Values of Reading

practical stimulating cognitive educational

The psychological mechanisms of reading are:

• the starting mechanisms (perception of graphic images);

• the identification of graphic information;

• anticipation;

• inner articulation;

• aural control (reading aloud).

A mode of reading depends on the criteria it is based on:

Criteria	Modes of Reading
According to analyzers at work	analytical and synthetic
Conditions of reading	independent and guided
Extension of reading	extensive and intensive
Participation of voice	reading aloud and to oneself
Methodological aim	study and communicative
Place of reading	class reading and home reading
Degree of obligation	obligatory and supplementary

Synthetical reading is a mode of reading which centers a reader's attention on the whole speed produce (work, written piece) not on any particular information. Tempo of synthetical reading in English is 180 syll/ min.

Synthetic reading is aimed at reading without a dictionary and getting as much information as possible.

It presupposes:

• generalizing the facts;

• extracting key points and ideas;

• drawing a conclusion;

• interpreting the texts and their meaning.

Synthetic reading requires the skills of:

a) extracting the notional landmarks from the text (key words, facts);

b) relating separate parts of a text with each other; determining the succession and interrelation of events;

c) generalizing the acquired facts;

d) drawing a conclusion and evaluating the facts stated, interpreting their meaning.

The general requirements to the texts for reading:

educational; cultural; methodological; linguistic.

The Requirements to texts for synthetical reading:

1) A certain minimum of unfamiliar words the meaning of which can be guessed from a context;

2) Understandable for this or that particular age group of pupils;

3) Logical and clear-cut composition; simple, laconic style of literary speech.

The techniques of teaching synthetical reading:

Stage One: Aim - assimilation of all the language material (vocabulary and grammar) in oral speech and creation of necessary prerequisites for the understanding of what has been read.

Anticipation

Prediction

Stage Two. Reading of a text for the 1st time. It is preceded by special before-you-read activities (tasks ), e.g.

1) answer the teacher's questions;

2) find the parts of the text according to the plan suggested;

3) choose from the text the characters' consideration on the follo­wing questions;

4) say how the title reflects the main content of a text;

5) mark out a part of a text which can be entitled as “ ”;

6) choose phrases on the topic “ Seasons and weather, My future plans, my family“;

7) place the events in the chronological succession;

8) underline, write out...

Stage Three – checking up of understanding what is being read. Aim - to clear up the results of primary reading and understanding of the content of a text by pupils .e.g.;

1) find the material which tells us about...

2) find the material where the character is described as...

3) complete (finish) the text, having chosen one of 3-4 variants;

4) agree or disagree...

5) say whether the characters' sayings correspond to their doings;

6) say what episode can be illustrated by this picture;

7) choose a picture among the suggested ones which can be applied to the text;

8) place the pictures in the same order with the doings of the character.

Stage four – final reading (or R for the 2d time). Aim: formation of the skills con­nected with the content of a text. Ex. to be done here:

1) Define the main idea;

2) Prove that...

3) Think of another title...

4) Illustrate and decide whether the following words have any reference to the main character.

Stage five – follow up activities.