feelings: love, familiarity, childhood

Text as Connected Discourse

Text Discourse
-is made up of sentences. -is the use of such sentences.
-has the property of grammatical cohesion -has the property of coherence.
-is defined in terms of its being a physical product -is viewed as a process
-meaning is not found in the text -meaning is derived through the reader’s
interaction with the text

References
Seastres, J. E. (2019, November 12). Retrieved from Slideshare:
https://www.slideshare.net/EjeSeastres/reading-and-writing-skills-text-as-a-discourse-introduction
Tiongson, M. T., & Rodriguez, M. R. (2016). Reading and Writing Skills. Quezon City: Rex Book Store, Inc.