strategy of reading

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A.    BACKGROUND

To improve the English skills, language learner need to know, master, and create the language learning strategies. Knowing the types of language learning strategies will give the student same alternative in learning strategies that mostly appropriate to use. Fedderholt (2006: 1) argue that successful language learner make use of different types of learning strategies. Indeed, learning strategies can make a powerful impact to the outcome of language learning. Zainil (2005: 69) also state that nowadays, researcher as well English language teacher and lecturer believe that the strategies play a major role in learning English because the learner attention is not on structural devices anymore but on developing communicative competence.

Language learning strategies may exist in all level. A student begins to learn speaking and reading in English from the elementary school, it means that he/ she begins to use learning strategies taught by the teacher. Repetition, imitation, memorization, using chart and games are typical learning strategies used in this level of learning. It is basically the same when the students learn speaking and reading in higher level as like in a university. The college student must learn and to be familiar with the more complicated sentences. Actually, the English college student especially the student of the English Department has been taught and offered the various types of learning strategies in speaking and reading class.

CHAPTER II

EXPLANATION

A.    Scanning

Scanning is very high-speed reading that you do when you are looking for a specific piece of information. When you scan, you have a question in mind. You do not read every word, only key words that will answer your question. Practice in scanning will help you learn to skip over unimportant words so that you can read faster

B.     Skimming

Skimming is another high-speed reading technique that can save you time and help you get through a text quickly. You skim to get the general sense of a passage, not specific details. When you skim, you should not read the whole text. Your eyes should move very quickly over the lines and you should read only the parts of the text that will help you answer the questions.

The following passage about skimming shows the parts of a text that are usually most helpful. These parts often give you the writer’s ideas or opinions. However, every text is different. When you are skimming, you need to be flexible. What you read will depend on the question you are asking and the way the passage is written. The following passage gives you an example of how to skim.

C.    Locating the Main Idea

One useful way to understand the main idea of a paragraph is to start by identifying the paragraph’s topic. A paragraph’s topic is the subject under discussion. When identifying the topic of a paragraph, remember that it should be general enough to cover the material in the paragraph, but not so general that the label could apply to many paragraphs.

Let’s look at this paragraph to illustrate.

Beginning in the late tenth century, many new cities and towns were founded, particularly in northern Europe. Usually, a group of merchants established a settlement near some fortified stronghold, such as a castle or monastery. Castles were particularly favored since they were usually located along major routes of transportation or at the intersection of two such trade routes; the lords of the castle also offered protection. If the settlement prospered and expanded, new walls were built to protect it.

What is this paragraph about? The opening sentence tells us that it is about “cities and towns” in “Europe” in the “late tenth century.” But, is it about all towns in tenth-century Europe? No. As the opening sentence establishes, it is about the founding of new towns. The rest of the paragraph contains specific details about how (by merchants) and where (near castles and trade or transportation routes) the new towns were established. The paragraph’s topic is the founding of new towns in late tenth-century Europe.

Once you have identified the topic of the paragraph, you can locate the main idea sentence by looking for a statement which contains some ideas/opinions about the topic. This sentence, however, must be broad enough to include all other ideas in the paragraph. The main idea must make the rest of the paragraph meaningful. It is the one idea that ties all of the other details together.

The main idea is often found in the first sentence of a paragraph; however, you may find it in other locations; that is, in the last sentence, in the middle sentence, split between the first and the last sentences or not stated in the paragraph at all.

Study the sample paragraphs on the next page and notice the locations of the main idea and its relationship with the other sentences in the paragraph.

D.    Understanding Reference

1.      Pronoun

Writers use pronouns instead of repeating the same word or name many times. Pronouns can be singular or plural. This means they can replace a single name/idea or a group of names/ideas.

Example:

Modern technology has dramatically changed the way we view the world. With air travel, satellite communications, and computers, it seems a much smaller place these days.

The word ‘it’ refers to ‘the world’.

2.      Substitution (Synonyms)

Writers make their writing interesting and enjoyable to read by using a variety of words. They may use different words or phrases to name the same thing. It is important to remember that even though two different words are used, they refer to the same thing.

Example:

·         Many Estonians have country homes on the nearby island of Saaremaa in the Baltic Sea. They visit their simple cottages often and plant large gardens there.

The word ‘cottages’ refers to homes.

·         A pedicab is a small cab that is pulled by a bicycle. This human-powered transportation has been popular in Asian countries for many years.

The phrase ‘human-powered transportation’ refers to pedicab.

E.     Making Inferences

The process of putting pieces of information together so that they make sense is called making an inference. In other words, when you “infer” something, you are drawing an unstated conclusion from the information that you already have.

Here is a postcard from a friend. The postcard was damaged so you can’t read the postmark or the first line. Read the postcard and discuss the questions that follow with your classmates.

F.     Thinking Logically

When you are reading, understanding the words is not enough to understand the whole text. You need to be able to make logical connections between the ideas and information in your reading. This means using the information you already know to reach a conclusion. In other words, you need to think logically.

G.    Guessing Meanings from Contexts

What do you usually do when you come to a word you do not know while reading? Do you

a)      look it up in the dictionary?

b)      ask your teacher?

c)      ask a friend?

d)     try to guess what it means?

Advantages of guessing

·         It is fast because you don’t have to interrupt your reading.

·         It helps your comprehension because you stay focused on the general sense of what you are reading.

·         It helps you remember words within their contexts.

·         It allows you to enjoy your reading more because you don’t have to stop often.

When you try to guess the meaning of an unknown word, you use the text surrounding the word –the context– to provide you with clues. Sometimes you can guess the meaning of a word from other words within the sentence but sometimes you may need to read several sentences in order to find the clues.

H.    Predict and revise

your predictions about what is going to occur in the reading. Those types of reading strategies can guide the student to improve their reading skill. But, using sources like English newspaper, magazine journal or other sources also can be categorized as reading strategies.

CHAPTER III

CLOSING

A.    CONCLUSION

It is concluded that he existing cognitive, metacognitive and social learning strategy both in reading and speaking of the student of English department of Pre-Served Teacher, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education are medium. Also, it was found that the cognitive, metacognitive, and social learning strategy are interrelated one to others. The decision maker can make or review the curriculum to be a guideline for the next curriculum planning. The curriculum should be based much on the learning process way. The English Department may create or improve some courses that will more focus of learning in the process of the English instructions. It can also facilitate the learning by providing various types of learning materials that can be used in learning process

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Zainil, 2005. Good language Learner Strategies and Communicative Language Teaching

Padang: Padang State University Press.

Wenden, Anita and Joan Rubin. 1987. Learner Strategies in Language Learning. London:

Prentice Hall international Ltd.