21. Improving listening proficiency

35.GETTING STUDENTS TO RAD PURPOSEFULLY
The Solution: Read Purposefully
To read effectively, you should read purposefully from the start. The key to reading purposefully is knowing something about the material (begin bold)before(end bold) you start actually reading it. Browse for information! That is, skim the passage for a couple of minutes.
Effective readers naturally skim any reading materials before they start reading, and they do not even realize they do it. The read the title, identify the author, see what type of publication it is (that is, a blog, magazine, book chapter, etc.) and when it was published. They browse the passage for graphs, tables, illustrations, and so on.
Analyzing this information before you start reading takes only a couple of minutes, but you can glean a lot of value insight into the passage. Why is that important?
Focus Your Brain
Now that you have an idea what the passage is about, your brain will be ready to receive the information you are going to read. When you know what ideas to expect, you focus on those ideas. If there was information you did not understand when you skimmed, you will likely focus on it when you read. If there were questions you thought about, you will focus on answering them. If there were graphs about a certain point, you already know that information is probably important, so you will read it attentively.
Adapt Your Strategy
You do not read different types of materials the same way (Pacton). For example, if you read a novel, you focus on characters, themes, the plot, the meaning of symbols and allegories, and so on. ("Allegory.") If you read a text book chapter explaining the steps in a process, you take notes on each step, underline important explanations, and so on (Franco).
If you know something about the passage you are about to read, you adjust your strategy to suit the type of passage. If it is a novel, you will focus on the literary elements and the story; if it is a text book chapter, you will probably get out your highlighter and a piece of paper to take notes on.
Ready to Read
Simply by analyzing the passage before you read it, you have gained some insight into the material. Now, you are ready to read with more focus and with the correct strategy. Your reading will have a specific purpose whether it is to enjoy a story, to learn content, to understand instructions, or whatever the passage calls for.