CC BY
23ФИЛОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ НАУКИ
HOW TO IMPROVE READING SKILLS Komilova Sh.B.1, Olimova N.K.2, Kabulova D.R.3
1Komilova Shohista Bakhodir qizi - Student;
2Olimova Nilufar Kamarbekovna - Student, FOREIGN PHILOLOGY FACULTY, URGENCH STATE UNIVERSITY, URGENCH;
3Kabulova Dilnoza Rustamovna - Teacher of Uzbek language, SCHOOL 28, NUKUS, REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
Abstract: it's easier to learn English reading than you think! Here, we will discuss how you
can improve using scaffolding in order to increase reading ability.
Keywords: scaffolding, increase, fluency, reading skills, successfully, learn, master.
When a house is built, it doesn't all get done at the same time. Workers have to build some temporary structures to help keep the house standing up and to help them work on the higher parts. These structures are called scaffolding.
Scaffolding is also a method of learning. The idea is that, to learn a skill well, you need to learn smaller parts that will help you "build" your knowledge and skills. There are 4 easy steps to improve reading.
1. Always Make Special Time to Read. Reading for fun can be done anywhere. You could take a fun book out on a bus, in bed or at the office, and you can enjoy it. However, if you're reading to improve your comprehension, you need to focus and study. This means you need to make a special time for this reading. Making time for your reading will let you focus well without risk of being interrupted. This time should be quiet, and you should avoid being distracted.
You should try to spend at least 30 minutes every day on focused reading. That's how to improve your reading skills seriously and successfully. The more you read, the more you'll improve. Try this:
Turn your reading process into a ritual, something you repeat every time you sit down to focus on reading English. Follow these steps, or any other steps that you'd like to make a part of your reading process:
• Find a quiet, comfortable spot with bright lighting to sit.
• Get everything you might need ready before you sit down. For example, you might want to have a pen, your notebook, a dictionary and something to drink.
• Decide how long you will read. (30 minutes is a good minimum amount of time.)
• Put all your electronics on silent mode (or turn them off) and put them away.
Turning off the sound on your electronics might not seem important, but it's something
you really must do!
If you have a specific process for preparing to read, then your brain will know when you're about to read and you'll be more focused before you even start.
2. Ask Yourself Questions While Reading and After Reading. Learning how to read English books is about more than just reading the words! There are a few things you can do before, during and after reading to help you better understand the text. Before you read, browse the text. That means you should look over the text quickly without actually reading every word. Take some time after you read too, to browse again and summarize what you remember. Try to quickly say or write a few sentences that describe what the text was about. Thinking about what you read will show you how much of it you really understood, and help you figure out if you still have questions. Try this:
Before you read, here are a few questions you can ask yourself as you browse, to help you prepare for reading:
• Are there any words in bold or italics?
• Are there titles or subtitles?
• What are some of the names mentioned?
• Is there a lot of dialogue?
• Are the paragraphs short or long?
After you read, the questions below can be used to help you think about what you did and did not understand:
• What was the text about?
• What are the most important things that happened in the text?
• Did anything confuse you?
• Did anything surprise you?
• Are there any parts you didn't understand?
You might have some more questions depending on what kind of text you were reading, but these are good basic ones to start with.
3. Improve Fluency First. Do you notice how you stopped every time you saw the period? Now imagine reading an entire article or even book like this, stopping after every word. It would be difficult to understand, wouldn't it? It's hard to form an understanding of what you're reading when you read word-by-word instead of in full sentences. That's why, to improve your understanding, it's important to improve your fluency first.
Fluency is how smoothly you can read. When you read in your head, you should have a certain rhythm to the words. The words should flow together naturally, like when somebody is talking. That's how to read English books like a native speaker would. Improving fluency can be as simple as choosing slightly easier texts to read, or it might take some time and practice. If you take some time to improve how fluently you read, though, it will help you in the future. You'll improve your reading and even your speaking. It will also make reading feel more fun and natural. Try this: Many of the words you find when you're reading are actually "sight words." These are words that you should know by sight and should not have to think about how to read them.
You can practice sight words very quickly. Just find a good list of sight words, like this one, and take about a minute or two every day to read the words as fast as you can. If you don't know any of the words it's a good idea to look them up beforehand, but remember that this exercise is about reading faster, not understanding more. Once you can read at a comfortable speed, you can focus on understanding.
4. Once You've Learned to Speed Up, Slow Down! After you learn English reading more fluently, you can stop worrying about your speed and start thinking about the text and its meaning. That's right, now that you can read fast, it's time to read slowly. Take time to really get into the text you're reading, instead of speeding through it. Try this: One great way to slow yourself down is to read out loud. Not only will you be practicing your reading and understanding, but also your pronunciation, listening and speaking. Focus on speaking every word carefully and pronouncing it well.
If you can't (or don't want to) read out loud, you can try pausing every few paragraphs to make sure you're paying attention. Another way to pace yourself well is by making notes and writing down questions as you read.
References
1. The Social History of Language. Edited by Peter Burke & Roy Porter, 1987.
2. Language and Society. Susan Cockcroft, 2001.
