Readin

g
Worksh
Building Effective
ReadingopStrategies
in the Classroom
Workshop Contents
●Introduction to Reading Strategies
●Teaching Scanning and Skimming
●Reading for Gist and Details
●Guessing Meaning from Context
●Identifying Vocabulary for Pre-teaching
●Practical Application and Lesson Planning
●Reflection and Q&A
 Challenges
Students
Face in
Reading
Comprehens
ion
1. Limited Vocabulary
●Challenge: Students may encounter unfamiliar words that they don't
understand, making it difficult to grasp the overall meaning of a text.
●Impact: This can lead to frustration, misinterpretation of the content,
and a loss of interest in reading.

2. Difficulty with Complex Text Structures

●Challenge: Many students struggle with understanding texts that have
complex structures, such as long sentences, advanced syntax, or non-
linear narratives.
●Impact: These structures can confuse students, causing them to miss
key points or misunderstand the text's flow.
3. Insufficient Background Knowledge
● Challenge: Without adequate prior knowledge on a subject, students
may find it hard to relate to or understand the context of what they
are reading.
● Impact: Lack of background knowledge can prevent students from
making connections within the text, leading to superficial
comprehension.
4. Inability to Identify Key Information
● Challenge: Students may struggle to distinguish between important
details and irrelevant information, which can overwhelm them and
obscure the main ideas.
● Impact: This can result in poor retention of crucial points and an
overall lack of understanding of the text.
5. Difficulty with Inference and Contextual
Understanding
● Challenge: Making inferences and understanding implicit meanings
within a text can be challenging, especially if students lack experience
with this skill.
● Impact: This can lead to a literal interpretation of texts and missed
nuances or deeper meanings.
6. Struggles with Reading Fluency
● Challenge: Slow or labored reading can impede comprehension, as
students focus more on decoding words than on understanding the
text as a whole.
● Impact: This slows down the reading process and can prevent
students from grasping the overall message of the text.
7. Low Motivation or Interest
● Challenge: If students are not interested in the topic or feel
that reading is a chore, they may not engage deeply with the
text.
● Impact: Lack of motivation can lead to disengagement,
minimal effort, and poor comprehension outcomes.
Key Reading
Strategies
1. Scanning
Definition: Scanning is the technique of
quickly looking through a text to find specific
information, such as dates, names, or
particular words.
Use: Helps students locate specific details
without reading the entire text.
2. Skimming
Definition: Skimming involves reading
quickly to get the general idea or overview of
the text without focusing on every detail.
Use: Useful for understanding the main
themes or concepts before diving into a more
detailed reading.
3. Reading for Gist
Definition: Also known as "getting the main idea,"
reading for gist involves identifying the primary
message or main point of a text.
Use: Helps students quickly understand what a text
is generally about.
4. Reading for Details
Definition: This strategy involves reading
carefully to extract specific information or
details from the text.
Use: Essential for tasks that require precise
understanding, such as answering specific
5. Guessing Meaning from
Context
Definition: This strategy involves using clues in
the surrounding text to infer the meaning of
unfamiliar words or phrases.
Use: Helps students improve their vocabulary
comprehension without constantly relying on a
dictionary.
6. Pre-teaching Vocabulary
Definition: Pre-teaching vocabulary involves
introducing key words or phrases before reading to
ensure students understand essential terms that
are crucial for comprehension.
Use: Helps prevent misunderstandings and allows
 Scanning

Definition:
Scanning is a reading technique used to
quickly locate specific information within
a text. Instead of reading every word,
the reader moves their eyes rapidly
across the page, looking for keywords,
phrases, numbers, or specific pieces of
information.
 Scanning
Example:
Imagine you are reading a long article
about world history and you need to find
the date when World War II ended.
Instead of reading the entire article, you
would scan the text for keywords like
"World War II," "ended," or "1945." Once
you spot "1945," you slow down and
read that section to find the exact date.
Skimming

Definition:
Skimming is a reading technique used to
get the general idea or gist of a text.
When skimming, the reader quickly
moves through the text, focusing on
headings, subheadings, introductory
sentences, and key phrases, without
paying attention to every detail.
Skimming
Example:
Suppose you are reading a newspaper
and you want to get a quick overview of
today's headlines. You would skim the
front page by reading the headlines,
subheadings, and the first few sentences
of each article. This allows you to
understand the main topics covered
without reading the entire newspaper in
 Reading for Gist

Definition:
Reading for gist, also known as reading
for the main idea, involves quickly going
through a text to grasp its overall
meaning or general idea without
focusing on the finer details. The goal is
to understand the primary message or
 Reading for Gist
Example:
Imagine you are reading a short story for the
first time. By reading for gist, you focus on
understanding the general plot, the main
characters, and the central conflict, rather than
paying attention to every small detail or
dialogue. You might summarize the story as
being about a young girl who overcomes a
personal challenge, even if you don’t remember
every event or character name.
Reading for Detail
Definition:
Reading for detail involves carefully and
thoroughly going through a text to
extract specific information or to
understand the nuances and finer points.
This type of reading is precise and
focused, often used when answering
detailed questions or analyzing complex
material.
Reading for Detail
Example:
Suppose you are reading a science
textbook to prepare for an exam. When
reading for detail, you would carefully
read each section, paying attention to
definitions, data, examples, and
explanations. You might highlight key
terms and take notes on specific
processes or concepts, ensuring that you
fully understand each part of the
Guessing Meaning from Context
Types of Context Clues
Context clues are hints within the surrounding
text that can help readers deduce the meaning
of unfamiliar words. There are several types of
context clues that provide useful information
for determining the meaning of unknown
vocabulary:
Guessing Meaning from Context
1. Definition Clues
These clues directly provide the meaning of an
unknown word, often within the same
sentence. Words or phrases like is, means,
refers to, or is defined as are commonly used.
Example:
"The arid climate, which means very dry,
makes it difficult for plants to grow."
(Arid is directly defined as "very dry.")
Guessing Meaning from Context
2. Synonym Clues
In synonym clues, the text includes a word or
phrase with a similar meaning to the
unfamiliar word, helping the reader
understand through comparison.
Example:
"The athlete was elated, so happy and excited
that she couldn’t stop smiling."
(Elated is similar in meaning to "happy and
Guessing Meaning from Context
3. Antonym (or Contrast) Clues
These clues provide a word or phrase with the
opposite meaning of the unfamiliar word, often
signaled by words such as but, however,
although, or unlike.
Example:
"The teacher was usually lenient, but this time
she was unusually strict."
(The word lenient is contrasted with "strict,"
Guessing Meaning from Context
4. Example Clues
Example clues provide examples to clarify the
meaning of an unknown word. Words like such
as, for example, or like often signal this type of
clue.
Example:
"Celestial bodies, such as the sun, moon, and
stars, have fascinated humans for centuries."
(The word celestial is explained through the
Guessing Meaning from Context
5. Explanation or Restatement Clues
In this type of clue, the unknown word is
explained more clearly, often within a phrase
or a clause.
Example:
"The diver saw a barracuda, a long, predatory
fish with sharp teeth, swimming towards the
reef."
(The word barracuda is restated as "a long,
Guessing Meaning from Context
6. Cause-and-Effect Clues
These clues show the relationship between an action
or result and the unknown word. Readers infer the
meaning based on the cause or effect presented in the
sentence.
Example:
"She felt an overwhelming sense of trepidation as she
stepped onto the stage, knowing the entire audience
would be watching her every move."
(The cause of her feeling nervous, "stepping onto the
stage with the audience watching," indicates that
Guessing Meaning from Context
7. Comparison Clues
Comparison clues offer comparisons to
something familiar to help explain the
unknown word. These clues often use words
like similar to or like.
Example:
"The surface of the lake was placid, like a
mirror reflecting the sky."
(The comparison to "a mirror" suggests that
Pre-teaching Vocabulary
Definition: Pre-teaching vocabulary is an
instructional strategy in which key words or
phrases are introduced and explained to
students before they encounter them in a text.
This approach helps build understanding,
improve comprehension, and reduce the
cognitive load when reading or listening to
new material.
Pre-teaching Vocabulary
Example:
Before reading a passage about climate change, the teacher
might pre-teach vocabulary like greenhouse gases, carbon
footprint, and sustainability. The teacher would explain each
term and provide examples to help students better understand
the upcoming text.
For instance, the teacher might say:
Greenhouse gases: Gases like carbon dioxide that trap heat in
the Earth's atmosphere.
Carbon footprint: The amount of carbon dioxide emissions for
which an individual or organization is responsible.
Sustainability: Practices that do not deplete natural resources,
 When to Pre-
Teach Vocabulary
Before Reading Complex Texts
Pre-teach vocabulary when students are about
to encounter a challenging or dense text with
key terms that are unfamiliar or difficult to infer
from context. This will help reduce cognitive load
and enhance their ability to focus on
understanding the main ideas.
Example: If students are reading a scientific
article about climate change, it’s a good idea to
pre-teach terms like carbon emissions,
greenhouse gases, and global warming.
When Vocabulary is Critical for Theme or
Plot
Pre-teach vocabulary that is essential to
understanding the theme, setting, or key events of a
narrative or informational text. If these terms are
missed, students may fail to grasp important elements
of the story or argument.
Example: In a story set in the 19th century, words
like carriage, telegraph, or corset might need to be
pre-taught for students to fully comprehend the
historical context.
With English Language Learners (ELLs) or
Struggling Readers
Pre-teaching vocabulary can be particularly beneficial
for ELLs or students who struggle with reading. These
students may need additional support with vocabulary
that more proficient readers might understand from
context alone.
Example: Before reading a text about farming, you
might pre-teach words like plow, harvest, or fertilizer
for students who are unfamiliar with agricultural
terminology.
When Not to
Pre-Teach
Vocabulary
When Words Can Be Easily Inferred from
Context
Avoid pre-teaching words that students can likely
figure out from the surrounding context. This helps
develop students' ability to infer meanings on their
own, a crucial skill for reading comprehension.
Example: In a sentence like "The dog barked loudly at
the mailman," the word barked can be inferred from
the context without needing explicit instruction.
When the Vocabulary is Not Central to
Comprehension
If the word is not essential for understanding the main
points of the text or is tangential to the plot or theme,
pre-teaching it may not be necessary. This allows
students to focus on more important words and
concepts.
Example: In a passage about space exploration, a
word like tangential (if used in a different context
within the text) might not need pre-teaching if it's not
critical to understanding the central topic.
When the Text is Meant to Develop
Inferencing Skills
In some cases, the goal of the lesson might be to
encourage students to practice guessing meanings
from context. Pre-teaching too many words in these
instances can defeat the purpose of the activity.
Example: When reading a story where the plot and
characters are relatively simple, teachers might
choose not to pre-teach non-essential vocabulary so
that students can work on inferencing skills
Reflection
and Q&A
THANKS!