Students read for a variety of reasons, but probably the most important reason students read is to gain academic knowledge. Their goal is to learn and comprehend what they read. To be successful, they must develop certain reading skills. However, some students meet difficulty in comprehending and processing information taught by their teachers. This may be for a variety of reasons. Often it is that they have never developed the proper learning strategies necessary for comprehension. Therefore, their ability to read, learn, memorize and recall information is impaired. Students then become discouraged from learning. There are, however, a number of effective measures for those with reading comprehension difficulties.
Visual
Students respond well when oral or written information is presented to them in a visual way. For example, when a skill or topic is both described and demonstrated at the same time, it provides students with the means to associate the demonstration with the description. When students are provided with a combination of visual, written and oral instruction, they can better comprehend and process the information.
Participation
Passive listening and reading often result in the inability to process information because students are not engaged or stimulated. One of the best remedies for this is for students to participate in the topics they read about. Teachers can ask students to demonstrate what they have learned, and give them feedback and praise.
Thinking Aloud
Students are encouraged in reading comprehension skills when they "think aloud." The think-aloud strategy helps them to vocally express the material they are reading or the subject they are learning about. It helps if students go through each step or take the subject one step at a time. Talking while they think helps them to verbalize and better process the information. Students can move from thinking aloud to whispering softly, and eventually they will no longer require thinking aloud to comprehend. This is a gradual process that equips students with the ability to think and process silently through a series of gradual techniques.
Practice
Practice will help students give meaning to what they have been hearing or reading. Once the teacher has provided them with the information, students can demonstrate what they have learned through homework and in-class assignments. It is up to the teacher to assess the difficulty of these assignments for students. Start off with easy assignments to complete so students are encouraged, then gradually increase the complexity and difficulty over time. Encourage students to read over their work and process what they have read to ensure they are grasping all the pertinent information.
1. Which of the following is true of readers who are reading to gain academic knowledge?
A. Reading increases their alertness.
B. Their goal is to learn and understand the materials they are reading.
C. They physically learn what they are reading.
D. They read for a variety of reasons.
2. The phrase ‘a variety of reasons’ in the passage is closest in meaning to _______.
A. some reasons B. few reasons C. many reasons D. no reasons
3. The word “goal” in the passage is closest in meaning to _______.
A. score B. desire C. guide D. choice
4. Many students have difficulty in reading comprehension because ______________.
A. they do not have enough time to read
B. they haven’t practiced reading enough
C. they do not have the appropriate approaches to reading
D. they do not have the right attitudes
5. In helping students better comprehend the reading, visual reading _________________.
A. combines the oral, visual and written information
B. associates the meanings with the descriptions
C. processes the information for students
D. provides a description of the learning process
6. One possible reason why students do not read well is that ___________________.
A. they can not visualize the information
B. they listen and read passively
C. they cannot demonstrate what they have read
D. they do not receive praise and feedback from teachers
7. Thinking aloud is a ________________.
A. quick and noisy process of comprehension
B. step by step process towards reading
C. conversational method of reading comprehension
D. process in which students express their thoughts in spoken words
8. One advantage of thinking aloud is ______________.
A. students do not have to write down their thoughts
B. students’ ability to think and process information silently is developed
C. students can whisper softly in this technique
D. students can talk while studying in class
9. In order to demonstrate students’ comprehension, ________________.
A. homework and in-class assignments should be given
B. students must hear and read the information well beforehand
C. the tasks’ level of difficulty must be maintained consistently
D. all the related information must be provided
10. It can be inferred that in order to improve students’ ability in reading _____________.
A. only one technique is enough
B. the teachers have to work very hard
C. the students have to read a lot
D. one technique is not enough, a combination is recommended
Thanks!!!
