Idea — The lead-in gives learners a reason to engage with a text before they see it. It activates relevant vocabulary and schema, reducing the cognitive load when they reach the text itself. Example —…
Idea — Readers need not know every word. Surrounding clues — grammar, examples, contrast — often reveal enough meaning to keep going. Training this guess-and-go habit builds independent readers. Example — "It was a sweltering…
Idea — Intensive reading focuses on a short passage — one paragraph, one exchange — with close attention to language. It is the opposite of skimming: slow, forensic, deliberate. Example — Learners read one paragraph…
Idea — Intensive reading targets exact meaning — argument, grammar, nuance. It is slow and effortful, so reserve it for short, important extracts rather than whole long texts. Example — Unpacking a contract clause word…
Idea — Scanning is fast reading to locate specific information — a name, a date, a figure — without reading everything. The key is knowing exactly what to look for before you start. Example —…
Idea — Scanning means hunting a text for a particular item — a date, a name, a price — while ignoring everything else. The eyes move fast and non-linearly, the opposite of careful reading. Example…
Idea — Skimming is fast reading for global meaning — what is this text about, what is the writer’s position. Learners skim by reading the first sentence of each paragraph and the conclusion. Example —…
Idea — Skimming is fast reading for the overall idea — running the eyes over a text to grasp topic and purpose. It is a survival skill learners rarely practise because school taught slow, total…
Idea — Connected speech — assimilation, elision, linking, weak forms — makes native-speed English sound unlike the written form. Learners who know the words still cannot parse the stream. Example — ‘Did you eat yet?’…
Idea — Reading, like listening, combines bottom-up decoding with top-down prediction. Fluent readers do not process every letter; they sample the text and confirm guesses, which is why context matters so much. Example — You…