Transcript Chapter 2
Opening Doors: Chapter 2 Approaching College Reading and Developing a College-Level Vocabulary Reading is a form of thinking The reading process includes 3 stages: 1) Preparing yourself to read 2) Processing information 3) Reacting to what you read Interacting with the material Ask yourself questions about the reading to monitor your comprehension “Am I understanding what I’m reading?” Comprehension Problems I do not understand because… The subject is completely new to me Keep reading, see if it becomes clearer Ask someone knowledgeable Read supplemental material to gain background knowledge Try to use context clues There are too many words I do not know Look up unfamiliar terms Ask for help Identify the type of distraction I am too distracted Physical? (Room is too noisy etc.) Psychological (Worried / Daydreaming) Reading Rates Proficient readers have a range of reading rates. Reading rate adjustment depends on two things: Purpose Level of difficulty Type of Reading: Information Gathering This should be your highest reading rate Used for scanning and skimming to find a particular piece of information 800-1500 wpm (words per minute) Type of Reading: Rapid Reading Used for easy material and leisure reading 300-500 wpm Type of Reading: Average Reading Used for textbook reading, journals and literature 200-300 wpm Type of Reading: Study Reading Used when you are learning new information, new vocabulary, and covering complex material to be memorized 50-200 wpm When to slow down You know little or nothing about the topic You are reading complicated material that you need to memorize There is new vocabulary to learn There are precise directions to follow When to speed up The passage is easy to read The passage summarizes info you’ve already learned You only want to get main ideas Building Vocabulary When you come across words you don’t know, there are several strategies you can use 1) Context clues (book lists several kinds) 2) Word structure clues (root words, suffix, prefix) 3) Use a dictionary Denotations and Connotation Every word has an explicit, literal definition known as its denotation But words usually have additional, nonliteral meanings called connotations Example: Distinctive, Weird Figurative Language Words that create unusual comparisons or vivid pictures in the reader’s mind Metaphor – Comparison between two essentially dissimilar things Simile – Comparison using like or as Hyperbole – Exaggerated speech Personification – Giving nonliving or nonhuman things human characteristics