Before we finally engage in various activities aimed at enhancing your vocabulary,

reading comprehension, literary appreciation and study skills, we first quickly define
developmental reading and describe its scope or coverage today.
Umans (1964) as cited in Villamin et al. (2001) provides this definition of developmental
reading: “Developmental reading is a program in which students who are able readers continue
to be taught reading skills in a sequential program of instruction, designed to reinforce and
extend the skills and appreciations acquired in previous years, and to develop new skills as they
are needed.”
One of the important phrases in that definition is “who…continue to be taught reading
skills…” What does that phrase or line mean?
1. It means that the readers are already an experienced-readers. Adding to that, the
reading program that a student needs is the one that can give more improvement to
their reading skills. Yes, they are starters or beginning readers. They are on their
way to becoming interactive/fluent readers
2. It means that the students involved has a lot of experiences in reading and still
learning and still improving their reading skills. Experienced but still improving for
many different purposes.
3. SUGGESTED ANSWER: It means that the students who are the recipients of the
reading program are already experienced readers. And therefore, the reading
program to be implemented is that one that is further improving what the students
already have in terms of reading skills.
What is an excellent reading program? An excellent reading program, according to Villamin et.
al. (2001), is that one that provides for the sequential development of reading skills from pre-
school to college in all subject areas as well as for recreatory purposes or reading for enjoyment.
So, if you are to describe briefly using your own words the reading program Villamin et al are
saying, what activities should be contained in this program that will be implemented among
the students?
1. Activities that contrubutes to the child's development in his learning experience. It
would be better if you went specific.
2. I think the activities that should be contained in the program are poem reading and
storytelling. That is one, which focuses on literature.
3. I would suggest activities that does not only require reading but activities that touches
the interest of the reader as well for further development. In other words something
that makes them excited every time. That’s personal
4. SUGGESTED ANSWER: The program to be implemented among students should be
that one that provides activities which will improve the students’ love for reading not
only for academic purposes (e.g. research, oral presentations, writing assignments) but
also for functional (e.g. reading used when you buy in the grocery stores) and
leisure/recreation or fun (e.g. reading we do on our own).
The other important phrase we get from the definition of developmental reading is
“sequential program of instruction”. To explain what it means by sequential, Grace Goddel
developed the following “skills ladder”.

So, if those skills in the ladder were arranged in sequence, can you proceed learning the
parts of a book even when you have not acquainted yourself yet with the techniques on
finding the main idea? Why or why not? Explain your answer.
1. No because it is a sequence, meaning one step at a time. You cannot just jump into the
last without proceeding first to the first step. Without mastering those in the lower
portion of the ladder you say.
2. For me no, because we cannot will be able to jump up into that step without starting
into the first level. Skipping the others won’t work thats according to the ladder.
3. No, because I think the skills ladder stages are fixed. Therefore, you will not be able to
proceed in a higher stage without learning the lower stage. It's like learning the basic
first. It is fixed and applied appropriately depending on the status of the learner
4. SUGGESTED ANSWER: The answer is no. The skills ladder shows that before you
learn the most advance skills, learn first the basics. Master the basics first, in other
words. So, in the question at hand, the student will have to master the skill of finding
main ideas in texts before learning how to identify and use the parts of a book.
The goal of every school is to see that students will make progress in their reading skills as
they go through the program. However, there are factors that affect the students’ growth and
development in reading skills. Teachers should be aware of the following factors, which may
either spell out the success or failure in reading.
1. cerebral dominance
2. directional orientation
3. maturation
4. intelligence
5. visual and auditory efficiency
6. language proficiency
7. perception and conceptualization
8. listening comprehension
9. personality and emotional factors
10. environmental factors
11. socio-economic status
12. mobility
13. education and attitudes of parents
14. home conditions
15. some school variables
16. general physical condition
Which of the factors do you think needs more attention to ensure the reading success of
students? Explain your answer.
1. Language proficiency is important since it allows readers to become proficient in
multiple languages. Studies show that if students are proficient in both speaking and
writing, they too are proficient readers. That is the reason we are letting you enroll
language and communication courses in college.
2. I think no. 9 personality and emotional factors because students should first subject
their personal and emotional behavior to reading before anything else for them to be
aware that reading will always exist through the journey in learning. This is where
parent and teachers can collaborate to help students become emotionally stable.
3. Intelligence for me is the important because we have different intelligence, so if the
parents, the teachers even those who surrounds the students will help him enhance it
more there will be success in the in their journey in reading. One way to address
differences in intelligence is the use of multiple intelligences in lessons you future
teachers should prepare to cater to the different abilities of students.
4. Sir for me is no. 5 because it is really hard if the student do not have a good visual and
auditory efficiency. That is why the teacher put an extra effort about it. Teachers
should use strategies to improve those areas.
Today opens our discussions on the different reading skills we will review in this course:
vocabulary, reading comprehension, literary appreciation and study skills.

I would like to underscore the “review.” This means that our discussion may not be very very
comprehensive given the circumstances that limit us during this new normal in learning and
teaching. In fact, I will make some adjustments in the course outline as we progress to make
sure I will deliver the most important things within the prescribed time.
We will start today with vocabulary skills. In particular, we review the different ways to get
the meaning of an unfamiliar word without too much depending on the use of a dictionary.
The first in these ways is word analysis (or morphemic analysis). We review how to get the
meaning of a word by looking at roots (stems/base) and affixes. I know you are not majoring
in language or in English in particular, but, let me just add here that roots and affixes are
sometimes known as morphemes, which are categorized as free and bound morpheme
(Rochester Institute of Technology)
An "affix" is a bound morpheme that occurs before or after a base (root/stem). An affix that
comes before a base is called a "prefix." Some examples of prefixes are ante-, pre-, un-, and
dis-, as in the following words:

antedate
prehistoric
unhealthy
disregard

An affix that comes after a base is called a "suffix." Some examples of suffixes are -ly, -er, -
ism, and -ness, as in the following words:

happily
gardener
capitalism
kindness
Ian Roger
Let us have a short exercise
Ian Roger
EXERCISE 1: Are the following parts of the word set in all capital letters free morpheme or
bound morpheme? Write FM if your answer is free morpheme, and BM if your answer is
bound morpheme.

1. JUDGing- FM
2. GEOgraphy- BM
3. ASSIGNment- FM
Exercise 2: Using the examples in the first exercise, write the original meaning of the word.
Then, using again the same examples, add a new prefix or suffix to the word, and then, write
the new meaning.

The first item is done for you as your guide. Do the two other words left.

EXAMPLE:

Old Word: judging

Meaning: giving a verdict or an opinion on something or someone

New Word: misjudge (I added the prefix mis- to the base “judge”)
New meaning: making an incorrect opinion or verdict
Old word-Geography
Meaning-Geography is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features,
inhabitants, and phenomena of the Earth and planets

New word-geothermal(I added the suffix "thermal" to the base "geo".

New meaning-relating to or produced by the internal heat of the earth.

Old word-assignment
Meaning-a task or piece of work assigned to someone as part of a job or course of study.

New word-reassign (I added the prefix "re" to the base "assign"

New meaning-appoint someone to a different job or task.
Old word: Geography
Meaning: a science that deals with the description, distribution, and interaction of the
diverse physical, biological, and cultural features of the earth's surface
New word: Graphical
Meaning: of or relating to the pictorial arts

Old word: Assignment

Meaning: the act of assigning something
New word: reassign( i added prefix re to the base assign)
Meaning: to assign (something or someone) again especially in a new or different way

OLD WORD: Assignment

MEANING: a task or piece of work assigned to someone as part of a job.
NEW WORD: Unassignment
MEANING: temporary interception of an apprentice contract
 Do Activity A. Choose the one that is hard to do.
Gen

Gender
General
Generic

Gen

Gentrification
General
Genuine

Dic

Dictatorship
Dictionary
Dictate

Prefix - im
Root – polite
Suffix – ly
New word = Impolitely

Prefix – dis
Root – honest
Suffix - ty
New word = Dishonesty

Un- predict - able = unpredictable

Dis- honest- ty = dishonesty
Synonyms and antonyms are not new to you. You have been exposed to these words since your
elementary grade years. But, again it is important to learn them even at this stage of your
education because everyday, in your reading experience, you come across words, huge world of
words, that may haunt you if you are not aware of their related words and opposite meanings.
Learning synonyms and antonyms is exciting. Imagine how monotonous the world would be if
there were only a single word to describe or express certain thoughts. If everything is said only
by a single word in every situation or event, life would be so boring. Fortunately, the English
language is teemed with synonyms and antonyms to add zest or flavor to our communication
skills.
What are synonyms?

Synonyms are words that have the same meaning are called synonyms. They are sometimes
known as alternative words, alternative expressions, other words, substitutes or replacements.
For example, the synonyms of the word BIG are huge, colossal, enormous, fat, full, hefty,
immense, tremendous, gigantic, sizeable, important, substantial, considerable, massive, towering.
The list goes on actually.
Exercise: Give two synonyms of Election (noun)
1. Selection
2. Poll
3. Nomination
4. Picking
What are antonyms?
Antonyms are words that have opposite meaning to other words.
Let us use BIG. The antonyms of big are small, little, minute, trivial, slight, short, minor,
insignificant, unimportant, obscure, modest, tiny, petite, dainty, dwarf, elfin, diminutive. Also,
the list could go on.
Exercise: Give two antonyms of investigate (verb)
1. Overlook
2. Forget
We have just proven that the list of synonyms or antonyms for particular words could go on or
could even be endless because we can give as many as we can just for a single word.
But the most important thing to consider here is the usage of each word in context (The best way
to learn synonyms and antonyms is using them in context). Let us take the synonyms we gave for
the word big:
Synonyms of BIG:
Huge
Colossal
Enormous
Fat
Full
Hefty
Immense
Tremendous
Gigantic
Sizeable
Important
Substantial
Considerable
Massive
Towering
Let us use one of the above words in a sentence. Let us use HUGE to replace big.
THE SENTENCE: The shirt she gave does not fit her because it is HUGE for her petite size.
But, a problem arises when we use another synonym of BIG from the list above:
The shirt she gave does not fit her because it is FAT for her petite size.
or
The shirt she gave does not fit her because it is COLLOSAL for her petite size.
FAT even when it is a synonym of BIG can not be used in the sentence because FAT is applied
only in the context of anatomy (body part). COLLOSAL even when it is a synonym for BIG
cannot also be used in the sentence because COLLOSAL is best used only in terms of buildings
or physical structures.
The same is true to antonyms.
Again, let us take the word BIG.
Antonyms of BIG:

Small
Little
Minute
Trivial
Slight
Short
Minor
Insignificant
Unimportant
Obscure
Modest
Tiny
Petite
Dainty
Dwarf
Elfin
Diminutive
Let us use one of the above words in a sentence. Let us use TINY as antonym of big.
THE SENTENCE: Chesnut Munia is one of the TINY birds in the Philippines that have stable
population.
But, a problem arises when we use another antonym of BIG from the list above:
Chesnut Munia is one of the PETITE birds in the Philippines that have stable population.
Or
Chesnut Munia is one of the MINOR birds in the Philippines that have stable population.
The last two sentences are problematic. PETITE, even when it is an antonym of BIG, can not be
used in the sentence because PETITE is applied generally to women and women’s size. MINOR,
even when it is an antonym of BIG, cannot also be used in the sentence because MINOR
completely changes the original meaning of the sentence.
So, in other words, what are we saying here given the examples I gave?
 We should remember that in every words they have their own uses and we need to use
the words in a appropriate way. Yes, we should know if the synonym we use is exacting
the real meaning that we want to write or express.
 In other words, we should select the appropriate synonym/antonym of each word we are
about to replace. That is said well. Choose appropriately the synonym because not all
synonyms can be used to mean the same thing in different contexts'
Exercise: Choose from the pool the most appropriate synonym. Study the context before making
picking a choice.

1. Community leaders (connect, unite, fix, attach, add, join, fasten, stick) in the efforts
to clean up our water systems in preparation for the predicted La Nina phenomenon.
 UNITE

2. Let us choose a candidate who has a strong (policy, program, platform, principle, aim,
tenet, objective) for green and sustainable energy.
 PLATFORM

3. The electric company’s license to operate has (ended, terminated, expired, concluded,
closed, finished, culminated).
 .EXPIRED

4. We should (put, place, settle, set, position, plant, fix, situate) more trees every year.
 PLANT
Antonyms and Synonyms are just one of the many techniques to use to get the meaning of an
unfamiliar word. These serve as context clues to guide you to get the meaning of the unfamiliar
words.
What are the other context clues to use? Let us answer that question in our next discussion.
When we read, we normally come across difficult and unfamiliar words. Our usual reaction
when this happens is that we run to the dictionary to look for their meanings. But, what if there
are no dictionaries? Or what if you are not allowed to use or consult dictionaries? Is there a way
you would still know the meanings of very difficult terms or words? Affirmative. Do you know
that you would be able to get the meaning of a complex word even without the help of
dictionaries or thesauruses? There is what we call getting meaning through context clues.
Context clues are hints that the author gives to help define a difficult or unusual word. The clue
may appear within the same sentence as the word to which it refers, or it may be in a preceding
or subsequent sentence. To say it in different way, context clues are words that come before or
after the new word. Because most of your vocabulary is gained through reading, it is important
that you be able to recognize and take advantage of context clues.
There are different kinds of context clues. These are definition, synonym, antonym, explanation,
and example. Look at how these work in an example. In the following, notice in the examples the
words italicized (unfamiliar word) and the ones underlined (context clues).
Given the context clue, what then does JOEY mean?
 Joey is a kangaroo
 A kind of animal/ baby kangaroo
 A baby Kangaroo
What I would like to know is, given that context clue, what then is a JOEY?
 Animal sir
 That is right. Joey is an animal, a young animal to be specific
 Joey is not a name of person; it is an animal
Given the context clue, what then does SOMNOLENT mean in just a word?
 Somnolent means Sleepy
You can also use the word DROWSY as it is a synonym of SOMNOLENT. But, in this case,
drowsy can not be appropriately used.
Given the examples as clues, what then does CELESTIAL BODIES mean?
What are sun, stars, and moons?
 Astronomical bodies
 OUTER SPACE OR SPACE BODIES
Exercise: In each of them, you see words set in capital letters (unfamiliar word). Look for the
context clues. Then, choose the letter that you think provides the meaning of the unfamiliar
word.

1. He was HAUGHTY, unlike his brother who was humble.

a. bossy
b. proud
c. cranky

2. The backbreaking TASK of rice planting is not easy to do.

a. test b. load c. job

3. The harvesters are REAPING the grain-laden rice stalks to bring them home.
a. watering b. gathering c. separating
4. There are many little CHORES to be done between planting and harvesting time.
a. daily work b. minor duty c. heavy work

5. After harvesting, harvesters HUSK the golden grains called palay and transform them to white
grains called bigas.
a. cut the stem b. remove the shell c. separate the grains

6. Only the ashes of the big building remained after the CONFLAGRATION.
a. flood b. earthquake c. fire

7. Liza was RELUCTANT to join the contest, but her classmate convinced her to join it.
a. unprepared b. ashamed c. unwilling

8. The MEAGER amount of food placed on his plate was not enough to satisfy his hunger.
a. little b. cheap c. poor

9. Like a thief in the night, the boy STEALTHILY entered the house without being noticed by
anyone
a. noiselessly b. secretly c. fearfully

10. All machines stopped ABRUPTLY because of the power failure.

a. suddenly b. slowly c. briefly

The answers are

1. B
2. C
3. B
4. A
5. B
6. C
7. C
8. A
9. B
10. A

The focus of our discussion today is idioms or idiomatic expressions.

The English language has a lot of idiomatic expressions, almost all of which have a figurative or
non-literal meaning.
For example:
Idiom: Bring home the bacon
Explanation: This idiom does not really literally mean that you bring home a bacon. But. It
actually means that you achieve success or victory.
Here is another example:
Idiom: a big hand
Explanation: Imagine if you literally give a speaker in a seminar a big hand. The speaker might
be confused or shocked. This idiom is actually used to tell the audience listening to the speaker
to clap or cheer for him or her.
EXERCISE: Give me one idiom, and then explain what it means when used.
BEAT AROUND THE BUSH
 The witness was going around the bush when asked by the senators
 Don't beat around the bush when you are talking to me.
As I said, the English language has a lot of idioms. Do you have to learn all of them?

Negative. There is really no need for you to learn all the idioms. There are so many of them that
it would be nearly impossible to learn them all. Choose and learn only the ones that you can use
in everyday conversation. Do not try to learn idiomatic expressions only because they sound cool
if you are going to be without a situation to use them in. In other words, be careful. It is not cool
to be reckless or irresponsible. As I said in the modules I provided you:
“Idioms can be a source of misunderstanding between people who do not share a common
language or cultural base. Speakers unfamiliar with any language frequently embarrass
themselves when using idioms incorrectly (p.88).”
Idioms are used in spoken everyday conversation. We said that already. But, they can also be
used in writing. However, the advice of experts is that you use idioms sparingly. Do not load
your writing with too much figurative language such as idioms. Help your readers understand or
comprehend your message by avoiding too much use of idioms. Please take note that there are
forms of writing that idioms are to be avoided. An example of these forms is news writing,
which has a formal tone.
EXERCISE: Let us talk about the pros and cons of idioms. Can you think of one advantage and
one disadvantage of use of idiomatic expressions?
Advantage: can build and enhance literacy skills.

Disadvantage: it can cause conflict.

DONT USE IDIOMS TO IMPRESS PEOPLE.
Remember, our purpose in communication is to make sure people who we are communicating
with clearly understand us
Because we are not native speakers of English, it is difficult to learn the idioms of this language.
But, the good news is you can learn them (but not all, as I said in the beginning). How can we
learn English idioms?

The College of English Language (2021) provides a simple, yet effective three-pronged approach
everyone can employ on a daily basis.

1. HEAR IT - First, you need to hear or read a new expression or come into contact with it in any
other way. In order to spice your vocabulary up with idioms and phrases, you first have to
constantly be on the prowl for them.

2. WRITE IT - Next up is writing the new phrases or idioms down, lest you forget them. Yes, it’s
a bit old school, a bit last century, but some classics are here to stay, and this is one of them. If
you write it down, it’s not going anywhere, which can’t be said for our fickle memories.

3. USE IT - Finally, you have to use an expression in order for it to become part of your
everyday vocabulary. If it remains a bunch of letters on a piece of paper, it’s of no use to anyone,
least of all you. So, try using it, either in writing or when speaking to a mate, and you will
remember it, don’t worry!
We know that it is difficult to learn the idioms of English. However, there are numerous tested
ways to learn and memorize them so easily. One of way is learning them bit by bit; do not learn
them all at once. Whenever you come across a new idiom, list it down in, until you create a
booklet of idioms that you readily consult when your memory of these idioms fails you. You
may categorize your idioms for easy retrieval of expressions. Look at this example from BBC
Learning English site.
The other ways to learn idioms easily include visualizing them to aid you to know their meaning
and tracing or finding out the origin of the unfamiliar idiomatic expression.

The final trick is one that we already enhanced in many exercises last meeting: GETTING
MEANING THROUGH CONTEXT CLUES. When you see or read an idiom, do not just
remember the meaning of that idiom; pay more attention to the context within which the idiom
was used. This way, you will understand the idiom better, and remember it more easily.
Let us have an example. What is the context involved in the following sentence which made use
of the idiom, FROM HEAD TO TOE?
Sentence: The police officer looked at me FROM HEAD TO TOE when I came to report the
incident.
CONTEXT could be body inspection or search or human anatomy
So what then is the meaning of FROM HEAD TO TOE given the context?
That means: over the whole body
Let us talk about the use of that idiom
Let us discuss the use of the two given idioms on CAT. Under which category are these idioms
used appropriately? Can they be used with a general audience, with family, or peers only? And
why?

GENERAL: Can be used anytime and anywhere

FAMILY: Can be used with close family members
PEERS: Use only with your closest friends
Can FROM HEAD TO TOE used with anyone?
The expression is not rude or derogatory so, it can be used with a general audience.
How about this idiom set in capital letters?
Can It be used with anyone?
 No, because this idiom is somewhat offensive to somebody who are you not close with.
 Yes, that is correct. It is a reckless one.

Sentence: You cant keep anything from that man who has A BIG MOUTH.
Can you tell me what it means by BIG MOUTH?
 Big mouth means a person who cant keep secrets