Practical Reading: Processing Information

This collection of readings enables users to learn by developing and applying active reading strategies and critical thinking skills. Designed to teach reluctant readers and adult readers the major reading skills along with practical strategies they can use to help them gain confidence, the text employs an experiential, holistic learning methodology that emphasizes doing as well as reading concepts with information processing techniques. The author provides reading essentials and processes and explains the basics of word processing, text processing including relating the facts and connecting with the author, plus nearly two dozen applied readings entries. For reluctant and/or adult readers interested in a comprehensive approach to mastering reading skills.

More than simply a collection of readings for the adult student in a reading course, PRACTICAL READING: PROCESSING INFORMATION focuses on reading as a process that students can learn by developing and applying active reading strategies and critical thinking skills. Its primary goal is to teach students the major reading skills along with practical strategies they will need to become informed, lifelong learners.

Each reading selection has accompanying exercises to reinforce the skills presented earlier in the text in the reference section. Those exercises consist of seven parts:

• Prereading is a warm-up activity that helps students establish a context for reading, assess prior knowledge of the subject, and make predictions about the selection contents.
• Postreading is a two-part activity that occurs after reading the selection. This feature allows the student to tie loose ends together and to assess the understanding of the reading.
• Comprehension questions give students an opportunity to further assess their understanding of the selection.
• Reflecting is an independent, practical application that allows learners to think deeply about what they have read and relate it to what they already know.
• Collaborating exercises provide opportunities for productive discussion in small group activities that involve communication, problem solving and teamwork.
• Web Watch consists of an internet activity that provides further readings or practice on a related topic.
• Vocabulary consists of difficult words highlighted in each selection.

In the subject area readings (five textbook excerpts and one novel excerpt), there is an additional exercise, Information Processing. These exercises include highlighting, annotating, mapping, and summarizing.