other rules is needed to understanding the text. So, from the example, it is clear that knowledge of language is an essential need for readers.
2 Knowledge of GenreText Type Knowing how text are organized, knowing how information is signalled
and how changed of content might be marked, are the way that can be thought in facilitating reading. For example, knowing to look for main idea
in a paragraph, and being able to identify how subsidiary ideas are marked are help a reader process the information. In addition, there are many text
types that each has different characters. It will be easier to readers if they know about the characters of the text that they read.
3 Knowledge of Subject MatterTopic If readers absolutely nothing about the topic of a text, they will find it
difficult to process. Similarly that readers will find it easier to read text in areas they are familiar with. It because the readers who have familiar with
the topic mean that they have existent information handling. In other words, Similarities can be seen with something already knows which can then be
used to process the new. So, knowledge of Subject mattertopic is needed in reading process.
4 Knowledge of the World Knowledge of the world means that the reader must know how the world
works. For example ―The policeman held up and the car stopped‖. The
normal readers have no difficulty understanding the sentence. The sentence means the car has a driver, that the policeman holding up his hand is a signal
to the driver stop the car. None of this stated but it is part of reader knowledge of how the world works.
b. Reader Purpose in Reading
Another possible cause of the variation between readers and readings which must consider is that different readers read text with different purposes. The
purposes why people read are definetely different depending on their needs and goals. There are great various of reasons why people want to read. For instance,
when people want to know about the last news in order to know what is going on
or what is heppening and what has happened these days about flood, they read newspaper that provide the news; when people want to enchance their knowledge
about some topic, they may read textbook, encyclopedia book, journals and so on; when people want to understand the instruction on how to do something such as
how to make a cup- cake, they will read cake recipe‘s book; or when people want
to enjoy during they read, they may read novel, comic, or short stories. In short, it may be seen that people read because they have their own purpose based on their
need and the text that will be chosen by the readers depend on their purposes. The different purposes also influence the way readers read the text.
10
Reading a short story for pleasure at bedtime is likely to be different from reading a history for an
examination the next morning. In summary, from the illustration above the writer concludes that the
general purposes of reading means to get new information or pleasure. Reading purposes mentioned above are to understand or to comprehend the reading
passage from the printed text.
c. Reader MotivationInterest
The motivation is also can influence reading process. Reading motivation has been shown to relate to the quality of outcome of reading. There are two main
motivation that have known. First named extrinsic. For the word, the motivation is influenced by the external factor. The example it can be found in the class. The
teacher can conduct an appropriate technique for a genre then heshe also using an attractive media. So that, students‘ motivation can increase. Second name
intrinsic. This motivation comes from the readers themselves. It usually influence by what the topic of the text. If the topic is interesting for readers, they also have a
good motivation to read the text. In short, the motivation can up and down. It depend on readers and the environment.
10
J. Charles Alderson, Assessing Reading, Cambridge: Cambridge university Press: 2000, p. 50
3. The Kinds of Reading
Students will need to experience variety of reading tasks to the kinds of reading.
Mostly, teachers develop students‘ reading ability both short and long text depending on their grade. According to Harmer, there are two kinds of
reading: a Intensive Reading, b Extensive Reading.
11
a. Intensive Reading
Intensive reading refers to detailed focus on the construction of reading text that takes place usually in classroom. In addition, Intensive reading involves
approaching the text under the guidance of a teacher or a task which demands the students to focus on the text. The aim is to arrive at an understanding not only of
what the text means, but also of how the meaning is produced. Meanwhile, in intensive reading, as the term indicates, each vocabulary
and structural item explained and made as fact of our active language, pronunciation, and intonation are stressed, and each concept allution is clarified.
Besides, intensive reading is used to gain a deep understanding of a text which is important for the reader.
b. Extensive Reading
Extensive reading here means that in order to understand the whole of book, the readers must understand the part such as sentences, paragraphs, and
chapters of it is made up. However, the reader may in fact , often understand a text adequately without grasping every part of it but the readers have to encourage
them to develop this facility. Based on the statement above, the readers should select a good reading material related to extensive reading. In this activity, they do
not need to understand each word but rather to understand the content of the text. Based on explanation above especially considering the variables that affect
the reading process, the writer decided descriptive text as the material in this study. Descriptive text is one of many text type that familiar to the students the
sample of the study. Here are the explanation about it.
11
Jeremy Harmer, How to Teach English, new edition New York: Longman, 2007. pp. 99
– 107.
B. Descriptive Text
1. The Definition of Descriptive Text
There are many kinds of reading text; descriptive, recount, narrative, report, procedure, explanation, argumentative, persuasive, exposition and many
others. one of genres that Junior High School students learnt is Descriptive Text. Based on Competency Standard Standar Kompetensi and Basic Competency
Kompetensi Dasar, in the first semester the students are expected to be able to understand and respond meaningful written texts in term of functional written text
and simple short essay in the form descriptive and recount text interact with people in the nearest enviroment.
Standar Kompetensi Kompetensi Dasar
Membaca
1. Memahami makna teks tulis
fungsional dan esei pendek sangat sederhana berbentuk descriptive dan
procedure yang berkaitan dengan lingkungan terdekat
1.1 Merespon makna yang terdapat dalam teks tulis pendek sangat
sederhana secara akurat, lancar dan
berterima yang
berkaitan dengan lingkungan terdekat.
1.2 Merespon makna dan langkah retorika secara akurat, lancar dan
berterima yang berkaitan dengan lingkungan terdekat dalam teks
berbentuk descriptive dan procedure 1.3 Membaca nyaring bermakna teks
funsional dan esei pendek dan sangat
sederhana berbentuk
descriptive dan prosedure dengan ucapan, tekanan dan intonasi yang
berterima
Table 2.1 KTSP competences
