Introduction
Reading skills are the abilities and strategies that enable a person to understand and comprehend written language. The following main types of reading skills allow a person to make sense of the words on a page, extract meaning, and engage with the content. Strong reading skills can help a person learn new information, improve their vocabulary and comprehension, and engage with a wide range of written materials. Reading skills can be developed and improved through practice and by using various strategies, such as previewing a text, asking questions, making connections to prior knowledge, and summarizing what has been read.
List of Reading Skills
There are several different types of reading skills that are listed below for understanding and interpreting written texts. The most important reading skills include:
Time needed: 10 minutes.
Kinds of Reading Skills
- Scanning
This is a technique for quickly finding specific information in a text.
- Skimming
This is a technique for quickly getting an overview of the content of a text.
- Paraphrasing
This involves restating the ideas in a text using different words and phrases.
- Decoding
This is the ability to read and pronounce words correctly.
- Vocabulary
Knowing the meanings of words and how to use them correctly is an essential reading skill.
- Fluency
Being able to read text accurately and smoothly is important for comprehending what is being read.
- Comprehension
This involves understanding the meaning of what is being read and being able to make connections to other information.
- Analysis
This involves breaking down the text and examining its parts, such as the main ideas, supporting details, and the author’s purpose.
- Evaluation
This involves making judgments about the quality or value of the text.
- Synthesis
This involves combining information from multiple sources to create a new understanding or interpretation.
- Inference
This involves making conclusions based on what is stated and implied in the text.
- Prediction
This involves making educated guesses about what might happen next in the text.
- Finding Context
Discovering context clues to define unfamiliar terms and carrying good comprehension of the text.
- Summarization
This involves condensing the main ideas of a text into a shorter form.
- Reflecting
Reflecting on one’s own understanding and asking clarifying questions.
- Schema
Making relations between the latest information and previous knowledge.
- Critical reading
This is the ability to actively analyze and evaluate a text, rather than just passively accepting it.
- Interpretation
This is the ability to analyze and draw conclusions from a text.
- Appreciation
This is the ability to enjoy and understand literature.
- Evaluation
This is the ability to assess the value or quality of a text.
- Annotation
This is the practice of adding notes or comments to a text as you read it.
Use of Academic Reading Skills
Learn the above-given academic reading skills to improve your abilities and strategies of reading. They will enable you to effectively read and comprehend academic texts. These skills are important for success in higher education and research, as academic texts often contain complex ideas and dense language. So, developing strong academic reading skills can help a person more easily understand and engage with these texts, and can also improve their critical thinking and analysis skills.