Strategies for reading activities

Strategies – Reading 1 Before you start reading: Read the instructions carefully so you don’t misunderstand what to do. Read the questions first, then the text. Look at the title, the images and the questions. Think about what you already know about the theme. What might come up? Look for important words / keywords in the questions to listen or look for. What does the question tell you to look for? It is a number, a name, a thing or a verb etc.?

Strategies – Reading 2 Tips when you read: You don’t always have to understand everything (every detail) in the text you read. Browse through the ”unimportant” parts. If there is an important word you don’t know: Can you figure it out when you think about the context or the words close to it? If you don’t know the answer, try to eliminate (take away) the options that you know for sure are incorrect. After that it is hopefully easier to choose.

Strategies – Reading 3 These tips apply to both: When you answer: How many answers do they want? Ex. “Give two examples”. How many alternatives are correct? Ex. “Choose one alternative”. Always try to write/answer something, even if it is just a guess. It’s always better to write something than nothing. Only use English when you write. Check your answers before you hand in your paper.

Strategies – Reading 4 Some more tips: Look at the headlines to see in which part of the text you can find the answer. In longer texts the questions often come in the ”right” order. That can help you to figure out where to look for the answer in the text. Don’t get stuck on a difficult question. Skip it and go back to it later.