The Reading Process.

Transcript
Sequence One - Part One
Hello I’am Dr. Radia Bouguebs, one of your instructors in this Reading Strategies MOOC.
I will start presenting Part One in Sequence One, entitled the Reading Process.
According to one of the most famous linguistics (Nuttal,1996, p.128):
The best way to acquire a foreign language is whether: LIVING in that country, or READING
extensively and this is the appropriate choice (using that language).

Objectives
The main objective of this sequence is to first developing your how to:

 DETERMINE the purpose of reading before you start in reading material.

 Also to develop in your IDENTIFYING and LIST the characteristics of an active
strategic reading.
 And more importantly, DIFFERENTIATE between the four types of reading including
skimming, scanning, intensive, and extensive reading.
Let’s begin:
What is a strategic active reading?
Active reading can be described as a sustained inquiry while the readers think of reading as a
dialogue, and they are proactively involved with the writer’s ideas rather than words. Because
the focus is on identifying what is behind the ideas of the writer.
Generally, when we talk, during oral interaction we:
• Nod,
• Talk back, when we are asked
• and ask questions.
• we may focus the facial expressions and the speaker’s gestures and
• Sometime you focus your attention on the tone of his voice; these will help us to understand
what he’s saying.
These same strategies can be applied by the reader when reading
How is it possible?

Reading Comprehension
For achieving or developing a comprehension of reading, we simultaneously focus extracting
and constructing the meaning through interaction and involvement with the written language,
to do so, we need three main elements, which are:
1. The reader
2. The text, and
3. the activity or purpose of reading

What do we mean by the Reading Purposes?

To read, for sure, we do not read materials in the same way. How is it so?
We have got a monograph, an article, an email message, a recipe, a dictionary, a newspaper, or
a textbook, etc. all these are materials that are designed to be read.
Do you read them in the same way? Absolutely, no!
The way one, of course, reads a novel, a restaurant menu, or an academic article is different ue
to what? To the changing reading purpose. By purpose, we mean this intention that the reader
has got in his mind, before he starts reading
We may read for r the sake of pleasure: to entertain, relax, or just to pass time;
We may read to extract a specific information which is referred to as reading for a quick
reference: Or our intention maybe reading for academic purposes, and in this case our intent
will be to develop our knowledge, make a deep understanding, or analysis of ideas.
These same purposes will guide the reader towards different types and skills of reading.

TYPES & SKILLS OF READING

The different purposes guide the reader to four reading types. The reading maybe:
1. Skimming reading, or
2. Scanning reading, or
3. Intensive reading, or
4. Extensive reading
What do we mean by these four types? Take the example of the skim reading

Skim Reading
In a SKIM reading, the reader uses a FAST EYE MOVEMENT, which means that his eyes are
moving too fast throughout the text. While doing so, his main intent is, just, reading for general
information. For sure, what will be the result of this skim reading? If the reader FINDS
something INTERESTING, RELEVANT, and WORTHY, he/she will decide to read the text
carefully.
And here we can take the example of “Turning the pages of a book for the sake of deciding
to read this book as a whole, or just skipping and moving to another book”
Let’s take this second type of reading, which is:
Scanning
Different from skimming, SCANNING takes the form of a QUICK REFERENCE to the text.
The meaning here is that the reader’s intention is to TO LOCATE SPECIFIC FACTS or BITS
OF small INFORMATION in the text.
During a scanning reading, here, the reader IGNORES MUCH OF THE DETAILS, because
his intention is focused on those facts.
And of course, the appropriate example you can give to exemplify and illustrate scanning is
when we are at the restaurant and we are “Reading a restaurant menu to know about the meal
one would like to order”
The third part is another type which is based on another purpose or intention in readers’ minds.

Intensive reading
What is intensive reading? In intensive reading, different from skimming and from scanning,
here we need a deep focused attention on the material.
It requires from the reader to read SHORT TEXTS carefully and deeply (And here, I would like
to focus on the word ‘carefully’) because we need to learn specific details about the topic we
are studying. Sometimes, we need to get to those details. So, here, when reading to gain
maximum understanding, the reader’s focus is to understand the literal meaning of the text
being read. He will be interested in knowing all the details.
And of course, an appropriate example we can give is when “Reading a text again and again,
here will read it more than one time, to extract its literal meaning.” So,this is what is behind the
intensive reading.
We are moving to the fourth type of reading which is extensive reading

Extensive reading
Different from intensive reading, in an extensive reading, here the reader is required to read
LARGE QUANTITIES of LONG TEXTS. Here, long texts (this depends on the reader
himself). It can be books, magazines, etc. But the main purpose behind this reading (extensive
reading) is to read for the SAKE OF PASSING TIME. So here, the reader’s attention is not
more focused on the details, but rather on getting the general understanding with the intention
of obtaining pleasure from this text.
And here, a good example is when “Reading magazines, fiction novels, and comic books, etc.
all those materials.
So, all in all we have said that the readers’ purposes determine the type of reading. If you want
to pass time you have to select or read more books which is extensive reading. If you want to
learn and develop your knowledge, you have to focus your attention on intensive reading. If, of
course, it is, just, to locate some information, it is a scanning strategy. And of course, if your
intention is just to decide whether to read or not to read a given material, so you are oriented
towards a skimming reading.
All in all, all those strategies we have explained through this sequence, we will extend and
check your knowledge, through some activities that are provided so that you know your level
of learning.
Thanks for your attention