Chapter 1: History, Definition and Benefits of Reading

LESSON 1 - History of Reading

According to the paleontologist who studies fossils and other evidences of life on
earth, the first man was a late comer on earth and appeared on the planet only one
hundred thousand years ago.

Cuneiform - The first writing- Sumerian logographs from 4000 BC

Hyroglyphics - pictures or symbols that represent words, used in the

writing systemof ancient Egypt in 3000 BC

The Phoenician alphabet- In 2000 BC, the

Phoenicians developed the first methods to represent spoken
language contained consonants

The Greeks added vowels - In 1000 BC, the Greek alphabet is

the source for all modern manuscripts of Europe, it is considered to be
the first world’s true alphabet.

Aristophanes’ Plays Add Punctuation (200 BC)

Lower Case (700 AD)

Spaces Between Words ( 900 AD )

Timeline: As a Summary
 LESSON 2 -Definition of Reading

LAPP AND FLOOD (1978) states that reading is: a decoding process and reading for meaning.

R. STRANG defined reading as : primarily a visual task, word recognition and thinking process.

Anderson et al., 1985 - Reading is a process of constructing meaning from the written text.
Frank Smith defined reading as psycholinguistic guessing game. It involves interaction between
thought and language

Dechant states that reading is clearly a process which is only complete when comprehension is
attained

Benefits of Reading

1. Mental Capacity -Reading develops the mind’s ability to think in a much bigger scope
2. Vocabulary - The new words and phrases you learn during the course of reading is
tremendous
3. Culture – The easiest way to understand the various cultures and practices that exist in this
world is through reading
4. Concentration – This provides a clear focus on the subject and also exercises your brain to
think ahead and try to analyze the next steps.
5. Self Esteem - Books and articles on true stories of leadership, rising from a position of
nothing or even pure manifesting of miracles provides a simple way to boost your self esteem
6. Personal Development - You not only learn or know how to act in a particular situation but
also how not to act. This has really done a whole lot of good to your personal growth.
7. Professional Development - Reading of various concepts, spiritual and material has given
us the ability to integrate into a process for sustainable growth
8. Developing Others – When you learn, you can show the way for your fellow beings,
whether in a personal or professional capacity to achieve what is best for them .

Chapter 2: Processes that Affects Reading

LESSON 1 - Reading as a Physiological Process

Physiology is the science dealing with the functions and vital processes of living organisms.
The branch of biology that deals with the normal functions of living organisms and their parts. The
way in which a living organism or bodily part functions.

Here are known facts about reading

 Physiological Process
The functions of living organisms and their parts, and the physical and chemical factors and
processes involved.

1. In the physiological process, the most basic step is for the eyes to see, identify, and
recognize the printed word or images.
2. The light pattern from the printed symbols hit the foveal areas or closely packed sensory
cell or the retina.
3. In turn, this induces chemical changes that create patterns of nerve currents into the optic
nerve fiber.
4. Then these currents travels to a center in the mid-brain.
 5. The stage of reading revolves around the ability to identify and recognize words which are
the smallest unit of visual identification and meaningful recognition. But the act the act of
reading does not take place if the letters are perceived in isolation.
6. Finally, using the currents that travel to the mid-brain, the celebral cortex interpret the
symbols
7. Studies show eye movement in reading with the eye perceiving and pursuing in the
printed material horizontally from left to right and top to bottom or right to left and
bottom to top.

Several Eye Movement

a) Fixation or the eyes stopping or getting fixated on the word/s. The duration of fixation
is the length of time the eyes has to pause. Most readers take four eye pauses per
second, while poor readers need more time to pause in order to see with accuracy.
b) Inter-fixation or the eyes moving from stopping point to the other (horizontally from
left to right, up coming down under).
c) Return sweeps- the quick swinging back of the eyes from the end line to the
beginning of the next line.
d) Short quick hop and jump movements called saccades, done especially by literate
people, to move ahead on a line of print.
e) Regressions or backward right-to-left movement in case there is need to double check
what is being read.
f) Span of recognition or the eyes’ recognition of a group of words. It is believed that
readers can add to their reading ability by widening the span of recognition by means
of chunking phrases, a focus on the total word pattern. As the span widens, fixation
decreases resulting in increased speed in reading.

To reflect, one reads ideas not words. The habit of reading decreases the work of word
deciphering resulting in an ease in perceiving meaning, relationship and messages of the printed
material.

LESSON 3 - Reading As A Communication Process

Communication process is the sharing of meaningful information between two or more

people with the goal of the receiver understand the sender’s intended message.

Language is a code system used by humans to communicate.

Five Characteristics of Language

1. Clarity

Concrete vs. Abstract

• Many students attended the student council meeting.

• Ninety-five college students attended the student council meeting.

2. Simplicity

Complex wording vs. Direct and to the point

• Shall we partake of our repast?

• Shall we eat?
3. Adapted Language

Words of expression should relate to the reader's age, educational attainment, gender, ethnic
origin and other personal factors.

Example

When preachers caused a stir talking about sexuality to a group of women Luzon politicians were not
well received by Mindanao group.

4. Forceful

Stimulating language provides color, interest and excitement.

Compare:

• He speaks at length while saying a little.

• He spews forth words-- and says nothing.

5. Vivid Language

• Vivid wording is descriptive and stirs the sense of the readers.

LESSON 4 – Reading as a Skill

Global Reading Skills And Subskills

1. Word Recognition Skills – is necessary to be able to read. It is a two fold process that
includes: the recognition of printed symbols by some method so that the can be pronounced.

2. Reading Comprehension – is a complex intellectual process involving many skills like

understanding the context, making inferences, weaving ideas into context, etc.

3. Word Identification – such as whole word recognition, visual configuration, morphemic

analysis, meaning associations, graph phoneme

Grace Godell’s Reading Skills Ladder

Basic Sight Words

1. The Dolch words are the 220 most frequently found words in books that children read.

2. Many of these words cannot be sounded out because they do not follow decoding rules, so
they must be learned as sight words.

3. They are commonly used words that young children are encouraged to memorize as a whole
by sight, so that they can automatically recognize these words in print without having to use
any strategies to decode.

These words are usually learned in first and second grade; students who learn these words have
a good base for beginning.

Using Phonetic Analysis

PHONETICS

Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that comprises the study of the sounds of human speech.

Phonetic analysis – is based on the traditional classification of speech sounds using the
International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

- also called phonics, is the study of sound- symbol or phoneme-grapheme relationships.

- sounding out words by separating a larger word into the smaller sounds.

Using Structural Analysis

1. The process of using familiar word parts (base words, prefixes, and suffixes) to determine
the meaning of unfamiliar words. Breaking down unknown words into prefixes & suffixes,
then into syllables.
Using Contextual Clues

Hints that the author gives to help define a difficult or unusual word. The clue may appear
within the same sentence as the word to which it refers, or it may be in a preceding or subsequent
sentence.

Types Of Context Clues

 Synonym-word with the same meaning, is used in the sentence.

My opponent’s argument is fallacious, misleading – plain wrong.

 Antonyms- word or group of words that has the opposite meaning reveals the meaning of an
unknown term.

Although some men are loquacious, others hardly talk at all.

 Explanation - the unknown word is explained within the sentence or in a sentence

immediately preceding.

The patient is so somnolent that she requires medication to help her stay awake for more than a
short time.

 Examples- Specific examples are used to define the term.

Celestial bodies, such as the sun, moon, and stars, are governed by predictable laws.

Vocabulary Building

According to language expert W.B. Elley, "a rich vocabulary is a valuable asset and an
important attribute of success in any walk of life." In other words, your vocabulary plays a large role
in determining if you will succeed in life or not.

7 Steps In Building Vocabulary

Step 1: Read, read, read

The more reading you do, the faster you will reach your goal of building your vocabulary. You
can read books, or websites on how to build vocabulary. Each time you run into a new word while
reading, remember to write it down so you can learn its meaning later.

Step 2: Repeat words several times

Saying a word several times a day for many days is a surefire way of making you remember it.
We will be teaching you tips on how to make repeating words even more effective.

Step 3: Look at words with the mind of a child

Young children learn words very quickly. Children under 10 years can actually learn more
words in one week than the typical adult can learn in one year. Find out how you can approach
vocabulary-building like a child.

Step 4: Have fun by playing word games

The next time you hang around with your family, instead of just sitting on the couch and
watching TV, invite them to play word games. This is a great tool for building your vocabulary, and
it's loads of fun as well.
Step 5: Make it personal

Making words personally meaningful to you will make them stand out, and you will retain them
better. There are many ways to add personal meaning to words, and we will show you examples.

Step 6: Use your imagination to create images of the word

This technique is used most often for concrete rather than abstract objects. Just use your
imagination to create a corresponding image for the words that you are studying.

Step 7: Practice using elaboration

Elaboration is a technique a lot of people use to remember words. It involves expounding on a

word's meaning to remember it better. Once you get the hang of it, eminent psychologists suggest
that a 670% recall of new words is possible.

Finding the Main Idea

The main idea sentence of a paragraph tells what the paragraph is about. It is the "key
concept" being expressed. Understanding the topic, the gist, or the larger conceptual framework of a
textbook chapter, an article, a paragraph, a sentence or a passage is a sophisticated reading task
Textbook chapters, articles, paragraphs, sentences, or passages all have topics and main ideas.

Three Types Of Paragraphs:

1. Introductory paragraphs tell you, in advance, such things as the main ideas of the chapter
or section; the extent or limits of the coverage; how the topic is developed; and the writer's
attitude toward the topic.

2. Transitional paragraphs are usually short; their sole function is to tie together what you
have read so far and what is to come - to set the stage for succeeding ideas of the chapter or
section.

3. Summarizing paragraphs are used to restate briefly the main ideas of the chapter or section.
The writer may also draw some conclusion from these ideas, or speculate on some conclusion
based on the evidence he/she has presented

Finding the supporting details

Details, major and minor, support the main idea by telling how, what, when, where, why, how
much, or how many.

Interfering Meanings, Drawing Conclusions

Drawing conclusions refers to information that is implied or inferred. This means that th e
information is never clearly stated. Inference is just a big word that means a conclusion or judgment.
If you infer that something has happened, you do not see, hear, feel, smell, or taste the actual event.
But from what you know, it makes sense to think that it has happened.

Classifying And Organizing Facts

Classifying is separating various things on the basis of some criteria

 Organizing facts are how to classify the facts and how to use that classification to arrange
those facts in a particular rational order.

Using The Parts Of A Book

 Title Page
It has the information about when and where the book was published. It will give you
the name of the author. It will tell you the copyright date or the date the book was written or
published.
 Table Of Contents
It will help you to find the names of the chapters of the book and the page number
where each chapter begins. Each chapter of the book will have a name and usually has a
chapter number.
 Glossary Of A Book
It will give meanings to words used in the book. Vocabulary words or new words in the
book will be here. The glossary can help you to understand your reading and will make it
easier for you to learn and study the information.
 Index Of A Book
It is very valuable to learners. You will find a listing of each topic in the book, names of
people, maps in the book, or any other information in the book listed here. This listing will be
in alphabetical order and will have the page number in the book where you can find the
information you are looking for. This is very helpful to learners.

Using The Dictionary

It also called a word reference, wordbook ,lexicon, or vocabulary) is a collection of words in

one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically (or by radical and
stroke for ideographic languages), with usage, information,
definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one
language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon

Using The Encyclopedias And Other Reference Books

It is a type of reference work – a compendium holding a summary of information from either

all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge Encyclopedias are divided
into articles or entries, which are usually accessed alphabetically by article name.

Borrowing Library Books For Research And Enjoyment

Give the importance of reading in the library not only for academic use but also for enjoyment
because there are section of a library where you can find books that are entertaining but still
educational books intended for the needs and wants of the students. Aside from it, teach the
pupils/students on how to borrow books and other references from the library through the use of
library cards and with the aid of authors card, title card and subject card in order to asked for the
right book/s from the librarian.

Starting Your Private Library Collection

Reading of books and other references will encourage children to create and start a mini
library of collection of books from his/her past years in learning and also to other references that
he/she is reading. It will encourage them to read more as well as his/her siblings and parents at
home. “the family that reads together stays together”
Exposure To Reading From Mass Media

The mass media are diversified media technologies that are intended to reach a large
audience by mass communication.

Forms of mass media

· Broadcast
· Film
· Video games
· Audio recording and reproduction
· Internet
· Blogs (web logs)
· RSS feeds
· Podcast
· Mobile
· Print media
a. Book
b. Magazine
c. Newspaper

Reading From The Internet

Reading from the Internet is the most and easiest way not only for the children but also to the
adults to gather information from a certain topic but always teach children to examine if the article or
information that they are reading is based on facts or not. Try to teach also the do’s and don’ts in
using the Internet. Only view and surf educational sites and not the sites that is not suitable for their
ages.

LESSON 5 – Reading as a Psychosocial Process

 Psycho - Mind, Mental

 Social - Mind, Mental

Personality Theories and Reading

Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development

As articulated by Erik Erikson, is a psychoanalytic which identifies eight stages through which
a healthily developing human should pass. In each stage, the person confronts, and hopefully
master, new challenges. Each stage builds upon successful completion of earlier stage. The
challenges of stages not successful completed may be expected to reappear as problems in the
future

Stage 1 – infancy

 Psychosocial Crisis - TRUST vs. MISTRUST

 Malignancy - withdrawal
 Maladaptation - Sensory maladjustment
 Virtue - hope

Stage 2 – Early Childhood

 Psychosocial Crisis - AUTONOMY vs. SHAME & DOUBT

 Malignancy - compulsiveness
 Maladaptation - impulsiveness
 Virtue - determination
Stage 3 – 3/4 yrs to 5/6 yrs

 Psychosocial Crisis - INITIATIVE vs. GUILT

 Malignancy - inhibition
 Maladaptation - ruthlessness
 Virtue - courage

Stage 4 – School age

 Psychosocial Crisis - INDUSTRY vs. INFERIORITY

 Malignancy - inertia
 Maladaptation - Narrow- virtuosity
 Virtue - competency

Stage 5 – Adolescence

 Psychosocial Crisis - IDENTITY vs. CONFUSION

 Malignancy - repudiation
 Maladaptation - fanaticism
 Virtue - fidelity

Stage 6 – Young adulthood

 Psychosocial Crisis - INTIMACY vs. ISOLATION

 Malignancy - exclusion
 Maladaptation - promiscuity
 Virtue - love

Stage 7 – Middle Adulthood

 Psychosocial Crisis - GENERATIVITY vs. ISOLATION

 Malignancy - rejectivity
 Maladaptation - overextension
 Virtue - caring

Obstacles to Reading
Physical Obstacles

 Malfunction of the visual and auditory faculties.

 In particular, eye defects such as farsightedness, speech impediments, etc.

 Physical discomfort among students such as headache, stomach ache, etc.

Psychological Obstacles

 the child’s lack of self- confidence, feelings of rejection and other negative personality traits.

 teacher personality factors such as lack of competence, emotional immaturity, lack of social
sense, etc.

 general emotional atmosphere at home and school, including the attitude among parents in
guiding their child’s progress in school.

Environmental Obstacles

 conditions at home and school including conditions of poor room lighting, ventilation, seating
arrangement and etc.
Socio- economic Obstacles

 low economic status (poverty) of children of poor families.

 sensationalism and retrogressive literacy as fostered by commercialism in mass media.

 policies and programs of government and of schools on the development reading program.