Reading Ladder

GRACE GOODELL’S READING LADDER

SKILLS 11. Using the dictionary
1. Basic sight words
12. Using the encyclopedias and
2. Using phonetic analysis other reference books
3. Using structural analysis 13. Borrowing library books for
research and enjoyment
4. Using contextual clues
14. Starting your private library
5. Vocabulary building
collection
6. Finding the main idea
15. Exposure to reading from mass
7. Finding the supporting details media
8. Interfering meanings, drawings, 16. Reading from the internet
conclusions
9. Classifying and organizing facts
10. Using parts of the book
1.
BASIC SIGHT
WORDS
WHAT ARE SIGHT
WORDS?
• Often also called high frequency sight
words
• Many of these words cannot be
sounded out because they do not
follow decoding rules, so they must
be learned as sight words.
• They are commonly used words that
young children are encouraged to
memorize as a whole by sight, so that
they can automatically recognize these
words in print without having to use
any strategies to decode.
 2. USING
PHONETIC
ANALYSIS
PHONETICS
Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that comprises the
study of the sounds of human speech
also called phonics, is the study of sound- symbol
or phoneme-grapheme relationships.

sounding out words by separating a larger the

smaller sounds (both vowel and word into
 3. USING
STRUCTURAL
ANALYSIS
The process of using familiar word parts (base words,
prefixes, and suffixes) to determine the meaning of
.
unfamiliar words. Breaking down unknown words into
prefixes & suffixes, then into syllables.
4. USING CONTEXTUAL CLUES
• 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.
Types of context clues

•· Synonym-word with the same meaning, is used in the sentence.

My opponent’s argument is fallacious, misleading – plain wrong.
•· Antonyms- word or group of words that has the opposite meaning
reveals the meaning of an unknown term.
Although some men are loquacious, others hardly talk at all.
•· Explanation-the unknown word is explained within the sentence or in a
sentence immediately preceding.
The patient is so somnolent that she requires medication to help her stay
awake for more than a short time.
•· Examples- Specific examples are used to define the term.
Celestial bodies, such as the sun, moon, and stars, are governed by
predictable laws.
5. VOCABULARY
BUILDING
According to language expert W.B. Elley, "a rich
vocabulary is a valuable asset and an important
attribute of success in any walk of life." In other words,
your vocabulary plays a large role in determining if
you will succeed in life or not.
7 STEPS TO
VOCABULARY

•· Step 1: Read, read, read

The more reading you do, the faster you will reach your goal of building your
vocabulary.
•· Step 2: Repeat words several times
Saying a word several times a day for many days is a surefire way of making you
remember it.
•· Step 3: Look at words with the mind of a child
Young children learn words very quickly. Children under 10 years can actually learn
more words in one week than the typical adult can learn in one year. Find out how you
can approach vocabulary-building like a child.
•· Step 4: Have fun by playing word games
The next time you hang around with your family, instead of just sitting on
the couch and watching TV, invite them to play word games. This is a
great tool for building your vocabulary, and it's loads of fun as well.

•· Step 5: Make it personal

Making words personally meaningful to you will make them stand out, and
you will retain them better

•· Step 6: Use your imagination to create images of the word

This technique is used most often for concrete rather than abstract
objects. Just use your imagination to create a corresponding image for
the words that you are studying.

•· Step 7: Practice using elaboration

Elaboration is a technique a lot of people use to remember words. It
involves expounding on a word's meaning to remember it better..
 6. FINDING THE
MAIN IDEA
• The main idea sentence of a
paragraph tells what the paragraph
is about. It is the "key concept"
being expressed. Understanding the
topic, the gist, or the larger
conceptual framework of a
textbook chapter, an article, a
paragraph, a sentence or a passage is
a sophisticated reading tas.
Textbook chapters, articles,
paragraphs, sentences, or passages
all have topics and main ideas.
3 TYPES OF
PARAGRAPHS
•· Introductory paragraphs tell you, in advance, such things as
the main ideas of the chapter or section; the extent or limits of the
coverage; how the topic is developed; and the writer's attitude toward
the topic.

•· Transitional paragraphs are usually short; their sole function is to tie

together what you have read so far and what is to come - to set the
stage for succeeding ideas of the chapter or section.

•· Summarizing paragraphs are used to restate briefly the main

ideas of the chapter or section. The writer may also draw some
conclusion from these ideas, or speculate on some conclusion based
on the evidence he/she has presented.
 7. FINDING THE
SUPPORTING DETAILS
Details, major and minor, support the main
idea by telling how, what, when, where, why,
how much, or how many.
 .
8. DRAWING
CONCLUSIONS
• Drawing conclusions refers to
information that is implied or
inferred. This means that the
information is never clearly
stated.
9. CLASSIFYING AND
ORGANIZING FACTS

Classifying is separating various things on the basis of some

criteria.

Organizing facts are how to classify the facts and how to use
that classification to arrange those facts in a particular rational
order.
10. USING
PARTS OF A
BOOK
 title page
•It has the information about when and where the book was published. It will give you the name of the
author. It will tell you the copyright date or the date the book was written or published.

 table of contents
•It will help you to find the names of the chapters of the book and the page number where each
chapter begins. Each chapter of the book will have a name and usually has a chapter number.

 glossary of a book
•It will give meanings to words used in the book. Vocabulary words or new words in the book will be
here. The glossary can help you to understand your reading and will make it easier for you to learn
and study the information.

 index of a book
•It is very valuable to learners. You will find a listing of each topic in the book, names of people, maps
in the book, or any other information in the book listed here. This listing will be in alphabetical order
and will have the page number in the book where you can find the information you are looking for.
This is very helpful to learners.
11. USING THE
DICTIONARY

It also called a word reference, wordbook ,lexicon,

or vocabulary) is a collection of words in one or more
specific languages, often listed alphabetically (or by radical and
stroke for ideographic languages), with usage information,
definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other
information; or a book of words in one language with their
equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon.
12. USING THE
ENCYCLOPEDIAS
AND OTHER
REFERENCE BOOKS
It is a type of reference work – a compendium holding a
summary of information from either all branches
of knowledge or a particular branch of
knowledge Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries,
which are usually accessed alphabetically by article name.
13. BORROWING LIBRARY
BOOKS FOR RESEARCH
AND ENJOYMENT
• Give the importance of
reading in the library not only
for academic use but also for
enjoyment because there are
section of a library where you
can find books that are
entertaining but still
educational books intended for
the needs and wants of the
students.
14. STARTING YOUR
PRIVATE LIBRARY
COLLECTION
Reading of books and other references will
encourage children to create and start a mini
library of collection of books from his/her
past years in learning and also to other
references that he/she is reading. It will
encourage them to read more as well as
his/her siblings and parents at home. “the
family that reads together stays together”
 15.
EXPOSURE
TO READING
FROM MASS MEDIA
 •Broadcast
•Film
•Video games
The mass media are •Audio recording and reproduction
diversified media techno
•Internet
logies that are intended
to reach a large •Blogs
audience by mass •Mobile
communication. •Print media, books, magazines,
newspaper
16.
READING
FROM THE
INTERNET
• Reading from the Internet is the
easiest way not only for the
children but also to the adults to
gather information from a certain
topic but always teach children to
examine if the article or
information that they are reading
is based on facts or not. Try to
teach also the do’s and don’ts in
using the Internet. Only view and
surf educational sites and not the
sites that are not suitable for your
age.