Reading Skill


1. Define preview and write the various aspects of it to use it for an effective reading.


Reading Strategy: Previewing

Previewing is a strategy that readers use to recall prior knowledge and set a purpose for reading. It calls for readers to skim a text before reading, looking for various features and information that will help as they return to read it in detail later.

How to do it:
review includes the following steps such as identify the main ideas to better comprehend and retain details you’ll encounter later. Spend time familiarizing yourself with the text as a whole. Check out the author’s biographical information, publication information, and the table of contents. Look at each chapter and read the introduction, subheadings, first sentence of each section, and the conclusion. Take time to read any charts or diagrams included in each chapter.


Why Use It

Previewing a text helps readers prepare for what they are about to read and set a purpose for reading.

The genre determines the reader’s methods for previewing:

    Readers preview nonfiction to find out what they know about the subject and what they want to find out. It also helps them understand how an author has organized information.
    Readers preview biography to determine something about the person in the biography, the time period, and some possible places and events in the life of the person.
    Readers preview fiction to determine characters, setting, and plot. They also preview to make predictions about story’s problems and solutions.

When To Use It

Previewing is a strategy readers use before and during reading.
How To Use It

When readers preview a text before they read, they first ask themselves whether the text is fiction or nonfiction.

    If the text is fiction or biography, readers look at the title, chapter headings, introductory notes, and illustrations for a better understanding of the content and possible settings or events.
    If the text is nonfiction, readers look at text features and illustrations (and their captions) to determine subject matter and to recall prior knowledge, to decide what they know about the subject. Previewing also helps readers figure out what they don’t know and what they want to find out.




2. What are the techniques to be used to improve vocabulary? Explain in detail?

Easy Ways to Improve and Expand Your Vocabulary:


Communicate (speak and write) more clearly and concisely using these seven tips for learning new words... easy ways to improve and expand your vocabulary.

Looking for tips for improving your vocabulary? Whether you are trying to strengthen and broaden your vocabulary for school or personal growth, the key is a commitment to regularly learning new words.

Why expand your knowledge and use of words? You'll be able to communicate (speak and write) more clearly and concisely, people will understand you more easily, and you will increase the perception (and reality) that you are an intelligent person. Besides, learning new words is a fun activity -- and one you can even do with the people around you. Challenge a friend, family member, or roommate to learn new words with you.

Seven Tips for Learning New Words

1. Read, read, and read. The more you read -- especially novels and literary works, but also magazines and newspapers -- the more words you'll be exposed to. As you read and uncover new words, use a combination of attempting to derive meaning from the context of the sentence as well as from looking up the definition in a dictionary.

2. Keep a dictionary and thesaurus handy. Use whatever versions you prefer -- in print, software, or online. When you uncover a new word, look it up in the dictionary to get both its pronunciation and its meaning(s). Next, go to the thesaurus and find similar words and phrases -- and their opposites (synonyms and antonyms, respectively) -- and learn the nuances among the words.

3. Use a journal. It's a good idea to keep a running list of the new words you discover so that you can refer back to the list and slowly build them into your everyday vocabulary. Plus, keeping a journal of all your new words can provide positive reinforcement for learning even more words -- especially when you can see how many new words you've already learned.

4. Learn a word a day. Using a word-a-day calendar or Website -- or developing your own list of words to learn -- is a great technique many people use to learn new words. This approach may be too rigid for some, so even if you do use this method, don't feel you must learn a new word every day. (Find some word-a-day Websites at the end of this article.)

5. Go back to your roots. One of the most powerful tools for learning new words -- and for deciphering the meaning of other new words -- is studying Latin and Greek roots. Latin and Greek elements (prefixes, roots, and suffixes) are a significant part of the English language and a great tool for learning new words. (Follow these links for the sections of this site that provide English Vocabulary Derived from Latin and English Vocabulary Derived from Greek.)

6. Play some games. Word games that challenge you and help you discover new meanings and new words are a great and fun tool in your quest for expanding your vocabulary. Examples include crossword puzzles, anagrams, word jumble, Scrabble, and Boggle. (Find some word-game Websites at the end of this article.)

7. Engage in conversations. Simply talking with other people can help you learn discover new words. As with reading, once you hear a new word, remember to jot it down so that you can study it later -- and then slowly add the new word to your vocabulary.


 3. Explain in detail the techniques of reading and mention your preference and  give reasons in support of it.

Reading is a method of communication that enables a person to turn writing into meaning.
  1. Scanning
  2. Skimming
  3. Intensive Reading
  4. Extensive Reading
Skimming – Reading for the gist of a text
This reading technique is used for getting the gist of the whole text lead. We generally use this technique at the time of reading newspaper or magazine. Under this technique, we read quickly to get the main points, and skip over the detail. It is useful in getting a preview of a passage before reading it in detail or reviving understandings of a passage after reading it in detail.

Gist is the general meaning or purpose of a text, either written or spoken. Reading a text for gist is known as skimming. Before answering detailed comprehension questions on a short story, learners read it quickly for gist, and then match the text to a picture that summarises what happens in the story.

Scanning – Reading for specific information
Scanning through the text is a reading strategy that is used for getting some specific points by looking at the whole text. For highlighting the important points of a book the readers can skim through the summary or the preface or the beginning and ending chapters of that book. For example, This technique is used for looking up a name from the telephone guide book.

Significance


Intensive Reading
You need to have your aims clear in mind when undertaking intensive reading. If you need to list the chronology of events in a long passage, you will need to read it intensively. This type of reading has indeed beneficial to language learners as it helps them understand vocabulary by deducing the meaning of words in context. It moreover, helps with retention of information for long periods of time and knowledge resulting from intensive reading persists in your long term memory.

Extensive reading
Extensive reading involves reading for pleasure. Because there is an element of enjoyment in extensive reading it is unlikely that students will undertake extensive reading of a text they do not like. It also requires a fluid decoding and assimilation of the text and content in front of you. If the text is difficult and you stop every few minutes to figure out what is being said or to look up new words in the dictionary, you are breaking your concentration and diverting your thoughts.



Intensive Reading provides the following benifits
Save time because we pay more attention to what we read the first time and do not waste time rereading.
    Prepare us for exams because we gain a more in-depth knowledge of the material.
    Stay informed about a subject that interests us.
    Develop exposure to new ideas or have familiar concepts reinforced.
    Create a deeper understanding of life’s complexities.
    Achieve intellectual growth.

So intensive reading more preferable technique.


 


 

ELCS LAB 12


ELCS LAB – 12
DATE: 15-04-2020


ACTIVITY:
A.  WRITING SKILLS - CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE LANGUAGE

B. PRECIS WRITING


A.  WRITING SKILLS - CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE LANGUAGE


There are six main characteristics of effective language.

Effective language is: concrete and specific, not vague and abstract
Concrete language includes descriptions which create tangible images with details the reader can visualize. Abstract language is vague and obscure, and does not bring to mind specific visual images.

Consider the two sets of statements below. The statement at the top is abstract, but the statements become increasingly concrete and specific toward the bottom.
He is untidy and unclean
He doesn't clean up his own messes
He leaves his dirty dishes on the kitchen counter    



(1) concise, not verbose
     A hallmark of effective writers is the ability to express the desired message in as few words as possible. Good writers, in other words, use language which is straightforward and to-the-point.

 (2) Familiar, not obscure
     Familiar language is that which the readers easily recognize    and understand because they use it on a regular basis.

(3) Precise and clear, not inaccurate or ambiguous
    The use of appropriate language is a tricky matter because the meaning of words is relative and situational. For this reason, it is important to choose language which is as precise and clear as possible. The more precise and clear one's use of language becomes, the fewer the number of possible interpretations for a message.

(4) Constructive, not destructive
Constructive language phrases a potentially negative message in a positive way, whereas destructive language directs blame and criticism toward the reader, creating defensiveness. Readers are likely to become defensive when the writer's language expresses any or all of the following:

  • Superiority over the reader
  • Indifference or apathy about an issue of importance to the reader
  • Negative evaluation or judgment of the reader (as opposed to neutral descriptions or observations)
  • Command or control over the reader

(5) Formality of Language
The formality of the language one uses should match the formality of the situation and the relationship between the writer and reader.
Very Formal: Exceedingly large segments of the population are expressing their discontent with medical practitioners who appear to more engrossed in amassing financial assets than in providing efficacious care to people with health disorders. 

Formal: A large number of consumers are complaining about medical doctors who are apparently more interested in making money than in providing effective health care.



B.               WRITING PRECIS

recis is a short summary of a paragraph. But writing Précis is more than just making the paragraphs short. Writing précis requires skill so that you do not miss out a point and capture all the main essence in one single small paragraph.

The motive of writing a précis is to make the reader understand the main essence of the paragraph in a shorter format. For precis writing there are certain do’s and dont’s which will guide you into writing a better precis. Below are do’s and dont’s of précis writing.

Do’s of Précis Writing


  • Start your précis with the main idea so that reader can quickly understand the essence of the précis.
  •  He/she will know beforehand as to what they should expect in the written précis.
  •  While writing a précis, make a suitable environment where all the points can be described and discussed equally.
  • As the main idea or the essence is established, you can follow it up with some methods, facts, points, etc.
  • As a precis is concise, compress it and make sure that the length is available for you to retain the important data, keywords, and the concept.
  • Removing the irrelevant data or sentence is as important as writing the relevant points.


Dont’s of Précis Writing


  •  Précis writing is a formal way of writing a shorter form of the given paragraph.
  •  So, even though you have read and understood the Precis well, do not form your own opinions.
  • You cannot insert your own remarks and criticism in a précis.
  •  Always take the fact and data that is given in the paragraph only.
  • Also, during a precis writing, you cannot insert a question. If for any reason you need to insert make it in the form of a statement.
  • For précis writing, avoid using contractions and abbreviations.
  • Write the full form of any given words only.
  • Avoid being jerky. This will show that you have not understood the passage properly and have started writing a précis.



*****************************









ELCS LAB 11


ELCS LAB 11

DATE: 08-04-2020

ACTIVITY:
A) WRITING A SHORT STORY
B) LISTENING TO YOUR FAVOURITE SPEAKER AND MAKING A NOTE

Writing Your Own Short Story:

Sometimes topics for short stories come quickly to writers. When that does not happen, writers must use various strategies to find ideas. If you are struggling for an idea, try sketching a character. Use your imagination to create your characters. Gathering details about characters. Characters are the people, animals, alien life-forms, or other creatures that take part in the action of a narrative. Before you begin drafting, get to know the characters you will develop. Use the chart below to create and examine 2 characters to learn who he, she, or it is. Decide your character’s likes and dislikes, dreams and fears, and what others think of them.

Prewriting Rubric:

Character # 1


3
2
1
0
Character
Successfully
Gave
Barely
Did not give
Development
gave enough
details to
gave any
details to create
(x2)
details to
create a
details to
an effective

create a
character
create a
character

character

character

Completeness
Filled in all
Filled in
Did not
Did not fill in

spots on the
most spots
fill in
chart

chart
on the
more



chart
than half




of the




spots


     
STEPS TO WRITE A STORY:

Step 1. Summarize your short story.

Step 2. Define your character's theme and importance to your story.

Step 3. Define your story's theme.

Step 4. Outline your short story at a high-level.

Step 5. Outline each section of your main outline in detail. (Optional)



STORY HINTS AND

Farmer in a village ............... had a hen....... Golden egg........... farmer became rich By selling golden eggs .............. greedy ............... thought to get all eggs at a time ......... killed the hen .............. found no eggs.   



The Greedy Farmer

There lived a farmer in a village. His name was Richard. He had a hen. The hen used to lay a golden egg every day. The farmer used to sell the golden egg in the market and got huge amount of money. Soon he became rich. He got a big house built. But the farmer was very greedy. He wanted to get more eggs every day. He thought, "At present I get an egg every day. This is not enough. Why should I not get all the eggs at a time? I must kill the hen to get all the golden eggs at a time." And the greedy farmer killed the hen. Did the farmer find any egg? No, He did not find any egg. He was very sad now. He could not get golden egg now. This happened only due to his greed.

Moral: Greed is curse

EXAMPLE 2

Hints

Birbal - courtiers jealous of him - ask Akbar to let them test his wiseness - one courtier puts a question to him - How many crows in Agra - Birbal asks for a week to study the situation - everyday seen on the terrace looking at the crows ? after a week courtier asks him again - Birbal says as many crow as hairs in the courtier's head-Akbar laughs. 

Clever Birbal

Some courtiers in Akbar's court were jealous of Birbal. They asked Akbar permission to let them test Birbal's wiseness. Akbar told them to go ahead.

One courtier stepped up to Birbal and said, "You are indeed very clever. Surely you can tell me how many crows there are in Agra."

Birbal thought for a moment and said, "Give me a week and I shall give you the exact number."

From that evening onwards Birbal was to be seen on the terrace staring out across at the crows that flew by or were perched on various places.

A week passed and darbar was called once again. The courtier stepped up to Birbal and put the same question to him again.

Birbal said to him, "Could you tell me how many hairs there are on your head?"

"Why no," said the man.

"I am sorry, then, "said Birbal," For that is exactly how many crows there in Agra. Akbar and all the courtiers had a hearty laugh at this.

Moral: Intelligence is strength.    


B) LISTENING TO YOUR FAVOURITE SPEAKER AND MAKING A NOTE
Listen to any motivational speaker's video of your interest and make a note containing the contents of the speech along with your opinion and suggestions


                                         *************** THE END*************

COORG

THE BIRTH PLACE OF CAUVERY THE FOREST LOCALE THE EVENING SKYLINE BEAUTY OF THE SUNREISE