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Overview
Reading is a very complex process involving more than just recognizing words on a screen, piece of paper, sign, etcetera. It is also more than understanding sentences. Reading requires understanding why writers organize their ideas together the way they do to create meaning beyond just words and sentences. A great deal of information in the text is “hiding” in subtleties such as the words the writer chooses or the information the writer includes or leaves out.
In addition, readers should not be a mere depository of the information writers put into writing. Rather, they should play an active role in analyzing and interpreting what they read, reading critically, and going beyond the written word.
This course is designed to help learners develop basic and intermediate reading skills. The focus is both on reading for pleasure and on reading to learn.
Objectives
You will learn about the reading process including
- dealing with vocabulary in passages;
- using context clues to figure out the meaning of unknown words;
- finding patterns in paragraphs to understand the stated and implied main idea and supporting details;
- recognizing how transition words show the relationships between ideas;
- using study skills such as outlining, scanning, and skimming to improve comprehension and retention;
- interpreting what you read by decoding figures of speech and understanding the writer’s purpose, point of view, tone, attitudes, and biases;
- reading critically by evaluating the sources, evaluating the evidence, distinguishing between facts, opinions, speculation, and false claims;
- analyzing arguments and counter-arguments; and
- understanding how you build knowledge by going beyond the text with other sources of information and by integrating the information with prior knowledge.
This course has several lessons. Though not strictly necessary, it is recommended you should complete each lesson sequentially.
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