Written by: Michael Erfort

Reviewed by: Desir Scholtz

Editor: Abie de Villiers
READING SKILLS

Reading is one of the most important activities in your lives as students.

Without reading you would not be able to acquire knowledge that is
fundamental to your intellectual growth. Through reading you become
experts in your fields. Reading can be divided into two main sub-headings
i.e. Reading for pleasure and Reading for a specific purpose.
Reading for pleasure
Reading for pleasure means that you choose what you want to read. For
example you choose to read a magazine or a book by your favourite author
in your free time. This does not however mean that you are not learning
from this type of reading. Reading in any form informs you about society
and culture and the world in general, whether it is through fiction (creative
writing) or non-fiction (fact).
Reading for a specific purpose
This type of reading is more goal-orientated. In other words you are reading
to achieve a specific outcome, e.g. to pass a test or to research for an essay.
This type of reading is common in the life of any student. From the moment
you attend your first class you are inundated with reading upon reading.
Sometimes you feel you cannot cope with all the information contained in
your prescribed readings. Not having the skills to read effectively can
determine whether or not you will be successful in completing your studies.
It is therefore important to acquire effective readings to secure success.
WHAT ARE READING SKILLS?
Reading skills enable readers to turn writing into meaning and achieve the
goals of independence, comprehension, and fluency.
(http://www.sil.org/lingualinks.com)
Reading skills will enable you to:

Make meaning out of written language

1

Interact and engage with the language

Comprehend and analyse the language

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF READING SKILLS?

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Scanning
Skimming
Comprehension
Critical reading
Vocabulary or word attack skills

SCANNING
Is used to find specific information in a reading.
What is specific information?

Dates
Places
Names
Page numbers

This technique is used to assess the value and relevance of the reading.

SKIMMING
Skimming is a technique where you gloss over an article to see whether or
not it contains information that is of interest to you. This technique makes it
possible for you to quickly evaluate and understand the message of the
reading by looking at the main aspects.
What are the main aspects?

the title/name of the book

the sub-title/ names of chapters
the introduction
first line of each paragraph
pictures
conclusion

By looking at the main aspects you are able to get a general understanding
of what the reading is about.

Definition: Skimming is a technique where you gloss over an article to see

whether or not it contains information that is of interest to you. It also helps
you gain an understanding of the article in a shorter space of time.
Now that you understand the definition, it is important to practically test your
understanding.

EXERCISE:
SKIMMING and SCANNING EXERCISE
Look carefully at the following article and then answer the questions that
follow:
Before you read any further, answer questions one and two first.

Questions
1. Read only the headline of this article. Try to predict what the article is
about.
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2. Read the first paragraph of the article. Are you more clear of what the
headline means. Elaborate.
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3. How did Manuella de Costa try to kill her sons three years ago?
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4. How many children did she have?
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5. Name the two sons who survived the attempted killing?
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6. Where were the boys living since the attempted killing?
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7. How many paragraphs does this article have?
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8. Try to do a summary just by looking at the main aspects of the article,
e.g. the headline and the first lines of each paragraph.
(Answers to these questions can be found on the last page).

Definition: Scanning is used to find specific information in a reading e.g.

dates, names places.
EXERCISE:
Look at the contents page below. On what page will you find the following?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)

Module A
Activity 1: What employers look for in CV's
Appendix
Activity 3: Key CV headings
Activity 6: The LRA and the job interview.
Activity 5: Adaptive Skills- what employers' value

Contents
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Introduction
Activity 1: Difference between work and study

Module 1: Getting to know yourself

Activity 1: Understanding the term "skill"

Activity 2: Identification of your skill level
Activity 3: Identification of job skills
Activity 4: Personal characteristics of a good worker
Activity 5: Adaptive skills: What employers value
Activity 6: Identification of your transferable skills
Module 2: The CV

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11
12
13
14
15
23

Activity 1: What employers look for in a CV

Activity 2: CV presentation
Activity 3: Key CV headings
Activity 4: CV layout
Activity 5: Identify your skills
Activity 6: The cover letter
Module 3: The interview

24
25
28
37
38
44
47

Activity 1: How employers identify suitable candidates

Activity 2: Job interview stages
Activity 3: The job advert as part of your interview preparation
Activity 4: Appropriate dress code
Activity 5: Job interview questions
Activity 6: The LRA and the job interview
5

50
54
58
60
66
68

Module 4: Adapting to the workplace

Activity 1: Appropriate behavior in the workplace
Activity 2: Understanding your career goals
Appendix

71
76
80
83

COMPREHENSION
Means that you as a reader should predict what the author is about to say.
Reading extensively gives you this ability. By doing so your understanding
of the text is enhanced and you become familiar with the reading.
CRITICAL READING
Enables the reader to see the relationship of ideas and use these in reading
with meaning and fluency.
Remember that writers often have specific aims in writing texts- they often
want to influence the way we think and see the world. In other words texts
are sometimes biased. Critical reading means questioning the opinions of
the writer. You have the right to agree or disagree with his/her opinions.
This is an important step in engaging with the text.
Examples of questions you can ask when doing a critical reading:

Is the text based on fact or opinion

Do I agree with the authors viewpoint
Is the text subjective (opinion) or objective (facts)
Is the text written in a specific time frame

EXERCISE:
CRITICAL READING EXERCISE
Read the article in the first section of this booklet i.e. "Doctor re-united with
two sons......"
Write, in no more than 8 lines, whether or not you agree with the courts
decision that Costa could not be held accountable for the attempts on her
children's lives. Give reasons for your opinions.
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VOCABULARY OR WORD ATTACK SKILLS

The more you read the more you become familiar with difficult words. In
other words by reading extensively you improve your vocabulary. Reading
in context (reading the sentence and understanding the way the word is
used in that sentence) is also a valuable reading skill.

EXERCISE:
DICTIONARY USE
(Refer again to the above article)
Use a dictionary to find out the following:
1. What does the word "reluctant" mean?
2. Use the word "reluctant" in a sentence to show that you understand its
meaning.
3. What part of speech (i.e. is it a verb, noun etc) is the word "reluctant"?
4. Give an antonym (word of opposite meaning) for the word "reluctant"
5. What is "chemotherapy"?

SOLUTIONS FOR READING DIFFICULTIES/ USING READING SKILLS

Problem
Solution
1. Not understanding the title

1. Use dictionary/read first line of

paragraph
2. Difficulty discovering main points 2. Use the skimming technique
3. Check dictionary
3. Pronunciation
4. Underline them. Check meanings in
a dictionary. Try to understand the
word the way it is used in the
sentence

4. Difficult words

5. Do not enjoy reading

5. Read something you enjoy and

practice your skills with those
readings. Then use those skills on
the readings that you have to do

6. Forgetting what you read

6. Write summaries of what you read

in your own words

7. Too much to read, too little time

7. Draw up a timetable and stick to it.

Don't leave reading for the last
minute.

Another important aspect of becoming a good reader is actually

thinking OF yourself as a reader.

Questions to ask yourself and steps to take:

Before you start reading

Ask yourself what the title means

Can I learn anything from the pictures?
How long is the text?
Do I have a dictionary?
What am I looking for in the text?
What do I know about the topic?
Does the reading have information, which I need?

While you are reading

Is this reading useful for me?

Should I make notes on the text?
Underline difficult words
Circle interesting sentences
Highlight the main points
Do I understand what I am reading?

After you have read

Do a summary of the text in your own words

Read the parts you do not understand again
Ask questions on the validity of the opinions expressed
Link the reading to the tasks you have been assigned and to your
studies in general
What is the authors aim?
Is he/she biased?
Is the article written well?

REMEMBER TO ENJOY READING. IT IS A WAY THAT YOU CAN

ENRICH YOURSELF AND SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE WITH OTHERS.
NO KNOWLEDGE CAN EVER BE A WASTE.

Answers to questions in Exercise: Skimming

1 & 2: The article is an account of how Dr. da Costa tried to kill her four sons
after experiencing financial and other difficulties in her life. Two of the sons
survived the incident and after three years she is reunited with them again.
3: She drugged them and then set the house on fire with them still inside.
4: Four
5: Filipe & Daniel
6: With their uncle in Portugal
7: Ten

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