Micro skills in Reading

15 one. According to Hedge 2000, bottom-up model used to explain the decoding of the letters, words, and other language features. In bottom-up model, the way readers understand the text they are going to read is in a very slow pace. They build meaning or translating word by word and add interfere using their background knowledge. As what is also stated by Grabe and Stoller 2002 that their recognition will be started from the very basic. It will be from letter by letter for word recognition, word by word for sentence recognition and sentence by sentence for text recognition. The second model is top-down model. In top- down model, learners’ background knowledge is needed in order to understand the text given. Learners’ background knowledge is believed could give contribution in understanding the text they are reading. The activity focuses on the understanding of the learners toward the text being read. Moreover, Hedge 2000 also states that the top-down process is used to explain the application of prior knowledge to create meaning of an existing text. The idea of top- down model is the readers’ expectation toward the text being read. It is assumed that they already have information and facts related to the text and they are going to confirm or reject the expectations Grabe and Stoller, 2002. It is done by doing a kind of general monitoring mechanism in which the readers will direct their eye to the potential place where they could find those specific information needed. The last model is interactive model. Interactive model assume that both models, bottom-up and top-down model, could be beneficial in comprehending a text. Readers could take useful ideas from bottom-up model and combine it with 16 useful perspective from top-down model. This is the integration of bottom-up and top-down model. The focus of this model is to invite readers to use the perspective of bottom-up model and combine it with the key concepts of top- down model Grabe and Stoller, 2002. They will start with word recognition, but in a fast and efficient way. However, strong background knowledge is highly needed to support the readers to understand what the text is trying to convey. In practice, readers will be given short reading passage to teach them specific reading skills and strategies. Moreover, they will also be given longer reading passage to practice their reading strategies. In short, fast words recognitions technique from bottom-up model is very beneficial but background knowledge contributes much in understanding the text, as in inferencing and predicting what will happen next in the text.

d. Accessing Reading Text

Wallace 1992, states that there are three ways to help learners relating their existing knowledge to the text that they are going to read. It is supported by Farrell 2009, by stating that the teachers’ goal is to develop strategic readers and the idea is in line with Wallace’s thought. The first activity is Pre-reading Activities. In this activity, learners are given questions from the text which requires learners to answer it. The activity also provides learners with task in order to prepare them with the linguistics, cultural or conceptual difficulties. Moreover, it also provides them with vocabulary tasks. In short, the activities in pre-reading activities functions as an entrance for them to the reading text. Farrell 2009 suggests the idea to help students building their schema about the text that