A.

Reading comprehension
What is reading comprehension? Comprehension is an active process that involves all
these strategies and behaviors: understanding the text, critically evaluating the text,
monitoring own understanding, making decisions about which strategies will help clarify
understanding. Comprehension-making meaning from texts, reflecting upon responses,
making connections with existing, knowledge engaging with the text.

B. The Concept Of Teaching Reading

The aim of teaching reading is to develop the student’s reading skill so that they can read
English text effectively and efficiently. To be able to read effectively and efficiently
readers should have a particular purpose in their minds before they interact with the text.
Thus, effective reading is always purposeful as Mc. Donough and Shaw (1993;102) claim
that "much of the current thinking of reading tends to focus primarily on the purpose of
the activities even if reading is done for pleasure, it is still purposeful." In general, the
purpose of reading is classified into (a) getting general information from the text: (b)
getting specific information from the text; and (c) reading for pleasure or for interest
(Williams: 1984).
This classification is into the development of different reading skills are needed in real
life when people read different kinds of reading materials such as newspaper, manuals,
brochures, recipes, letters, etc. Based on the understanding above we realize the
importance of "authentic" reading materials to be used in the classroom in order to
develop students' reading skill. We need to develop and foster the students' appropriate
reading skills according to different reading purposes. Students need, for example, to be
encouraged to read quickly when it is appropriate to do so. In another occasion they have
to read the text intensively to get implicit information, consequently. the transfer ability
of principled flexible skills to different type of text is one of the most effective thing to
develop in the reading skills class (Mc. Donough And Shaw 1993;112)

C. Strategies to develop reading comprehension in the classroom activities

Reading comprehension is an essential part of the reading process. Children need to be
taught a range of reading comprehension strategies to help them fully understand texts.
a. Activating prior knowledge
Activation of prior knowledge can develop children 's understanding by helping
them to see links between what they already know and new information they are
encountering. Here are some ideas for collaborative activities. They will
encourage children to bring to the forefront of their minds knowledge that relates
to the text they are about to read or are reading. Start with the title. chapter
heading or picture on the front cover. Ask children what it makes them think of.
Collect ideas orally, using drawings or by making brief notes. Select a key word
from the title or an artifact. Ask children to think of memories associated with it.
Give sentence starters such as This reminds me of It makes me think of Record
ideas using a concept mapping or mind- mapping to show the links between ideas.
b. Prediction
 Stopping to predict what a text or part of a text might be about makes readers pay
more attention when they begin to read. They need to consider the reasons for
their predictions look for evidence in the text and revise their initial predictions if
necessary. Demonstrate how to read the text a section at a time, explain what is
happening and predict what will happen next and how it will end. Read on and
point out the explicit and implicit evidence that supports or confounds your
predictions. Demonstrate how to revise your initial ideas and suggest a hypothesis
based on the new evidence. Involve children in this process as part of shared
reading. Model how to make written notes of your predictions and display these,
for instance as you read a class novel aloud. Encourage children to add their own
notes based on what they have heard. Support children as they make written
predictions and revisions relating to guided or independent reading, using their
reading journals.
c. Constructing images
Creating visual images using visualization, drawing or drama helps children to
make links between their prior knowledge and new ideas. These activities will
encourage children to go back to the text to check or look for more details, thus
deepening their understanding.
d. Questioning
Skilled questioning will develop children's understanding of texts but questions
need to be carefully thought through and planned. Closed, factual questions test
children's ability to recall knowledge but do not encourage them to use inference
and deduction or to engage closely with what they have read.
e. Sequencing texts
Children can learn to apply their knowledge about texts and reading when
carrying out sequencing activities. The text is jumbled up and then readers are
asked to reorder lines of a poem, or paragraphs of a fiction or non- fiction text.
f. Summarizing
Children need to learn how to identify the main idea in a text. Effective
summarizing involves children in evaluating a text and deciding which elements
of it are most significant.

D. Three Step Techniques of Teaching Reading

Although, on a worldwide level, the format of teaching reading skills may differ
according to local circumstances, the current curriculum stresses the implementation of
teaching reading skills in an integrated-skill unit. This mean that reading is best
integrated with the other language skills.

In classroom practice, we divide the reading activities into three interrelated stages, i.e.
pre reading activities, whilst-reading activities (Williams :1984, Wallace: 1988). In these
stages, the integration of the four language skills could be seen.
a. Pre-Reading Activities
The Objectives of This Stage Are Commonly:
1) To introduce and arouse interest
2) To motivate learners by giving reasons for reading
3) To provide some language preparation for the text.
Harmer (1991:189) calls this stage 'lead-in'. In this stage the students and teacher
prepare themselves for the task and make them familiar with the topic. As stated
above, in this stage students create expectations and arouse their interest in the
text. We should know that the objectives of pre-reading should be relevant with
the type of the text being taught. Providing language preparation does not intend
to make teachers explain every single difficult word and structure used in the text,
but it helps learners to some extent avoid feeling frustrated by language carrier.
This phase of reading is intended to make learners aware of the reason why have
to read the text, in that, they activate their relevant background knowledge
(schema) which they can bring to encounter the text more easily. Wallace (1992)
claims that this stage place an important role to determine relevant reading
strategies students will use during the while reading task, in relation to their
purpose of reading. by doing so, students are expected to be more motivated and
less dependent of the language translation.
Some reading activities simply consist of questions to which students are required
to find the answer from the text. However some various types of activity may be
developed. teachers can use pictures, realia and even songs relevant with topic,
and students may discuss the tasks based on the above materials, by so doing, the
involvement of the other language skills may occur in this stage. they may also
pre-teach the key words through some ways like: cluster, context, definition,
antonym, synonym, etc.
b. While-Reading Activities
In general, this stage aims at helping learners to develop their reading strategies/skills
so that they can be effective and independent readers. By implication, students should
be flexible in their ways of reading which are appropriate to the given text. In this
level students interact with the text by the help if their relevant background
knowledge. Williams (1984) suggest that the activities in this phase of reading should
be gradually developed from a global understanding the smaller ones.
The development of reading skill mostly occur in this stage. to be effective readers,
students should be able to:
1) Scan (glance at the text to get specific information)
2) Skim (glance at the text to get the gist of the text)
3) Read between the lines.
4) Read intensively for detailed information.
5) Detect references
6) Deducing meaning.
7) Detect references.
 8) Deducing meaning from context.
The application of these micro skills of reading should, of course, the appropriate
with the type of text being used.

c. Post Reading Activities

The post reading stage (text-related task) is intended as a kind of follow up activity, in
this level students need to consolidate or reflect upon what has been read. they need
to relate the content or idea of the text to their own knowledge, interest, or views.
The post reading task may vary from the simple one. e.g. filling in table (without
reading the text) up to the one which is quite complex, e.g. writing a letter. Of course,
all the task should be still related with the topic of reading. The same as the while-
reading stage, in the post reading students could also be encouraged to discuss the
tasks in pairs or groups. Thus students could also develop their speaking, listening,
and writing skills while they are accomplishing the post reading tasks.