Wednesday, February 7, 2006

Today we are going to examine how to read accurately, which means actively.
You are going to take some brief notes on how to read actively.
You are then going to do three activities involving active reading (Practice passage #1; Practice passage #2, and excerpt from the opening of an untitled essay which starts with “John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath….”)
I will then hand out your essay terminology that you need to get onto cue cards for study purposes.

Getting the Essential Information

The first step in increasing your reading comprehension is to learn how to get the basic information. Like a good detective, you start with the basic facts. To get the facts, you have to be an active reader, looking for clues in what you read.

You have to be able to:
Find key information:
o Facts
o The 5 W’s (who, what, when , where, why & how)

Imagine for a moment you are a detective. You have just been called to the scene of a crime; a house has been robbed. What’s the first thing you should do when you arrive?

a) Check the fridge
b) Have something to eat
c) Get the basic facts of the case

The answer of course is c), get the basic facts of the case: The who, what, when, where, why and how. What happened? To whom? When? Where? How did it happen? And why?

What are the Facts?

Lets start with a definition. A fact is:

- Something that we know of for certain to have happened
- Something that we know for certain to be sure
- Something that we know for certain to exist

Much of what you read is designed to provide you with facts. Some things, such as owner’s manuals are presented in a way that seems straightforward; other things won’t be so easy, especially when the reading is especially dense or complicated (welcome to English class!) To make it easier, ask yourself these questions as you read:

- What facts am I expected to know?
- What am I to learn or be aware of?
- What happened?
- What is true?
- What exists?