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READING

Objectives: By the end of this subtopic learners should be able to:
List different types of reading material. State different reading skills. Explain the application of each skill in reading. Differentiate between extensive and intensive reading.

1.0 Introduction

Reading is the perusal of information, studying a piece of writing or scrutinizing a piece material so that you understand it.
It also involves recognising words and understanding the message being related.
Reading is also a skill and a process involving, recalling and understanding a text or a piece of writing.

Fig 1.1 Characteristics of reading

1.1 Reading materials and skills

Reading becomes enjoyable and easy when one uses material of his or her choice when studying.
A good reader needs to read widely and regularly using different types of reading materials he or she finds both at home and at school.

1.2 Types of reading materials

There are different types of reading materials which include the following shown in the table below.
Regular reading of different types of books increases one's reading speed and improves one's comprehension skills.

Reading material	Examples
1. Fiction books	Animal Farm by George Owel
2. Poetry	Thought tracks by Musaemura Zimunya
3. Drama	The Wretched Ones by George Mujajati
4. Non-fiction	Road to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
5. Textbooks	Step Ahead in English by Shimmer Chinodya
6. Reference books	Dictionaries
Table showing different types of reading materials

1.3 Reading skills

There are a variety of reading skills, which need to be mastered for one to be able to comprehend and enjoy reading.
These include the following:

a. Skimming

This is rapidly moving your eyes over the text with the purpose of getting the main idea and a general overview of the content or a quick overview of a given text meant to get the general idea of the contents of the passage.
When skimming one needs to:

Read the title since it is the shortest possible summary of the text.
Read the introduction.
Read the first paragraph completely.
Read subheadings that are there.
Read the first sentence of each remaining paragraph.
Read the final paragraph completely.

b. Scanning

Involves concentrated reading of a given passage looking for particular information. It is very important for finding a specific name, date or fact without reading the whole article.
When scanning you need to:

Keep in mind at all times what you are searching for.
Let your eyes run rapidly over several lines of print at a time.
Find the sentence with the information you are looking for, then read the entire sentence thoroughly.

NB: When scanning you can skip some parts of the text without reading or understanding them as long as you find your relevant information.

c. Inference and deductions

This involves reading for the purpose of contextual interpretation of words used in given passages.

d. Answering questions

This is being able to use information read, to give appropriate responses to given situations.

1.4 TYPES OF READING

a. Extensive reading:

This is reading for enjoyment and pleasure at your own time without being monitored or being pushed, for example, one can read newspapers, magazines and novels.
Extensive reading is important for improving one's vocabulary and gaining knowledge of new things.

b. Intensive reading:

This is reading in detail to get information and putting events from the text in chronological order.
What is important in intensive reading is being able to read and comprehend a text.
Intensive reading is:

Reading to acquire knowledge- that is, by locating details from the text and answering factual questions as well as identifying and recalling events in chronological order.
Reading to understand (comprehend)- that is, is being able to recognise the main points, infer meaning as well as deducing meanings of new words and new phrases using context clues.
Reading for analysis- that is, making notes from the text and identifying main ideas, main characters and the style used.
Reading for synthesis- that is, being able to read in between lines and understand the deeper meaning of statements.
Reading for evaluation that is, forming an opinion about what you have read.

The figure below summarises the importance of reading.

Fig 1.3 Importance of Reading

1.5 READING HABITS

a) Good reading habits

A good reader is one who is able to read silently within a stipulated time and comprehend what has been read.
A good reader is one who is able to read fluently in phrases and not one word at a time.
A good reader is one who is able to identify new words and deduce meanings from the context.
A good reader is one who can read independently for enjoyment and does not read only because they have been forced.

b) Bad reading habits

Moving lips when reading is bad because it slows the rate at which one reads.
Reading one word at a time also slows the reader as their eyes only see the word they are reading.
Vocalization that is, pronouncing the words in the voice box of the throat without making any words.
Reading everything at the same speed and tone without taking note of the intonation and stress.
Reading too fast -that is reading like a machine without pausing where there are commas, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks.

1.6 READING FOR COMPREHENSION

By the end of the topic, learners should be able to:
Locate details and answer questions based on facts. Infer information that is not directly stated. Deduce contextual meaning of words and phrases.

a) Definition

Comprehension is the ability to understand something or the ability to grasp meaning from words sentences, paragraphs or passages.
It is also the ability to recognize and interpret what is read.

b) Comprehension skills

For one to pass or do well in comprehension he or she needs to have the following skills;
1. Ability to follow the sequence of events in a text.
2. Ability to follow the development of an argument that is, being able to make connection of ideas.
3. Ability to recognise the main ideas or qualifying details.
4. Ability to identify the attitude of the writer towards his or her subject.
5. Ability to understand clearly stated information.
6. Ability to infer or deduce information that is indirectly stated.
7. Ability to summarise aspects of the text relevant to answering specific questions.
8. Ability to work out meanings of words and phrases.

Fig 1.4 Summary of comprehension skills

c) Comprehension question types

After reading and understanding how to use the above-mentioned skills, one is required to answer a set of questions, which vary as a way of testing your level of understanding.
There are a variety of question types which test the level of understanding and these are:

Knowledge or literal level questions
- These test the simplest level of understanding information from the text. These usually require one or two word answers derived directly from the text.
- They are usually seen by words like what, state, who, when and where.
Comprehension or inferential questions
- These are questions that have no direct or stated answers from the text but want you to infer or deduce using contextual clues.
- They are usually meaning of statements, unfamiliar words or phrases seen by the use of why, how and giving meaning to given vocabulary.
Analysis questions
- These are questions that test the ability of the reader to deduce the deeper meaning from the text.
- They are characterised by the use of, explain in your own words, briefly describe or discuss.
Evaluative questions
- These are questions that test whether you are able to read in between the lines and find the hidden meaning.
- They are characterised by �what is the meaning of' and �what caused the character to do this.'

Fig 1.5 Summary of different comprehension questions

d) Comprehension with questions and answers

So much for a friend

Thelma and Ruth walked briskly into the science laboratory, idly exchanging gossip and taking their time, for they knew they were several minutes early for the lesson. As they walked into the lab, Kudzai and Sandile were sitting silently gazing out the window with their backs turned towards the door. To their surprise, Mr. Brevis was nowhere to be seen, he was the laboratory supervisor. The instruments for their experiment had already been set up and a Bunsen burner hissed loudly on the teacher's desk. The two friends scanned it with interest. "They say it's hotter inside the flame than on its surface," said Thelma skeptically. "I wonder how they know." "I think you mean the opposite Thelma, don't you," answered Ruth. "Let's find out ourselves. We are scientists right."

"What do you mean?" "I have a crazy idea; we could take the temperature for both parts of the flame using the thermometers."
"I like that idea, let us do it. We have enough time before Mr. Brevis comes for the lesson."
Ruth soon found a thermometer in one of the cupboards and precariously lowered it into the flame. They both bent forward expectantly wondering what would happen. They did not have to wonder long because the silver liquid shot upwards; there was a slight crack and drops of mercury fell onto the desk.Ruth quickly dropped the thermometer and gasped staring at the broken shards on the floor. Hoarsely she managed to say, "We've broken it."

Without having to spare a second, Thelma brushed the broken pieces into her cupped hands, wiped the spilt mercury and dumped the broken pieces into the waste bin. Ruth just stood transfixed to the same spot and Thelma, realising that her friend didn't agree with what she had just done said, "It was not our fault, you know that. Mr. Brevis would not understand if we told him so it's best we keep quiet about it."Ruth could not even reply to this because at that moment, the class started streaming in and Thelma gave her an ominous look as if to say, "It's already done, no going back." The class was soon filled with students and there was chattering all over. Kudzai and Sandile joined the class and didn't seem to have taken notice of what had happened with the thermometer.

The thermometer was not missed during the lesson because they were a lot of them in the classroom. To both Ruth and Thelma's relief, the crisis was over as the lesson was already coming to an end as Brevis had begun to say, "Pack your instruments and submit your books." The class filed out of the room at the end and just before they were all out, Mr. Brevis' voice rang out sternly, "Come back! Come back! I said come back!" Mr. Brevis kept shouting almost in a fit of rage now. The students returned all looking confused except for Thelma and Ruth who exchanged knowing looks. Thelma looked as if she was going to turn on her heels and run for the door whilst Ruth had panic scribbled all over her face.

"Who broke this?" Mr. Brevis said holding up a piece of the broken thermometer. "Susan found it whilst sharpening her pencil in the bin. It must have happened during this lesson.

Tell me now who did this?"The silence was overwhelming and yet still seconds passed and no one confessed to the crime. Mr. Brevis was infuriated by this and gave the class a two-hour detention. They all sat most of them mumbling in anger how it was unfair and how time wasting it was. The minutes seemed to drag until finally, the two hours were over and Mr. Brevis came back expecting to hear someone owning up. Ruth could not take in the guilt anymore and she walked up to the teacher's desk, clearly set on telling the truth. Thelma, however, saw what Ruth was about to do and stood up and ran to the desk. "Sir this was all Ruth's fault she made me do it. I wanted to tell you the truth but she told me not to and even threatened me. Kudzai and Sandile witnessed it all, they are my alibis." Ruth could hardly believe her ears and she opened her mouth to defend herself but before words could even form Mr. Brevis was already shouting, "

DID YOU BREAK THE THERMOMETER?" "Yes sir I broke it but it was a…." Before she could finish her statement people in the class had started making disgruntled noises clearly showing how angry they were for having sat for two hours. "I did not mean to …" Ruth started to say but was cut mid-sentence by Mr. Brevis."Thelma, Ruth, Kudzai and Sandile stay behind the rest of the class you are dismissed." Everyone else got their bags and left the class some casting reproachful looks at Ruth who was now shaking with rage. She knew it would be hard to reason out with Mr. Brevis and that if she was lucky she would only get detention for a week and if things turned out badly she would get detention and a serious beating. She could not believe it, Thelma was supposed to be her friend, but she had only rushed to save her own skin.

Mr. Brevis closed the door and faced the four girls. Kudzai and Sandile were clearly confused as to what was going on. Ruth could barely look at Thelma because whenever she tried to she felt her face go red with fury.
"So…" Mr. Brevis began "Tell me what really happened." Ruth brightened up a bit and was determined to voice out the truth and only hoped for the best.

Questions

a) Knowledge or literal questions.

What surprised Thelma and Ruth as they entered the science laboratory?
Whom did Thelma and Ruth find in the laboratory?
State the instrument that Ruth found in the cupboard.

Answers for the above questions

Mr. Brevis was nowhere to be found or the absence of Mr. Brevis from the laboratory.
Kudzai and Sandile.
Thermometer

B) Inferential or comprehension questions

Why did Thelma brush the broken pieces of the thermometer and dump them in the bin?
The phrase without having to spare a second to think means------
What caused Mr. Brevis to detain the whole class for two hours?

Answers

Because of fear and not wanting what they have done to be discovered.
Not taking time to think.
Failure of the culprits to own up and because he did not know who had done it.

c) Analysis questions

What character does Thelma portray throughout the passage?
What infuriated Mr. Brevis?
Do you think that Kudzai and Chido were Thelma's alibis? Support your answer.