12 The difficulty level of the reading material must match the students’
proficiency.
4. Reading Comprehension
Comprehension is the essence of reading. Comprehension is a bridge between what is being read and what is already known. Without comprehension,
one is not reading but is merely engaged in recognizing words Criscoe and Gee, 1984: 24. While Anderson 1979: 384 says that the result of reading is the
comprehension of written material. Smith Robinson 1980: 205 define reading comprehension as the
understanding, evaluating, and utilizing of information and ideas through an interaction between the reader and the author.
Reading comprehension skills are thinking skills that are applied prior to, during, and after the visual scanning task by which written language is interpreted
into associated meaning, Guszak, 1972: 49. So, reading comprehension skills is an active process of thinking that depends not only on comprehension skills but
also the students’ experience and prior knowledge.
5. Facilitating Comprehension
Durkin states 1987: 379 that facilitating comprehension consists of:
a. Teaching New Vocabulary
When the readers do not know some words might not become their obstacle. On the contrary, the new vocabulary might become their obstacle in
13 comprehending the text. Therefore, children need to be taught the new vocabulary
so that they can comprehend the text better.
b. Providing Essential Background Information
The purpose of providing background information is to give the students adequate preparation, because teaching new vocabulary might be not enough to
help the students to comprehend the text. Moreover, by giving adequate background information is necessary to help the students who find problems with
new vocabulary.
c. Establishing purpose s For the Reading
The reason something is being read determines what constitutes not only the essential background information but also adequate comprehension.
Therefore, the teachers need to tell the purpose s for the reading to facilitate comprehension.
6. Basic Principles in Teaching Reading for Children
Moyle states that the basic principles on good reading program should consider the point of view of the nature of literacy at the adult level and from the
child needs and abilities at any given stage of development Moyle, 1972: 103. Here are the principles that have to be considered in teaching reading:
1. Reading should form as natural as a unit of the child’s development as is
possible. It is important to know that in order to achieve success in reading, the
whole activity in teaching reading must be as natural as possible. If the reading
14 activity which appears natural to the child then any instruction given or attainment
expected should be firmly based on the child’s abilities and interest. 2.
Reading as an integral part of other activities. The child must be lead to an understanding that reading is useful and
important. Therefore, the teacher should create reading activities which are interesting and can build curiosity so that the child will enjoy reading activities.
Moreover, the child also will realize that reading is an integral part of other activities.
3. Reading instruction should be attractive to the child
The children love to talk and enjoy listening to stories. However, the children often find difficulties in learning reading. One of the ways to reduce
difficulties in learning to read is that the teacher should create an interesting reading instruction so that it can attract the child to read.
4. All reading should be meaningful
If the teacher expects the children comprehend what they read, then the teacher must provide a reading passage which is meaningful to the children.
5. Word recognition skills can not be ignored.
Children can not recognize all the words they meet in the reading passage. Therefore, they need to learn how to figure out the unfamiliar word.
6. Instruction should lead increasingly to independence in reading.
The more a child reads, the more he should be able to read without help. If the teacher gives too much help in every reading activity, the child would
dependent to the teacher. Hence, the child needs to have some instructions in word
15 recognition techniques and in the basic skills of comprehension so that the child
can read independently when the assistance of teacher or friend is not available. 7.
Every activity must be related to the whole scheme All the reading activity that the students have should fit with the aims of
reading activity. If the teacher provides the activities that unrelated to the reading lesson, the students will not achieve the goal of reading lesson.
8. Progress through the reading program must be kept under review
The teacher, particularly, if the class is large, will find difficulty to measure the students’ progress in reading lesson. Therefore, in order to see the
progress of each student in class, the teacher should keep the detailed records in every meeting of the reading by conducting some form of standardized test.
7. In-school motivators of reading behavior
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