In scanning, the readers only find the information that they need. The reader jump around the text to find the intended information that they need.
Intensive and extensive reading are other kinds of reading that are necessary for the reader. Intensive and extensive reading are more like reading
for accuracy and reading for fluency.
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In other word, intensive reading means reading shorter texts to extract specific information.
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This activity is likely to emphasize the accuracy activity involving reading for detail. The process of
scanning takes a more prominent role here than skimming. Reader is trying to absorb all the information given, example: reading dosage instruction for
medicine, reading business magazines, etc. Then, extensive reading deals with a longer text as a whole which requires the ability to understand the
component part and their contribution the overall meaning, usually for one’s own pleasure. This is a fluency activity, mainly involving global
understanding. In extensive reading, the readers are more focused with the meaning of the text than the meaning of individual words or sentences.
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Example: reading newspapers, poems, article, short story, novel, Internet websites, etc.
The each kind of the reading has been explained above requiring different approaches and techniques in achieving the goal. Therefore, readers
use different kinds of reading depends on their purpose.
4. The Principles of Teaching Reading
There are several principles in teaching reading suggested by experts in order to achieve the goal or reading program. There are some suggestions
about the stages and procedures in reading that will help us, such as:
28
Christine Nuttal, Teaching Reading Skill in Foreign Language, London: Heinemann, 1989, p.23.
29
Fancroise Grellet, op. cit., p.4.
30
Julian Bamford and Richard R. Day, Extensive Reading, What Is It? Why Bother?, http:jalt-publications.orgold_tltfiles97mayextensive.html
Retrieved on January 9, 2014.
a. Arouse the students’ interest and motivating by linking the topic of the text to their own experience or existing knowledge. Give some pre- reading or
focusing questions to help them to do this. b. Give them points to search for in the reading text, or ask the students to
suggest the points. c. After reading, encourage discussion of answers
d. Develop into writing by using the information gained for another purpose.
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Meanwhile, there are other principles in teaching reading describes by Jeremy Harmer. They are:
a. Reading is not a passive skill Reading is an incredibly active occupation. To do it successfully, we have
to understand what the words mean, see the pictures the words are printing, understand the arguments, and work out if we agree with them.
b. Students need to be engaged with what they are reading. As with everything else in lessons, students who are not engaged with the
reading text-not actively interested in what they are doing-are less likely to benefit from it. When they are really fired up by the topic or the task, they
get much more from what is in front of them. c. Students should be encouraged to respond to the content of a reading text,
not just to the language. Teacher must give students a chance to respond that message in some way. It is especially important that they should be
allowed to express their feelings about the topic - thus provoking personal engagement with it and the language.
d. Prediction is a major factor in reading. Teachers should give students the hints so that they can predict what is
coming too. It will make them better and more engaged readers.
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Jo McDonough, and Christopher Shaw, Material and Method in ELT, Second Edition, Oxford: Blackwell, 2003, pp.99-100
.
e. Match the task to the topic. The most interesting text can be determined by asking boring and
inappropriate questions, the most commonplace passage can be made exciting with imaginative and challenging tasks.
f. Good teachers exploit reading texts to the full.
Any reading text is full of sentences, words, ideas, descriptions etc. It does not make sense just to get students to read it and then drop it to move
on to something else. Good teachers integrate the reading text into interesting class sequences, using the topic discussion and further tasks,
using the language for study and later activation.
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From the principles of teaching reading discussed above, the writer concludes that the teacher has an important role in teaching reading. The
teacher should motivate student by giving appropriate texts that are interested, explaining the material clearly, encouraging students to determine the
meaning of what they read, giving attention to students’ development that involve the students’ abilities to become efficient and skillful reader,
evaluating and giving the task match with the topic in order to accurately assess students’ comprehension and development skills.
5. The Types of Reading Text
There are several types of reading texts who learns by students in secondary high school. They are procedure, descriptive, recount, narrative,
and report.
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Students are expected to understand and master all of the texts after they learn English. They have to pass the test in the middle and the end
of the semester about those materials in order to pass the English subject.
32
Jeremy Harmer, How to Teach English: An Introduction to the Practice of English Language Teaching, Edinburgh: Wesley Longman, 1998, pp. 70-71.
33
DEPDKNAS, Standar Kompetensi dan Kompetensi Dasar SMPMTS, Jakarta: Badan Standar Nasional Pendidikan, 2006, p.124.
