L1 : INTRODUCING the READING PROCESS & READING STRATEGIES

the positive, negative, or neutral feelings, attitudes, ideas, or associations with a word.

Connotation

portray more multifaceted definitions of a word whether they are positive, negative, or neutral.

Connotations

are words, phrases, and sentences that surround an unfamiliar word that can help you recognize meaning of an unknown word because the text gives you information. Thus, you can study how a word is used in a sentence and discover an approximate definition

Context clues

are specific details in a text that are used to clarify the meaning of a word.

Examples

To scan effectively,

you need to have an idea of the details you are looking for.

To preview the text properly,

1. Identify your purpose for reading 2: examine the titles and subtitles of the text 3: browse the introduction and the conclusion of the text 4: look at the visual element of the text

a word that reveals the opposite meaning in relation to the unknown word. When you see words like "although," "but," "despite," "instead," "in contrast," "unlike," "however," "even though," "on the contrary," and "conversely,"

Antonym

the basic, precise, literal meaning of the word that can be found in a dictionary.

Denotation

may be given as clues to describe an unknown term. When phrases like "because" or "that is" follow a word, these may be

Explanations

APPLYING EFFECTIVE READING STRATEGIES

GETTING AN OVERVIEW OF THE TEXT USING CONTEXT CLUES USING CONNOTATION AND DENOTATION

means looking at the readily visible parts of the text, like titles and subtitles, and also visuals and graphs, pictures, and charts.

Previewing

a cognitive process of decoding symbols to derive meaning from a text. It is always an interaction between the text and the reader.

Reading

Most common types of Context Clues

SYNONYMS ANTONYMS EXAMPLES EXPLANATIONS & DEFINITIONS SITUATIONS

is looking for specific information. This strategy also involves physically moving your eyes quickly along the lines of the text. You do not read every word; just read until you locate the details you're searching for.

Scanning

This skill also involves quickly going through beginning and concluding sentences of paragraphs because these usually talk about the topic of the text.

Skimming

means physically moving your eyes rapidly along the page and tracing your finger along the lines of the text to speed up your reading.

Skimming effectively

means you look for the main point of the reading and identify the ideas that develop it.

Skimming the text

are used when the text has words or phrases that are similar to the unknown word. But they aren't exactly the same because a word may have different associations with it.

Synonyms

may follow an unfamiliar word. Terms like "is," "means," "is defined as," and "refers to," are used with

definitions

Which of these connotations is positive? Negative? Neutral? House ● Home ● Shanty

house - has a neutral connotation because "it is a building in which someone lives" Home - has a more positive connotation because it brings to mind "a place of warmth and comfort and familiarity." Shanty - has a negative connotation because it is associated with poverty; it is a "small, crudely built shack."

To comprehend the text, we do:

identifying the author's purpose, grasping the main ideas of the text, locating important details, using context clues to understand unfamiliar words, answering specific questions, analyzing the text's points, and critiquing the text.

GETTING AN OVERVIEW OF THE TEXT

previewing, skimming, and scanning

in which a word is used can also be helpful in determining the meaning of that word. The meaning of a word may change depending on its context, or how and where it is used.

situation