GOOD READER

Good Reader

 

            Reading is a very important skill that every individual must master. An individual who was not able to obtain mastery in the skill of reading will have a difficult life ahead of him. Almost every task in this world needs the aid of reading in order to accomplish it. Reading is a procedure of obtaining and understanding different types of knowledge and information. Reading comes in various forms, from letters, symbols, pictures, and touch for the blinds.

            This paper examines the different characteristics of a good reader. It also gives comparison to good and poor readers. Moreover, practical techniques in obtaining the skills in reading will also be discussed.

 

            According to  (2004) reading is a reflection of different levels and status of education, at the same time, it also bridges the education gap of the people. Moreover,  stated that reading is associated to the condition of being literate of a nation which leads to the quality of life of the society. Therefore, a nation that has numerous good readers will most likely have a good quality of life. However, how can an individual identify if the person is a good reader? What are the characteristics of a good reader?

            Different authors have various views and insights about a good reader. According to  and  (1987) there are nine characteristics of a good reader.

• A good reader utilises earlier acquired information in order to aid in the construction of the definition from the text or symbols.


• A good reader derives logically at the letter, word, phrase, sentence and paragraphs.


• A good reader specifies a number of acceptable answers to the questions regarding the text.


• A good reader modifies strategies in reading in order to suit the text and the reading position.


• A good reader integrates the information within and over the text and symbols.


• A good reader gives good inquiries regarding the text.


• A good reader displays positive position toward reading.


• A good reader incorporates various skills to bring forth understanding of the text.


• A good reader utilises knowledge in the most adaptable manner.

On the other hand,  (2000) has only seven characteristics of a good reader, and these are:

• A good reader has two voices in his or her head while reading, the first one reads or utters the contents and the other voice converses to the story.


• A good reader has a very vivid imagination wherein he or she can visualise the events and images that occurs in the story.


• A good reader knows when he or she deviates from the texts and thinks about something else.


• A good reader can reiterate some parts of the story that he or she have read, whether it was a recent book or not.


• A good reader asks questions on what she or he has read in order to clear of the confusion.


• A good reader retains the information regarding the characters of the story that he or she have read.


• A good reader knows when he or she enjoys the habit of reading and does not even mind getting addicted to it.  

In addition,  and  (2001) there are six traits of a good and effective reader and these are: Conventions, Comprehension, Context, Interpretations, Synthesis and Evaluation.

Conventions-  and  discussed that readers must learn to determine and recognise the practices that develop significance and anticipation in the text. In reading the grammar, symbols, words, and punctuation marks in the text are figured out in order to be able to read orally with eloquence and fluency. Moreover,  and  defined conventions as acknowledging genre practices and the organisational structure of a text, forms of stories, poems, textbooks, novels, magazines, and newspapers, therefore when the reader deciphers the forms, they develop thinking structures and expectations on the bases of identifiable, words and punctuations which help individuals read the text.

Comprehension- Comprehension happens when the readers are making forecasts, recognise the plot and the characters, choose the main idea of the story, and the relevant and supporting details. Moreover  and  discussed that a good reader can be able to summarise and paraphrase a paragraph with an objective and an important part of comprehension is the capability of the reader to identify when the subject is no longer making sense and create plans to overcome those obstacles.

Contexts-  and  stated that it includes reading between the lines of the story to recognise the backdrop, the vocabulary contemplative to the background, and the tone of the author of the book or story. A good reader becomes aware of the context when he or she describe the periods in the history, look for proof regarding the social issues, and determine the cultural hints of the text.

Interpretation- according to  and  during interpretation of the text, the readers fills the gaps through hints and proofs within the text in order to give analysis and draw judgments. In addition, a reader cultivates interpretation when he or she makes an acceptable reason regarding the concept and arguments through determining and dealing with uncertainties in the meaning of the texts, resolving those uncertainties via interpretation.

Synthesis-  and  discussed that it includes reading beyond the lines of the texts. A reader gives synthesis on what he or she have read through merging pieces of information in new forms of classification, and trace that information from the text.

Evaluation- it happens when the reader is already capable of penetrating into a conversation with the text and create a text that they will consider his or her own. According to  and  and reader evaluates through stating his or her opinions and views, asking questions, question the text and the author, and noting the prejudice and falsification.

            Now that the characteristics of a good reader have been identified by various readers, what are the differences of a good reader from poor ones? There are various comparisons made regarding a good and poor reader. According to  (2007) prior to reading a good reader begins to function their knowledge and information of the text, he or she questions and ponders the text, a good reader knows the aim in reading, looks for the framework of the text, and thinks that he or she is in control on the process of reading. On the other hand, a poor reader prior to reading begins without contemplating about the subject of the text and do not know or understand the reason behind reading with the exception of assignments.

            During reading the Pleasant Grove Junior High also indicated the difference of a good from a poor reader. Good reader have their full attention in reading, they always keep track on their understanding of the text, they use a figure-it-out strategy when they cannot comprehend the material they are reading, they can perceive directly on ambiguous texts through various reading strategies, they identify the relevant ideas and find out how the supporting details associate to the whole idea of the text, they have a strong visualisation, make conclusions and associations, welcome the challenge of being confused and frustrated over the reading material and overcome it, and become aware of the problem on the way the writer made the text and not the incapacity of the reader to comprehend. While poor readers do not even know if they understand what they have read, cannot keep track on their understanding of the text, seldom or not at all use strategies in comprehension, their notion in reading is looking at the words and turning the pages as fast as possible, sometimes they are very skilled at words but do not know or understand the definition, and they find reading as a boring habit.

            It does not end here, a good reader can be determined from a poor reader even after the task of reading is already finished. The Pleasant Grove Junior High discussed the differences of a good and poor reader after reading. Good readers attained the purpose of obtaining the meaning from reading, examine their comprehension skills, make a summary on what they have read, look for additional concepts and information, and thinks if the information gathered from reading can be useful and helpful. Whereas a poor reader do not know and understand what they have just finished reading, they do not examine their comprehension regarding the text, and they cannot determine the association between the things around them and what they have read.

            Having a good reading skill is indeed important, especially during this time wherein the communication of people from various parts of the world is very accessible and the world becomes more globalise. To be able to be an efficient and successful reader an individual must possess four important characteristics according to .

            According to  (2007) good readers regardless of age, race, educational attainment or status in life have four similar traits to become a successful reader. In order to become a good reader developing the four characteristics is the secret in obtaining the skills in reading. The four characteristics enumerated by  are the self-monitoring strategies, structural awareness, ability to choose the appropriate materials, and appreciation of the payoffs.

Structural Awareness- According to  the awareness of a reader in the organisation of different texts such as a novel, dictionary and textbook could aid in the delivery of relevant information regarding the content of the texts. The reader must be able to know the different organisational frameworks of texts an example is in poems wherein it is divided into stanzas with limited words; in addition, having spaces for every chapter or paragraph would designate the change of the environment in the story. Aside from the structural framework, the determining the genres of the texts can also be helpful in the awareness of the reader about the structure of the text.

Ability to choose appropriate materials-  discussed that a good reader selects books that they can read and understand fully while a poor reader chooses books that are too difficult for them. Choosing the appropriate book aids in the enhancing the capability of an individual, especially children, in reading without producing confusion or frustration. Selecting the right reading materials could be acquired through the discovery of authors, and recommendations of people who are good readers. 

Self-Monitoring Strategies-  stated that good readers evaluate the proof, create rational forecasts, and draw judgments. Good readers identify the meaning through looking at the context of the subject, the symbols and the phonetic hints. In order to have a successful reading skill, an individual must be able to understand the prefix, suffix, and root words in order to decipher the meaning. Aside from those recognising conjunctions will aid in support of the structure of the text and would even introduce new insights and actions. If an individual is successful in obtaining the reading skill, he or she will be able to decipher the meaning of the text and stops to understand the passages.

Appreciation of the payoffs- according to  a good reader live to experience at second hand the characters of the text, and he or she could understand various cultures all over the world, history of the world, and even the outer space. To be a successful reader, a person must recognize the significance of reading and the benefits that will be obtained just by reading different forms of texts. 

            Reading is an important skill that must be learned by individuals. Almost all of the people in the world are literate and are capable of reading texts, even in different languages. However, not all of the literate individuals are good readers. Most of them do not even hold a book, except during school or assignments. In order for a person to be a successful reader, the love of reading must be integrated by the parents at a young age. Appreciating the gains that will be obtained from reading is the key to a successful acquisition of reading skill, others traits will follow. Reading is a good habit that must be incorporated in our daily lives, may it be reading a novel or small passages everyday will definitely aid in the better function of the brain and will reap of the benefits in the future.

 

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