Reading Strategies.pptx

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Reading Strategies

V4entl1

8 January 2026

What's the plan today?

We look at reading strategies.

We practise a reading exam Havo 2017-2.

Before starting the test/exam

Ask yourself:

• What do I know about the English speaking world?

• In what newspaper/magazine or on what website was this text published?

• What kind of text is it?

• What kind of questions are asked? (and how many)

• What does this tell me about the text?

The first thing I do starting with Text 1 of a reading test.

A

I read the first text.

B

I look at title, illustrations, headings

C

I read the questions.

D

I look up all the words I don't know.

1. Preparation and prediction

Before you start reading a text, look at:

• Title

• Illustration

• (Sub)headings

• Transition words/signaalwoorden

To get a general idea of the subject.

How to practise?

2) Use prior knowledge - voorkennis

It is useful to know something about British or American politics, history, media.

How to practise?

Read (online or offline) about things you don’t know yet.

The English Speaking world

• Political system England

  • Labour, Lib Dems & conservatives

  • Houses of Parliament: Lords and Commons

  • MP (Members of Parliament) and PM (Prime Minister)

  • Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson, Theresa May, Tony Blair, John Major, Margaret Thatcher, Winston Churchill.

  • Downing street 10, Westminster,

  • Constituencies (=districts)

The American Political system

• Democrats & Republicans

  • Houses of Parliament: Senate & Congress

  • Senator, Congressman, President (Trump, Biden, Obama, Bush)

  • The Capitol, Washington DC & The White House

  • States (with their own governments)

What are reliable sources of information?

The Times The New York Times

The Independent The Washington Post

The Guardian Newsweek

The Daily Telegraph Quote

The Financial Times

Different kinds of texts

Review (book, restaurant, research)

Newspaper article

Reader’s reaction (on an article)

Description of research or survey?

Topics: Health, pets, finance, education, sports, and others

And then, you start….

• Read first question to know which part(s) of the text you should read.

• Don’t start reading the whole text until you know what to look for.

• A short text? Read it quickly, without looking up words. What is the text about?

• A longer text or you don’t know the answer yet? Read the question and look up any words in the question that you don’t know.

• Read the section of the text where you are supposed to find the answer.

3) Skimming & Scanning

Skimming: Read quickly through the whole text or a paragraph. When?

• To choose headings for paragraphs.

• To get some idea of what the text is about.

Question: What is the (his/her) main point?

Scanning: Read selectively to find specific information in a text.

Look for certain words. Then read the sentences around it.

4) Intensive reading

Intensive reading: Read specific sentences or paragraphs thoroughly to study details.

Question: “...” Wat wil de schrijver hiermee zeggen?

Vraag in het Nederlands? Antwoorden in het Nederlands = eigen woorden!

Citeer:... Neem de twee woorden over zoals ze er staan.

5) Determine the structure of the text

What are the different parts of the text?

How do they (sentences, paragraphs) relate to each other?

• Statement & examples?

• Statement & contradictions?

• Statement & new information?

Signaalwoorden: yet, nevertheless, however, but.

of: thus, moreover, because,

Where to look for the answer?

• In most cases you can find answers in the first or the last sentence of the paragraph. If not: Read the complete paragraph

• Pay close attention to words such as: however, but, although

• Punctuation is very important : ! ; ? You can often find the answer before or after it

• After this: Try to come up with the answer and then see if your answer is among the options.

You come across a word you don't know. What do you do?

6) Woordbetekenis afleiden

You find a word you don’t know. What do you do?

• Is knowing the word necessary to understand the text?*

• Can I guess what it means?

• What is the context?

• Do I recognise a part of the word?

• Is it imagery (beeldspraak)? or meant literally?

*bring your dictionary, so you can look up important words!

How to prepare? Read other texts!

Practice exam: H2017-II

Find the link to the exam in Classroom.

We try the first texts and questions together.

Use the Reading Strategies we have just looked at.

1) Welk woord in deze tekst is gebruikt als een woordspeling die verwijst naar dit onderwerp?

How do you tackle this question?

Which steps do you take?

Which steps do you take to answer this question?

2) Which of the following fits the gap:

a. cultivation

b. distribution

c. investigation

d. stimulation

e. substitution

newstatesman.com, 2014

3) Wat is volgens alinea 1 de belangrijkste oorzaak voor het krimpen van de

aantallen rode eekhoorns?

Geef antwoord in het Nederlands.

Paragraph 1, text 3

Grey squirrels are larger and stronger than their red cousins, they live in

denser numbers and out-compete red squirrels for the same food. Yet it is

predominantly the virulent squirrelpox virus that greys carry that has

driven red squirrel populations from all but a few areas in northern

England and Scotland. A recent paper on conservation management by

Andy White at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and colleagues uses

red and grey squirrels as a case study, arguing for better control in cases

of invasive species whose effects are disease-driven.

Question 4 (text 3)

Which of the following is true, according to paragraph 2?

1 Prince Charles publicly advocates bringing down the number of grey

squirrels.

2 In some British regions squirrels are the main ingredient of traditional

dishes.

A only 1

B only 2

C both 1 and 2

D neither 1 nor 2

Text 3, paragraph 2

Prince Charles is among those repeating their calls for an organized cull

of grey squirrels in Britain as a way of helping the declining native red

squirrel. With him being keen on organic food and support for local

butchers growing, no doubt he'd approve of putting this squirrel bounty to

some culinary use. As we did, at the sixth annual squirrel cook-off in the

Six Bells pub, near Cambridge, with 23 dishes of grey squirrel snacks.

The culinary treats reflected the very different directions of the cooks:

curried Bollywood squirrel, squirrel in filo pastry, squirrel pie, squirrel eggs

in a nest, and the winning dish of squirrel sausages.

Question 5 (text 3)

Which of the following fits the gap in paragraph 3?

A bland

B lean

C rare

D tough

How do you answer this? Which steps do you take?

Using legally trapped or shot grey squirrels as food has been in vogue for

a few years now, a trend picked up back in 2008 when the Guardian

newspaper proposed squirrel as "the ultimate ethical meal". But are

squirrels any healthier than, say, chicken? The US Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database provides the nutritional content of

a very wide range of foods, including various game meats. According to

the records, per 100g the squirrel has more protein (31g) and less fat (5g)

than roasted chicken (29g and 9g), stewed chicken (27g and 7g), or

venison (26g and 8g). In fact only rabbit, at 33g and 3.5g, provides a more

protein-rich and low-fat meal. However, low-fat and high-protein comes

with its own drawbacks ─ the syndrome known as "rabbit starvation"

experienced by hunter-gatherers and subsistence dwellers of northern

latitudes, and recorded by Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Steffanson, stems

from a diet with insufficient fat; rabbit meat alone is simply too 5 .

6) Which of the following best qualifies the tone used in paragraph 4?

A concerned

B disrespectful

C doubtful

D optimistic

Text 3, Paragraph 4

So with all the greys living on the estates at Prince Charles's disposal and

the professional chefs employed by his Duchy Original brand, I'm keen to

see the day that royalty-approved squirrel snacks make their first

appearance. Certainly, judging by the varied approaches taken by those

in the Six Bells there's plenty of options out there.

Text 3, question 7

Geef van elke van de volgende personen en instanties aan of in de tekst

duidelijk wordt wat zij vinden van het eten van eekhoornvlees.

1 “Andy White [...] and colleagues” (alinea 1)

2 “we” (alinea 2)

3 “the Guardian newspaper” (alinea 3)

4 “the professional chefs” (alinea 4)

Noteer “wel” of “niet” achter elk nummer op het antwoordblad.

How do you deal with such a question.

How many points do you get?

8) Which of the following fits the gap in paragraph 1?

A contradict the findings of

B explain the logic behind

C have gone beyond

D were inspired by

E will drown out

Text 4, question 9

In welke zin later in de tekst wordt gesteld dat het gedrag van kinderen

tijdens deze test voorspellende waarde kan hebben?

Citeer de eerste twee woorden van deze zin.

How do you answer this question? Which part of the text do you have to read?

Continue working on this exam by yourself.

Use a dictionary and don't forget to bring your own to the test!!

For the real test: plan your work! Check how many texts & questions. Make sure you can finish it in 90 minutes. Check afterwards if you have answered all.

Have you finished reading your book?

Fill in the Google form about the book you are reading. (verplicht handelingsdeel)

Write your personal reading file (Classroom).

Hand in your report

before the deadline

= 16 January!