Reading Skills - Reading for Full Understanding

READING FOR FULL UNDERSTANDING

What is reading for full understanding? Is it different with quick reading that we have learnt before? Actually they are both the same for reading skills. Reading for full understanding is actually one of the reading skill that a reader should have. It is different with reading quickly. When we do quick reading, we just look for general information in the text. But when we do reading for full understanding, we have to read carefully because we have to understand each of the idea in the paragraph.

For each reader, reading for full understanding is different. It depends on the reader’s understanding. So that is why in the text books, there is not much explanation about it. It needs much exercises, and read more intense. We have to read each passage more carefully, and each passage in this section is followed by a number of questions. The questions are designed to give you practice in:

1.      determining the main idea,

2.      understanding supporting details,

3.      drawing inferences,

4.      guessing vocabulary items from context, and

5.      using grammatical and stylistic clues to understand selected parts of the passage.

In reading for full understanding, you should try to cover the material as rapidly as you can without losing the sense of what you are reading. If, as you read, you come to a term that is not familiar to you, do not stop to puzzle over it; continue reading and quite likely the general meaning of the sentence will become clear to you. Finally, try to avoid going back and rereading words and phrases. Readers who make a habit of rereading parts of sentences generally harm their comprehension. Force yourself to concentrate on understanding everything the first time, and you will soon improve both your reading speed and your comprehension.

So, let's try it out!! ^^