SH1635

Reading Techniques
 Reading is defined as a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct
and derive meaning. It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing of
information and ideas.
 Technique is a way of doing something by using special knowledge or skill. (Merriam-Webster
An Encyclopedia Britannica Company, 2016)
 Reading Techniques are the styles, systems or practices in decoding symbols for better
comprehension for communication, sharing of information and ideas.
Example: Rhea read the short story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry from her English Textbook. She
understood the story enough to retell what she has read to her partner with their homework and
enough to write a summary of it.
 Cognitive Process – an operation that affects mental content; the process of thinking
and remembering; obtaining and storing of knowledge.
 Decoding – to find or understand the meaning of something; to recognize and interpret
something; the process of translating a printed word into a sound. (Rhea read the short
story) (Moyer, 2016)
 Derive – to take, receive or obtain something especially in a specified source (The story
“The Last Leaf” is from her English Textbook, the textbook is the source)
 Language acquisition – the process by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive
and comprehend language, as well as to produce and use words and sentences to
communicate. (She understood the story enough and retold it to her partner and her
partner came up with a summary)

I. Skimming is a method of rapidly moving the eyes over text with the purpose of getting only the
main ideas and a general overview of the content.
A. Skimming is useful in three (3) different situations:
 Pre-reading- Skimming is more thorough than simple previewing and can give a more
accurate picture of text to be read later.
 Reviewing- Skimming is useful for reviewing text that is already read.
 Reading- Skimming is most often used for quickly reading material that, for any
number of reasons, does not need more detailed information.
B. Steps in skimming an article
 Read the title
 Read the introduction or lead-in paragraph
 Read the first paragraph completely
 If there are subheadings, read each one, looking for relationships among them.
 Read the first sentence of each remaining paragraph
o The main idea of most paragraphs appears in the first sentence
o If the author’s pattern is, to begin with, a question or anecdote, you may find the
last sentence more valuable.

01 Handout 1 *Property of STI

Page 1 of 3
 SH1635

II. Scanning rapidly covers a great deal of material in order to locate a specific fact or piece of
information
A. Scanning is very useful for finding a specific name, date, statistical data, or fact without
reading the entire article.
B. Steps in scanning an article
 Keep in mind at all times what it is you are searching for. If you hold the image of the
word or idea clearly in mind, it is likely to appear more clearly than the surrounding
words.
 Anticipate in what form the information is likely to appear: numbers, proper nouns, etc.
 Analyze the organization of the content before starting to scan.
o If the material is familiar or fairly brief, you may be able to scan the entire article
in a single search.
o If the material is lengthy or difficult, a preliminary skimming may be necessary to
determine which part of the article to scan.
 Let your eyes run rapidly over several lines of print at a time. When you find the
sentence that has the information you seek, read the entire sentence.

III. Phrase Reading. There are, most likely, as many ways to learn both of the above sub-skills as
there are people who have mastered them. There are many people who have learned to do this
on their own, most likely because they love to read. We call this method Phrase Reading since
we focus our attention on phrases.
 Phrase – a group of words that go together to mean something. A phrase is a concept.
Clustering is one very powerful and simple exercise designed to help develop the necessary
skills to Phrase Read. The muscles of the eyes are relatively quickly and easily trained to Phrase
Read. It matches all the criteria for a good exercise. If you have the discipline to correctly
practice for about 10-20 minutes a day, you will most likely learn the skill in about three (3)
weeks.

IV. Non-Prose Reading. Non-prose materials or graphic materials are illustrated visual forms that
summarize information and ideas through words, symbols, pictures, and drawings. Graphic
materials are of several types: (Villamin et. al, 1987)
1. Graphs – is a visual representation of quantitative information meant to make the reader
see instantly how gathered data relate to each other. Examples: bar graph, pie graph,
line graph and pictograph.
2. Diagrams – are made up of lines and symbols, which show the interrelationships of
parts or elements, steps of a process, or key features of an object or an area. Examples:
tree chart, timeline, technical diagram, and process diagram
3. Charts – are visuals that summarize data, explain a process, or describe a set of
relationships. Examples: tabular chart, outline chart, flow chart, and organizational
chart
4. Maps – are flat representations of the earth that show geographical areas by means of
scales and models.

References:
A Collection of TESL Resource. (n.d.). Retrieved on June 8, 2016 from
http://acollectionofteslresources.weebly.com/uploads/8/7/6/1/8761106/what_and_why.pdf

01 Handout 1 *Property of STI

Page 2 of 3
 SH1635

Skimming and Scanning. (n.d.). Retrieved on June 7, 2016 from https://www.aacc.edu/tutoring/file/skimming.pdf

Technique. (n.d.). Retrieved on June 7, 2016 from http://www.merriamwebsterdictionary.com/definition/technique
Villamin A. M. et.al (1987). Developmental Reading. Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing House.
What is Decoding Reading? (n.d.). Retrieved on June 9, 2016 from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/what-is-decoding-reading/

01 Handout 1 *Property of STI

Page 3 of 3