READING SKILLS

Objective
After studying this topic, students should be able to:
i. Define reading.
ii. Highlight the purposes of reading.
iii. Enumerate the reading faults.
iv. Explain the reading types.
v. Discuss how to develop good reading skills.
vi. Explain how to develop one’s vocabulary while reading for pleasure.

Introduction
Reading is a very important aspect of Language learning. If a student is to have a good
understanding of a particular subject or topic and perform well in his academic endeavours, he
must take reading seriously. It is one of the language skills that is vital not only to performing
effectively in the academic world, but also to functioning efficiently in one’s career. This is
because so much of the information that is required in our course of study can be obtained
through reading. Moreover, it is obvious that reading skill is indispensable, as it is a vital tool
towards any meaningful academic achievement. It is the core of learning.

Books provide most students with situations in which learning takes place. There will be little
language learning where there is little reading. It is only by reading that students can acquire the
speed and skills he will need for practical purposes when he leaves school.

In our modern society, there is hardly any skill that does not require the ability to read for
professional competence. Reading is a visual skill and it should be given the prominence it
deserves. It gives human beings access to information stored in writing and enables them to
master the society they live in.
What is Reading?
Reading is an act of using the eyes to decode the written words and simultaneously using the
mind to absorb the various ideas stated or implied in the passage read. Reading has also been
described as a way of building up meaning from what has been put down in written form.

To some people, reading is only concerned with the recognition of the printed symbols, and
pronouncing such symbols, but it must be noted here that reading is more involving that mere
recognition of words or symbols, rather, reading has to do with comprehension of written words
or passages, using the visual and mental ability. Reading is an activity, which may be performed
aloud, or silently, depending on the purpose of which it is designed. It is more than pronouncing
words or symbols correctly, it is more than recognizing the meaning of words in isolation.
Reading requires a great deal of thinking, feeling and imagination, which leads to the production
of meaning.

Purpose of Reading
Reading, like any worthwhile activity, becomes successful when it aims at achieving specific
goals. Reading for pleasure is different from a careful study of a text. This implies that the
purpose for which a material is read determines the level of concentration or mental effort
invested in such exercise.

According to Afolayan (1985) as cited by Omolayo (2002), the following four purposes are
common to advanced reading:
a. To obtain an overall understanding of the main ideas presented in the materials.
b. To find specific pieces of information, such as a name, place, or key points in a work.
c. To obtain such an understanding of the materials that it can be recalled.
d. To evaluate and criticize materials.

Moreover, reading also serves the purpose of “job literacy”. This involves the ability to read
materials that are essential for one to perform adequately on ones’ job. To get information about
particular subjects or topics, student must read extensively and intensively. If not, such a student
will not achieve success in his or her area of academic endeavours. Even after the school, new
grounds are broken on daily basis so, to update one’s knowledge, one must always read.
Reading also helps one to relate well in the society and to perform optimally in one’s
environment and the world at large. Whoever can imagine someone who is unable to read
instructions on drugs, doctor’s prescriptions, bank statements and traffic signs will be able to
appreciate the benefits of reading.

Moreover, reading performs the entertainment role. It helps to avoid boredom, it is used for
relaxation and so many people engage in reading at their leisure.

Generally speaking, reading broadens our knowledge as it exposes us to the outside world and
enables us to appreciate other cultures of the world.

Poor Reading Habits

There are many factors that slow down reading and inhibit comprehension. These factors are
referred to as reading faults; they include:
1. Vocalization
This refers to the act of reading aloud to such an extent that the person close to one hears what
one is reading. Apart from speech delivery, sermon or deliberate reading aloud, reading is
supposed to be done silently. It is a fault therefore if the person next to us hears what we are
reading.
2. Sub- Vocalization
It is a mark of poor reading to form the sounds of the words you are reading with your lips and
or murmur the words in the hearing of the person next to you, when one is reading and
murmuring like the bees, one is a poor reader because it hinders comprehension.
3. Finger Pointing
To point at words or trace the written text with one’s finger is a poor-reading habit. Only the
blind use their fingers on the braile.
4. Regression
It is a bad habit to let one’s eyes move backward over what one has just read instead of moving
steadily forward.
5. Head movement, leg wagging, twisting of the hair
Many people move their heads from one side to the other while reading others wag their legs as
they read while so many people engage themselves with the hair on their heads during reading.
All these are bad reading habits that slow down reading and inhibit comprehension.
6. Unnecessary use of the Dictionary
As much as possible, one should avoid the use of dictionary while reading, although this appears
impracticable but it can be achieved as one progress in reading. When one comes in contact with
a difficult or unfamiliar word, one should read on and infer the meaning from other sentences
that follow the passage. Opening the dictionary several times to look up words makes one lose
the entire meaning of what is being read.
7. Word by word reading
This poor reading habit affects so many people who have refused to graduate from the
nursery/primary school reading of focusing attention on every word of the passage. They spend a
lot of time to look at each word as though it is a precious object! What matters in reading is the
whole meaning, which can be obtained only by seeing how groups of words are combined to
make such meaning. What is being said here is that we should use our eyes to capture many
words at a time. So may good readers can capture a whole line at once.

By and large, the factors discussed above are the prominent reading faults, which if not avoided,
will slow down one’s reading and impede comprehension of what is being read.

Developing Good Reading Skills

It is an incontrovertible fact that the reading skill of most Nigerian students is nothing to write
home about. Generally, the reading culture of most Nigerians is abysmally poor!
There is even this popular joke “If you want to hide anything from Nigerians, put it inside a
book”. It is as bad at that.

How can we develop our reading skills?

Good reading skills can be developed through some systematic practice and reading habit
formation. One must be aware of the purpose of reading. This will make one focus on the
important points and
discard irrelevant ones. For effectiveness, you should concentrate on what you are reading and
avoid distractions. It is better to read in a noiseless environment. However in Nigeria, such
environments are scarce, what should be done is that you should try as much as possible to
“remove your mind” from the little noise that will definitely come. Even in the library, people
still make a noise! You can test your level of concentration by trying to recall the major points
you have read.

Another major way of developing good reading skill is to create interest in the reading material.
A lot of people are so phobic when they see the volume of what is to be read. They open it
rapidly from the first page to the last and open their mouth wide. This is a very serious case; the
implication is that such a person has lost interest in the material even before he starts.
Moreover, the level of vocabulary should be improved to enhance a good reading skill, the
greater the number of words at one’s disposal, the better the reading and comprehension. So, one
should be curious to find out the meanings of strange words heard or seen on daily basis, by so
doing, one is preparing for future readings and comprehension.

Generally speaking, you must evaluate your reading habits to find out where you need
improvement. Do you ‘vocalize’, ‘do you encounter strange words that slow down your reading
and comprehension? Or do you still harbor any of the reading faults discussed in the previous
sub-heading? All these must be taken into consideration. Where necessary, the doctors should be
consulted because it is only when one is physiologically alright, with the eyes working perfectly
that maximum reading skills can be developed.

Types of Reading
The following are the types of reading one can engage in from time to time depending on the
purpose of such reading:
1. Scanning
Scanning involves looking at the material very quickly. You already know what you are
searching for, it may be key words, or names, the bankers for example may want to see whether
the signature is regular or the amount written in figure tallies with the one written in words. Here
you “see” every item on the page, but you don’t necessarily read the pages – you ignore
anything you are not looking for. This when you discover the items being searched for, you will
be unable to recall the exact content of the page.
2. Skimming
Skimming provides an “overview” of the text. In skimming, portions of the material such as a
whole chapter, pages or paragraphs may be left out. Skimming involves reading quickly to gain a
general impression as to whether the text is of use to you. When you want to buy a newspaper
from a vendor,you skim to see the headlines that capture your interest. In the library you skim to
get the book or the chapter that contains the assignment you are about to do.
Here, you are not necessarily searching for a specific item or key words, skimming set the scene
for the more concentrated effort that follows it.

3. Word by word type of reading

This type of reading takes time; it requires a high level of concentration. This is used when
materials are strange or difficult. It could be because the field of discourse is quite unfamiliar or
the words are inaccessible. It may take as long as forty minutes or one hour to read a page! But
the page must be read and understood, what one needs to do is to create more time and settle
down in a very comfortable and noise-free environment to carry out such reading.
4. Light type of reading
This is also called reading for pleasure. There are many materials that one reads at one’s leisure,
such as magazines, novels, newspapers and so on. The reading speed is supposed to be very fast
because it does not require detailed concentration. In fact, if one gets to a boring area of any
material, one may skim it and move forward.
However, since all readings must be purposeful, one must understand what is being read, so one
must settle down in a comfortable environment to carry out such reading.

Other types of reading identified by some authors include: Intensive reading, extensive reading,
silent reading and oral reading.
5. Intensive reading
It is also known as study reading. It entails high level of concentration on specific area of
knowledge. The main objective here is to achieve detailed understanding of the material. It
sometimes involves ‘word by word’ reading which is necessary for unfamiliar topics. This is the
kind of reading used for examination, as it ensures accuracy and deep comprehension.
6. Extensive reading
This entails reading wide. It is the method used to read so many kinds of books such as
magazines, newspapers, novels, biographies, books in Science and Arts and so on. The main aim
of extensive reading is to gather information on various areas to keep one relevant in all aspects
of discussion. If one reads extensively, one will be sociable and be capable to contribute to
discussions on various aspects of human endeavours. Extensive reading is very essential because
it helps to develop one’s communicative competence.
Moreover, oral reading involves reading aloud as in reading of the news on television, reading in
religious gathering, speech reading and so on.

Silent reading on the other hand involves using one’s eyes and mind to follow the author’s
stream of thoughts. It does not involve vocalization. It is the most frequently used for our
examinations and for our personal development.

Study Reading: SQ3R Strategy of Reading

A method of reading for study is called SQ3R.
The aim of this acronym is to understand the material in some depth.
The method involves five simple steps:
Survey, Question, Read, Recall and Review
Survey: Skim through the cover page, title, author, table of contents, headings and all these give
you the general impression of the book. Survey helps to determine the relevance of the book.
Question: Formulate questions you hope the text will answer. e. g. Is the material what I want?
Is the book capable of solving the problem? Is it up to date? Is the book relevant? Etc.
Read: Here, you read slowly and carefully from beginning to the end.
Recall: To find out whether you have actually gained the required knowledge, you must write
down the main points from your memory. Here you must close the book and jot down the points
you have mastered.
Review: Revisit your questions, compare these to your recall and establish how well the text has
answered them. If you discovered that you are not yet accomplished, you should read the
material again until you retain the points because that is what study reading entails.

READING FOR PLEASURE AND VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT

Reading for pleasure or recreational reading as it is otherwise called is reading any printed
materials such as novels, magazines, newspapers during our leisure times. The aim of engaging
in this type of private reading may be the desire for relaxation. Most of the time it is privately
done and in the process you come across words and expressions that are very interesting and
capture your attention. Some of these words may be new to you; you are advised not to check the
dictionary all the time as you read. What you need do is to read on, before two or three lines, the
meaning of the words or expressions may become obvious to you. By opening the dictionary all
the time, your reading becomes slow and you are often bored and you may lose focus.

We as teachers should also encourage our pupils to read other materials they come across apart
from the ones they are exposed to in the class. They should be taught how to maintain a
vocabulary note books because words are the ingredients of a sentence, that means the more
vocabulary one has, the more profitable and enjoyable one gets from reading, hence pupils
should be encouraged to read short stories, novella, novels, manuals, magazines and newspapers
from time to time.

Activity
Reading: Read the text and complete the exercises
The Day I became an Adult
1. The year before I graduated from high school, I made the decision to get a part-time job.
Luckily, a small restaurant very close to my house was looking for a waitress. The schedule was
good for me, and the restaurant was only a mile away from my house. I could get to it on my
bicycle. Everything seemed perfect.
2. On my first day of work, I felt so grown-up. I was independent and in control of my future. I
didn’t have to depend on my parents to do everything for me. I proudly told them that I was
taking responsibility for my own life.
3. Well, those proud feelings didn’t last long. As I entered the restaurant, I saw a crowd of
people. It’s hard to describe what I felt. I couldn’t believe they were all depending on me.
Suddenly, I didn’t want to be grown up. I wanted to stop time and go back to an earlier, simpler
age. But at that moment the manager saw me, and I missed my chance to run away.
4. I am 27 years older now, and working in a completely different profession. However, I won’t
ever forget the day that I became an adult.

Part 3:
i. Define reading.
ii. Highlight the purposes of reading.
iii. Enumerate any 7 reading faults.

Part 1: Comprehension
Read these sentences. Circle T (true) or F (false)
1. The writer got her first job when she was a university student. T F
2. She was proud of herself for finding a job. T F
3. She drove her father’s car to work. T F
4. Her parents told her to get a job. T F
5. She decided not to work on her first day. T F
6. She works in a restaurant now. T F

Part 2: Reading Skills: Read the questions. Scan the reading for the answers and write them
below.
1. When did the writer get her first job?
2. Why did she choose that job?
3. Why was she proud of herself?
4. What did she want to do when she saw the crowd at the restaurant?
5. Why didn’t she run away?