UNIT II.

FUNDAMENTAL
READING SKILLS
STUDENT LEARNING
OBJECTIVES:
Identify the three stages of reading,

Appreciate the importance of knowing the three

stages of reading and integrate them into their real-
life situations, and

Apply these stages when reading a certain text.

 THE
READING
PROCESS
 It is important to understand that
reading and interpreting any
discourse is influenced by several
factors such as:

reader’s experiences
beliefs
attitudes
language
culture
physical and social environment
WHAT IS
READING?
An interactive process in which
the reader’s prior knowledge of
the world interacts with the
message conveyed directly or
indirectly by the text.
(Smith, 1995)
THREE STAGES OF
READING
PRE-READING
WHILE-READING
POST-READING
PRE-READING

Activates the student’s

prior knowledge and
introduces them to the
topic they are going to
read.
 BEFORE READING

• Determine which type of academic text

(article, review, thesis, etc.) you are
reading.
• Predict or infer the main idea based on
its title.

• State what you already know and what

you want to learn about the topic.
 Previewing
Free writing
Surveying
Questioning
Making assumptions
Identifying purpose
Reading sytem
WHILE-
READING
Support student’s comprehension,
Checks the vocabulary and
Looks for clues during the reading.
The idea is for students to know
what they have been reading.
MARGIN
NOTES
ANNOTATE
KEY WORDS AND PHRASES IN
BULLETS
POST-READING

It is designed to extend the

student’s appreciation of what
he/she has read.
K-W-L CHART

Title: The Paradox of our Time by Dr. Bob Moorehead

What I know What I want to Know What I learned
FUNDAMENTAL
READING
SKILLS
 TYPES OF READING ACCORDING TO PURPOSE

DEVELOPMENTAL PLEASURE FUNCTIONAL REMEDIAL

READING READING READING READING

A type of reading which A more passive type of Aims to help readers Aims to correct the
aims to develop reading that aims to learn basic functional effects of poor learning.
reader’s reading skills provide enjoyment and reading.
entertainment.
1. RAPID READING

Aims to locate specific

information or main
ideas in a very short
span of time.
EXAMPLES OF RAPID
READING
 Skimming
 Scanning
 Locating the main idea
 NOT
Stopping

First and Last

paragraph

Topic Sentences

Read Fast
B. LOCATING THE MAIN IDEA
 It involves the identification of the central message of a reading selection.
 The main idea is usually found in either or both the first and the last sentences of a paragraph,
but it may also appear in the middle or may simply be implied and not explicitly stated in the
text.

Levels of Ideas in a Paragraph

directly support the main idea
MAIN IDEA
Major details directly support the major
detail
Minor details
The main idea can sometimes be found in the first
sentence of the paragraph.

Summer is a wonderful time to spend at West Beach. It

is a beach with light- colored, soft sand. The coastline
goes on for a long way and many people enjoy walking
along it. Children like to play in the surf and walk
along the rocks that are visible at low tide. This is a fun
beach for people of all ages. 
THE MAIN IDEA CAN SOMETIMES BE
FOUND IN THE LAST SENTENCE OF THE
PARAGRAPH.

Most teenagers and young adults do not know what they want to
do for the rest of their lives. It is a big decision. There are a
number of things you can do to narrow the choices. For example
you can take an interest test, do some research on your own about
a career, try volunteer work in the field in which you are
interested, or “job-shadow”, in which you spend a day with a
person who is working in a field that interests you. These are just
a few helpful ideas as you begin to choose a career. 
THE MAIN IDEA CAN SOMETIMES BE
FOUND IN THE MIDDLE PART OF THE
PARAGRAPH.
The United States seems to be in love with the idea of going out to eat. Because of this, a real
variety of restaurants has come about specializing in all kinds of foods. McDonald’s is the king
of a subgroup of restaurants called fast-food restaurants. Chances are, no matter where you live,
there is a McDonald’s restaurant near you. There are even McDonald’s in the Soviet Union.
Now McDonald’s is trying something new. It is called McDonald’s Express and there is a test
site in Peabody, Massachusetts. It is part of a Mobil gas station. This allows you to fill up with
gas and fill up on food at the same time. What will they think of next?
C. SCANNING
Search for specific information (key words)

Particular Name Number

Telephone Number Program

Date Address
 Less reading
Search for key Move quickly
and more
words over the page
searching
2. PREVIEWING
A pre-reading skill by which the reader tries to
gather as much information about the text as
he/she can.
THE PROCESS OF
PREVIEWING
STEP 1: Look at the title.
STEP 2: Who is the author?
STEP 3: What pictures are in the article/text/cover page?
STEP 4: What is the structure of the article/text?
STEP 5: Read the first and last paragraph to get the idea.
3. LITERAL READING
 involves the understanding of ideas and facts
that rea directly stated in the material.
 TYPES OF LITERAL READING
SUMMARIZING
• A technique that involves condensing a
lengthy text into a shorter passage while still
retaining the essence.
• The thesis statement and the topic sentence
must still be included in the text.
PARAPHRASING
• Restating of ideas from the original text.
• This is done to simplify a complex text,
improve study skills and borrow ideas without
quoting directly.
4. INFERENTIAL READING
 The process of deducing facts and ideas not directly stated or expressed in the text.

 “reading between the lines”

5. CRITICAL READING
 Refers to the close and thorough evaluation of the claims in the text in terms of relevance,
validity and logic.

 The skill includes distinguishing facts from opinions and detecting logical fallacies.