Lesson 3 - Reading as Information

Let's read Informative texts:

                    You read nonfiction texts, newspapers, trade books, research papers, essays, reports for information. To understand informative texts, identify text features (chapter heads, sub-heads, maps and other graphic representations) and the text structures (definition, cause-effect, comparison-contrast, chronological order), paraphrase the text and organize its important point through summaries, understand the author's purpose, or compare information between and within texts.


Activity 1:

        Read the article on "Are you logical or creative?"

         Our brain has two sides or hemispheres: the left or the rational and the right or the  intuitive; however, what we often use and we may not be aware of it is the information in the conscious left hemisphere of our brain. We do not realize that we do not take advantage of a large amount of creativity, memory and intuition found within the subconscious right hemisphere of our brain.

       Dr. Roger Sperry's experiments reveal that these two sides perform different intellectual tasks. The left hemisphere articulates in speech what it knows it has seen. breaking the information into small pieces; hence, it is analytical. On the other hand, the right hemisphere imagines and perceives things holistically, hence, it is synthetic.

          We should access both hemispheres. We learn in a conscious, methodical way using the left hemisphere. We process information in a subconscious, creative, intuitive way utilizing the right hemisphere. In other words, both reason and intuition are both important to support the whole brain.
                                                                                    source: "Workout for a Balanced Brain,"
                                                                                                  By Philip Carter and Ken Russel


Activity 2:

Convert the following words into nouns using the appropriate suffixes.
1. imagine          ______________________________
2. perceive         ______________________________
3. import            ______________________________
4. inform            ______________________________
5. intellectual    ______________________________
6. utilizing         ______________________________
7. articulate      ______________________________
8. synthetic       ______________________________
9. creative         ______________________________
10. analytical    ______________________________


Activity 3:

Answer the following questions:

1. What idea does the title convey?
      ____________________________________________________________
      ____________________________________________________________
      ____________________________________________________________

2. What does the first paragraph say about the subconscious hemisphere
     of the brain?
       _____________________________________________________________
     _____________________________________________________________
     _____________________________________________________________

3. What is the topic sentence of the second paragraph?
      ______________________________________________________________
     ______________________________________________________________
    _______________________________________________________________

4. What is the relationship between the last paragraph and the title?
      _______________________________________________________________
    _______________________________________________________________
    _______________________________________________________________ 








Reference: Developmental Reading 1 by Aida S. Villanueva, PH.D and Rogelio S. Delos Santos pp. 66-68

Lesson 2 - 5 Levels of Reading Comprehension

5 Types of Reading Comprehension

 

               > To really understand the different levels of reading comprehension, let's take a familiar text and see how different types of questions probe different understandings of the same story.

The fairy tale Cinderella tells the story of a young girl, whose evil stepmother won't let her go to the ball. Cinderalla's fairy godmother, however, magically whisks her off for the night and Cinderella eventually marries her Prince Charming.

Lexical Comprehension: (Understanding key vocabulary words in a text.)
                           > Leveled readers are written in a way that too many big words are not used on the same page. In addition, if an unfamiliar word is used, it is generally explained within the same sentence or with a definition box in the margin. Also, words with multiple meanings may make it difficult for a less experienced reader to truly understand what is meant.

• If the word "enchanted" was used in the story, ask the child to define it for you.
• Remember, definitions can begin as a series of examples, where the child identifies a common element between them. Also, sometimes it's better to introduce a new vocabulary word before you read.

Literal Comprehension: Answers the questions Who, What, When, and Where with information found directly in the text.

• Who was the girl who lost the glass slipper?
• What happened when the clock struck twelve?

Interpretive Comprehension: Answers the questions What if, Why, and How by inferring information from the text.

• How did the pumpkin turn into a carriage?
• What would have happened if Cinderella hadn't lost her slipper?

Applied Comprehension: Answers opinion questions or questions that have the reader relate the new information to background knowledge.

• Do you think Cinderella was wrong for going to the ball after her stepmother told her she couldn't?

Affective Comprehension: Understanding the social and emotional aspects of a text. If a child does not grasp why certain characters in a story may respond in a certain manner, they get lost in the words and the plot.

• How did Cinderella feel when she went to live at the castle?
• While most children will answer "happy" or "excited" to this question, some children will say "sad", revealing a deeper appreciation for interpersonal and family dynamics than you may have expected.

Exercise 1

                  Read the selection and answer the following question.

 

The Great Wall of China

Walls and wall building have played a very important role in Chinese culture. These people, from the dim mists of prehistory have been wall-conscious; from the Neolithic period – when ramparts of pounded earth were used - to the Communist Revolution, walls were an essential part of any village. Not only towns and villages; the houses and the temples within them were somehow walled, and the houses also had no windows overlooking the street, thus giving the feeling of wandering around a huge maze. The name for “city” in Chinese (ch’eng) means wall, and over these walled cities, villages, houses and temples presides the god of walls and mounts, whose duties were, and still are, to protect and be responsible for the welfare of the inhabitants. Thus a great and extremely laborious task such as constructing a wall, which was supposed to run throughout the country, must not have seemed such an absurdity.

However, it is indeed a common mistake to perceive the Great Wall as a single architectural structure, and it would also be erroneous to assume that it was built during a single dynasty. For the building of the wall spanned the various dynasties, and each of these dynasties somehow contributed to the refurbishing and the construction of a wall, whose foundations had been laid many centuries ago. It was during the fourth and third century B.C. that each warring state started building walls to protect their kingdoms, both against one another and against the northern nomads. Especially three of these states: the Ch’in, the Chao and the Yen, corresponding respectively to the modern provinces of Shensi, Shanzi and Hopei, over and above building walls that surrounded their kingdoms, also laid the foundations on which Ch’in Shih Huang Di would build his first continuous Great Wall.

The role that the Great Wall played in the growth of Chinese economy was an important one. Throughout the centuries many settlements were established along the new border. The garrison troops were instructed to reclaim wasteland and to plant crops on it, roads and canals were built, to mention just a few of the works carried out. All these undertakings greatly helped to increase the country’s trade and cultural exchanges with many remote areas and also with the southern, central and western parts of Asia – the formation of the Silk Route. Builders, garrisons, artisans, farmers and peasants left behind a trail of objects, including inscribed tablets, household articles, and written work, which have become extremely valuable archaeological evidence to the study of defence institutions of the Great Wall and the everyday life of these people who lived and died along the wall.

 

 

 

Questions

Q1 - Chinese cities resembled a maze

because they were walled.
because the houses has no external windows.
because the name for cities means 'wall'.
because walls have always been important there.

Q2 - Constructing a wall that ran the length of the country

honoured the god of walls and mounts.
was an absurdly laborious task.
may have made sense within Chinese culture.
made the country look like a huge maze.

Q3 - The Great Wall of China

was built in a single dynasty.
was refurbished in the fourth and third centuries BC.
used existing foundations.
was built by the Ch’in, the Chao and the Yen.

Q4 - Crops were planted

on wasteland.
to reclaim wasteland.
on reclaimed wasteland.
along the canals.

Q5 - The Great Wall

helped build trade only inside China.
helped build trade in China and abroad.
helped build trade only abroad.
helped build trade only to remote areas.

 

 

 

Reference: http://www.handinhandhomeschool.com/resources/reading/levels-of-comprehension.php

                   http://www.usingenglish.com/comprehension/23.html

lesson 1 ( Reading Comprehension )

Reading Comprehension
               > is not a simple concept. We read to comprehend, but possibly miss out on so efficient and satisfactory reading due to lack of awareness about process of reading comprehension.

Reading then and now:

             In the past, reading is simply known as getting meaning from the printed page by way of a passive and receptive phase of written communication. Stress was given to literal reading or reading the lines to get the message drift on the what, who, where, why and how of information. In this traditional idea of reading, it is enough for the reader to perceive letters and words. Using semantic cues (word meaning), syntactic clues (word order), phonetic/gramaphonic cues (sound-and-word relationships), picture cues and structural cues. The use of study guides are helpful in careful reading and increased retention.

                    Today, there is much advancement on concepts about reading comprehension.
Take note:

• The schemata theory states that as we read, we are influenced by the knowledge previously stored in our memory.
• The schemata (store of past experiences) influence us in interpreting new textual information.
• The first level of comprehension is at the literal level. This refers to recognition of what is simply, directly and explicitly the textual message. Reading at this level is called Literal Reading is reading the lines of the textual message.
• The second level of comprehension is the inferential level which goes beyond the direct and explicit statement and adds on by enriching the meaning of the textual message. Reading a this level is referred to a Interpretative Reading or reading between the lines combining information with inferred meanings.
• The third level in reading comprehension is the critical level wherein the reader raises questions and evaluates the printed text for its veracity, style, pattern etc. Reading at this level is referred to as Critical Reading. Or reading beyond the lines.
• Another level of comprehension is creative level in which the reader sees new ideas/insights from the textual material. Reading at this level of comprehension is known as Creative Reading.

 EXERCISE 1:

Read the information below and answer the following questions.


The New York Jets were established in 1959. Originally called the Titans of New York, the team was a founding member of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960. They now play in the American Football Conference (AFC) East Division and share a stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey with the New York Giants.

The original franchise was awarded to Harry Wismer, a sports broadcaster. The Titans struggled financially in its first three years, and by 1962 was nearly bankrupt. In 1963, the Titans were purchased by a group led by business executive Sonny Werblin for one million dollars. Werblin renamed the team the Jets because it played at Shea Stadium and was close to La Guardia Airport. In 1968, Werblin sold the team to petroleum magnate Leon Hess.

In 1969, the New York Jets won Super Bowl III defeating the NFL’s heavily favored Baltimore Colts, 16-7, in what was one of the last championship games before the leagues merged in 1970. Super Bowl III, however, is most famous for Jets quarterback Joe Namath’s guarantee that the Jets would win (even though he was allegedly drunk when he made the declaration.) Broadway Joe, as he came to be known, was the AFL Rookie-of-the-Year in 1965 and became the first quarterback in professional football history to throw for over 4,000 yards. He would be named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl III.

In 1970, Joe Namath and the New York Jets played in the first ever Monday Night Football game, losing to the Cleveland Browns in front of a record 85,703 people. After the merger of the NFL and AFL, the Jets suffered through more than a decade of mediocrity before losing in the AFC Championship game to the Miami Dolphins, 14-0 in 1983.


In 2000, Woody Johnson, from the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical family purchased the team for $635 million dollars. Since the purchase, the Jets have made the playoffs six times, but have yet to make it to a second super bowl in team history. In 2009, the Jets hired Rex Ryan as head coach. Under Ryan’s leadership, the Jets played in two consecutive AFC Championship games, losing both. The 2011 and 2012 seasons have been particularly turbulent for the Jets. Starting quarterback Mark Sanchez has been the subject of much criticism, and the team’s acquisition of former Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow has continually been questioned in the press.



Questions

1. According to the passage, how many owners have the New York Jets had in their history?
   1.   1
   2.   3
   3.   4
   4.   2
2. Where do the New York Jets currently play games?
   1.   New Jersey
   2.   New York State
   3.   Long Island
   4.   New York City
3. Which of the following IS NOT true about Joe Namath?
   1.   He guaranteed the New York Jets would play the Baltimore Colts in the Super Bowl
   2.   He once threw for over 4,000 yards in a single season.
   3.   He was nicknamed Broadway Joe
   4.   He won the Rookie-of-the-Year Award in 1965
4. What does the word "merged" mean in the following sentence?
   
   In 1969, the New York Jets won Super Bowl III defeating the NFL’s heavily favored Baltimore Colts, 16-7, in the last championship games before the leagues merged in 1970.
   1.   disappeared
   2.   improved
   3.   came together
   4.   split apart
5. Since its 1969 Super Bowl victory, the Jets have played in ________ Super Bowls.
   1.   1
   2.   2
   3.   5
   4.   0
6. What question is answered in the fourth paragraph?
   1.   Who bought the New York Jets in 2000?
   2.   What was the final score between the Browns and the Jets?
   3.   Why was Joe Namath nicknamed Broadway Joe?
   4.   What two teams played in the first Monday Night Football game?
7. What word best describes the 1970-1982 in Jets history from the PERSPECTIVE of a Jets fan or supporter?
   1.   athletic
   2.   lackluster
   3.   victorious
   4.   special
8. Read the section below. In which sentence is the word "turbulent" used correctly?
   
   The 2011 and 2012 seasons have been particularly turbulent for the Jets. Starting quarterback Mark Sanchez has been the subject of much criticism, and the team’s acquisition of former Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow has continually been questioned in the press.
   1.   I feel so turbulent that my Jets won the Super Bowl!
   2.   We were impressed by the turbulence shown by the restaurant's star chef!
   3.   It was so late at night, and I had practiced for so long, that I fell asleep with lots of turbulence.
   4.   IThe pilot announced that we should expect some major turbulence as we landed in the midst of a heavy downpour.
9. Since Woody Johnson bought the Jets....
   1.   The team has yet to make the playoffs
   2.   The team has made the playoffs six times
   3.   The team has made the Super Bowl
   4.   The team fired Rex Ryan
10. When was Rex Ryan hired as head coach?
    1.   Before Woody Johnson purchased the team.
    2.   Before the Jets made it to two consecutive AFC Championship Games.
    3.   2009
    4.   Last season.  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

Reference: Developmental Reading 1 by Aida S. Villanueva, Ph.D and Rogelio S. Delos Santos pp. 38-39
                   mrnussbaum.com/readingcomp/columbus_vocabulary
























 

Introduction and Objectives

Introduction: 
                       This Developmental Reading gives background lessons on the origin, meaning, nature and psychology of reading as a complex yet wondrous process, while identifying intrinsic and extrinsic factors that affect reading performance. Students can help them to expand their knowledge in dealing vocabularies that help them to unlock their difficulties.


Objectives:

•             Understanding the text with comprehension.
•              Unlock difficulties through pictures and context clues
•              Appreciation of the importance of reading