ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND

PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
A C A D E M I C R E A D I N G S T R AT E G I E S
 LESSON OBJECTIVES

After completing the learning activities for this lesson,

you are expected to:
 identify the different reading strategies as tool in
academic writing.
evaluate one’s purpose for reading; and
use knowledge of text structure to glean information
you need.
 DIRECTIONS: READ THE PARAGRAPH BELOW AND
ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.

As a research consultant with Padilla EstatesInc., you have been asked to find
sales and distribution site in Cavite area for Brillantes Electrical Components,
3450 Anonas Avenue, SantaMesa, Manila. Brillantes seeks suitable office space,
including a reception area (where three office employees could work), one
private office, and a conference/display area. Brillantes also wants 3000 square
feet of heated warehouse space. It should be equipped with a sprinkler system
and have 18-foot ceilings. If sales are successful, Brillantes may need an
additional 2000 square feet of warehouse space in the future. Brillantes needs
access to Ninoy Aquino International Airport; moreover, it must be close to
trucking terminals and main thoroughfares in an area zoned for light industry. It
also seeks an impressive-looking building with a modern executive image.
Brillantes wants to lease for at least two years with possible renewal. It needs to
make a decision within three weeks. If no space is available, it will delay until
next year.
DIRECTIONS: ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW

Who is the audience for this report?

What does Brillantes Company need?
Why does the company need it?
Would you rely on primary or secondary
research?
How would you gather data for this report?
 PURPOSES FOR READING

People read different kinds of text (e.g., scholarly articles,

textbooks, reviews) for different reasons. Some purposes for
reading might be:
• to scan for specific information
• to skim to get an overview of the text
• to relate new content to existing knowledge
• to write something (often depends on a prompt)
• to critique an argument
• to learn something
• for general comprehension
 READING TECHNIQUES

In order to read effectively, you need to

use different reading techniques for
different purposes and texts. You should
always read for a clearly defined purpose.
 READING TECHNIQUES

Skimming will help you grasp the general idea or gist

of a text. You might quickly read the table of contents,
the headings or the abstract. You could also read the first
and last paragraphs and the first and last sentence of each
paragraph in a relevant section.
Scanning allows you to locate precise information. You
might identify a key terms or expressions which will
alert you to where your subject is being addressed. You
could then run your eyes over a text looking for these.
 READING TECHNIQUES

Detailed reading/In-depth reading allows you to

critically consider aspects of the text. This may
involve close reading of the entire text, or of
important sections of the text.
Revision reading involves reading rapidly through
material with which you are already familiar, in order
to confirm knowledge and understanding.
 SKIMMING

Skimming is the process of quickly viewing a section of text to get

a general impression of the author's main argument, themes or
ideas. There are three types of skimming: preview, overview, and
review.
Preview skimming
Most often followed by a second skimming or a thorough reading,
preview skimming is used:
in selecting a book.
in surveying a chapter before reading or studying.
in finding appropriate material for use in research.
in sorting through correspondence before answering it.
 SKIMMING

Overview skimming
You use overview skimming to sample the reading material
more thoroughly than you do in a preview, as you may not
intend to read the material at a later time.
Method: As you do in preview skimming, you would read the
first paragraph, the headings and first sentences of paragraphs
and sections, but in addition, as you alternately read and
skim, you alert yourself to the structure and content of the
material through an awareness of paragraph patterns,
thought transitions, and clue words.
 SKIMMING

Review skimming
Your purpose with review skimming is to re-familiarize yourself
with material you have previously read thoroughly or skimmed.
• Method: Prepare yourself by trying to remember as many of
the ideas and details clearly. It may be that you already have a
good grasp of the main ideas and will be stopping primarily to
note significant details - names, places, terms, etc. You may be
trying to establish in your mind a sequence of events or a
procedure, or you may be attempting to fill in a skeleton
outline to clarify the structure of the whole.
 SCANNING

Scan to quickly locate specific information: words, numbers,

names, ideas, or the answers to specific study questions.
• Method
• Fix clearly in your mind what you are looking for.
• Anticipate how the information will look.
• Run your finger down the middle of the page or backward and
forwards across the page. Let your eyes follow this seeking the
particular target.
 SCANNING

Examples
• Looking for names, places or titles: look for the visual clue
provided by capital letters.
• Looking for distances or a date: look for the visual clue
provided by numbers, or words such as miles, meters, minutes
or hours.
• Looking for an idea: anticipate the words that could be used to
state it.
• Looking for a relationship: may be expressed after such clue
words as ‘thus’, ‘consequently’, or ‘as a result’.
 DETAILED/IN-DEPTH READING

In-depth reading is used to;

• gain deeper meaning and comprehension of a text.
• research detailed information for an assignment.
• read difficult sections of a text.

There are four different strategies or methods that should

enhance your comprehension: the RAP strategy, the RIDA
strategy, the Five S method, and SQ3R.
 DETAILED/IN-DEPTH READING

The RAP strategy

The RAP strategy is good for textbook explanations and

research articles:
• Read (a paragraph or a section).
• Ask yourself some questions about what you have just read.
• Put the answers in your own words (and make notes if you
need).
 DETAILED/IN-DEPTH READING

• The RIDA strategy

The RIDA strategy relates to descriptive and narrative texts:
• Read.
• Imagine the scene you have just read about.
• Describe it to yourself.
• Add more detail as you read.
 DETAILED/IN-DEPTH READING

The Five S method

The Five S method is a power-reading method that reminds
students to use the appropriate reading style and save time
(Gawith, 1991):
• Skim: Read the introduction, summary
and first and last sentences of each paragraph.
• Scan: Where is the information on …?
 DETAILED/IN-DEPTH READING

• Select: Do you need to read all this chapter? Select sections

that you need to know more about.
• Slurp: Read in-depth and more slowly selected sections. Can
you tell yourself about this concept now? Read again if
necessary.
• Summarise: Use a map, keywords, index cards, or questions as
a framework for some notes. Take no more than 10 minutes.
 DETAILED/IN-DEPTH READING

SQ3R
• Survey: Skim through the material you are about to read,
noting headings, sub-headings, diagrams, graphs, etc.
• Question: Ask yourself some questions about the material
while you are reading: use the section/chapter headings,
questions at the end of chapter or reading objectives from
study guides.
 DETAILED/IN-DEPTH READING

• Read: Read the material using a slower in-depth reading style.

Pause frequently to answer the question you have raised, then
read on.
• Recite: Make notes from memory on the sections you have
just read. Try to recall the main headings and concepts.
• Review: Check your recalled notes against the section that you
read. Add in anything important that you missed out. Put a *
by these points so that you attend to them when you go
through these notes the next time. Repeat the review process a
number of times.
 THE READING STRATEGIES

1. Make Connections. In making connection, try to consider the

following:
❖ Text to Self (similar events in your life)
❖ Text to Text (books, movies, T.V., etc.)
❖ Text to Life (real world events)
Ask yourself:
a. What do I already know about this?
b. Has anything similar ever happened to me?
c. How would I feel if this happened to me?
d. Can I relate to the characters?
e. Does this story remind me of something?
 THE READING STRATEGIES

2. Ask Questions.

Why Ask Questions?:

a. Asking questions helps keep you focused on the text.
b. If your mind wanders, you will not understand; then, you will
be bored.
c. If you run into problems, things you just do not understand,
then you can check yourself with a question.
 THE READING STRATEGIES

3. Determine the Importance of Inferring and Predicting.

The following are two of the important things to remember:
✓ Think about what a teacher might ask on a test.
✓ Think about what the author hints might be important later
on.
 THE READING STRATEGIES

Infer and Predict

✓ Good readers are like detectives.
✓ They use clues to determine what happening in a story.
✓ This is called INFERENCE!
✓ Good readers also make educated guesses about what may
happen later in the story.
✓ They use the author’s hints to PREDICT what will most
likely occur.
 THE READING STRATEGIES

Visualize
▪ Picture in your mind the images the author creates with his/her
words.
▪ Pay close attention to sensory details.
For example, if you were there, what would you SEE, HEAR,
SMELL, TASTE, TOUCH, FEEL?
Why Visualize?
✓ If you do not picture the events of the story, you will get bored.
✓ The author’s job is to paint pictures in the reader’s mind. The
reader’s job is to visualize what the author describes.
 THE READING STRATEGIES

Synthesize
Synthesize is a fancy way of saying that you must bring
everything together in the end. In other words, what is the
meaning of what you are reading?
Ask Yourself:
a. What does it all mean?
b. What is the big idea?
c. Are there questions still left unanswered?
d. What are the lessons I should learn?
e. What do I think about this book?
 THE READING STRATEGIES

Use Fix Up Strategies

Make sure you understand what you are reading. When you run into
trouble, (you just do not get it), use little correction strategies to help
you figure out what went wrong. We call these methods FIX UP
STRATEGIES.
Here are some examples of Fix Up Strategies:
1. Re-read
2. 2. Underline
3. 3. Use a Dictionary
4. 4. Read Aloud
5. 5. Ask for Help
ACTIVITY
 APPLICATION TEST USING READING STRATEGIES

Directions: read the passage below on “competition and cooperation”. after

reading, answer the following questions in a complete sentence.

Competition and Cooperation (1) Explanations of the interrelation

between competition and cooperation have evolved over the time.
Early research into competition and cooperation defined each of
them in terms of the distribution of rewards related to each.
Competition was defined as a situation in which rewards are
distributed unequally based on performance, cooperation on the
other hand, was defined as a situation in which rewards are
distributed equally based on mutual interactive behavior among
individuals. By this definition, a competitive situation requires at
least on competitor to fail for each competitor that wins, while a
cooperative situation offers a reward only if all members of the
group receive it.
(2) Researchers have found definitions of
competition and cooperation based upon
(3) Interestingly, the word
rewards inadequate primarily because
competition is derived from a Latin
definitions of these two concepts based
verb, which means, “to seek
upon rewards depict them as opposite. In
together.” An understanding of the
current understanding, competition is not
derivation of the word competition
viewed as opposite of cooperation, instead,
supports the understanding that
cooperation is viewed as integral
cooperation, rather than evoking a
component of competition. Cooperation is
characteristic at the opposite
necessary among team members, perhaps
extreme of human nature from
in a sporting event or in a political race, in
competition, is in reality a
order to win the competition, it is equally
necessary factor in competition.
important to understand that cooperation is
of great importance between teams in that
same sporting event or ground rules of the
game or election in order to compete.
 1. What do you think is the passage all about?
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2. Where does the word competition derive from?
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3. Identify the differences of cooperation and competition. Supply the table below.

COOPERATION COMPETITION