STRATEGIC COMPREHENSION SKILLS

By : ABIDAH BT SARAJUL HAQ English Language Master Teacher Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman , Ipoh The comprehension skills in the PMR English language paper are tested through a series of different texts. These include articles, advertisements, notices, pamphlets and short passages in different forms. The use of strategic comprehension skills is thus, crucial as an effective tool in improving students understanding before answering comprehension questions in the PMR examinations. I have written below some important steps to follow in order to enhance your understanding of a text . STEP 1 PREVIEW This is also called the predicting stage. All you need to do is to look out for the headings, key words, pictures, tables ,graphs or any other key information in the text. In other words , this is also the skimming process. Hint Hint By skimming the text , you are actually looking out for ideas related to the topic. To identify the topic , underline or draw circles around the topic word .This word appears frequently in the text ( e.g water melons in the passage provided)

GOALS

The goals of previewing or skimming are for students to : learn as much about the passage / text as they can in 2 3 minutes. activate their background knowledge about the topic. Make predictions about what they will read.

STEP 2 SWITCH ON & OFF TECHNIQUE Students switch on and off while reading each section of the text. Switch on refers to the portion of the text that you understand and switch off are the parts of the comprehension that are not clear ( for example students do not know the meaning of a certain word or phrase).Switching on and off is designed to assist students in monitoring their comprehension. In order to help them to overcome their switch off problems, you need to :

1 Reread the sentence and look for ideas that help you understand the word / phrase

2 Reread the sentence leaving out the switch off words / phrases in it and try to get the general idea from it.

Another skill that will help you to improve your comprehension of the text is scanning. In scanning, you generally have a specific question or idea already in mind ; you scan the text to find particular information to answer your question or to confirm your idea. This is usually the process you go through as you locate the answers for the PMR comprehension questions. Below are two different comprehension texts. Use the techniques that I have discussed earlier to locate the answers. Continue this practice when you identify other forms of reading text to improve your comprehension skills. Remember to put your heart and mind in this practice ,for that is the secret of success. Good Luck Read the recipe below carefully and answer the questions that follow BAKED CRAB 140 grams crab meat 1 medium onion (sliced) 4 button mushrooms (sliced) can of Campbell Mushroom Soup 1 slice cheddar cheese 50 ml white vinegar 10 g unsalted butter 1 crab shell 1. Fry sliced onions and button mushrooms in butter till soft. 2. Add in crab meat followed by white vinegar. Stir on low heat. 3. When the vinegar is almost dried up, add in the mushroom soup and mix well. Remove from heat. 4. Scoop the mixture neatly onto the crab shell and top with cheddar cheese slice. 5. Place in a baking dish and bake in pre-heated oven at 200C until
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the cheese covering melts(for about 1-2 minutes). Serve hot

1. How much of crab meat is required in the recipe ? a. b. c. d. 240 grams of crab meat 70 X 2 grams of crab meat 140 grams of crab meat 340 grams of crab meat

2. The word pre heated oven means a. b. c. d. the oven is heating up the oven has been heated a hot oven a heavy oven

3. When do you put in the mushroom soup ? a. b. c. d. When there is no more vinegar When we remove the vinegar from the heat When we stir on low heat When the vinegar is about to dry up

4. Why must we fry the onions and button mushrooms ? a. b. c. d. To make them tender To mash them later To heat them To make them crispy

Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

A watermelon is a large, sweet fruit. Watermelons consist of about 93 per cent water. They have a smooth rind ( hard outer skin) and juicy, edible flesh. Most watermelons also have many seeds. The rind is striped or solid and ranges in colour from grey-green to dark green. The flesh of ripe watermelons is white, greenish-white, yellow, orange, pink or red. Most watermelons weight from 2.3 to 18 kilograms, but some weight more than 45 kilograms. Their shape ranges from round to oblong. Watermelons provide a good source of potassium and vitamins A and C. They are eaten fresh , often in salads or as a dessert. The rind is sometimes pickled and used to make relish. Watermelons grow on vines. For this reason- and because they must be replanted annually- watermelons are considered by horticulturists to to be vegetables.

5. Watermelons a. b. c. d. consist of less than fifty percent of water are usually between 18 kg 45 kg are of the same shape but of different sizes have juicy and edible flesh

6. A dessert refers to a. a spicy gravy eaten with rice b. a sweet course eaten after a meal c. a waterless place
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d. a hot drink

7. Which of the following is NOT the colour of watermelons ? a. b. c. d. Dark green Greenish white Greyish white Yellow

8. Why do you think horticulturists regard watermelons as vegetables ? a. b. c. d. Because they are replanted every two years Because they grow on vines Because they are like salads Because they are green in colour

*********************************** ANSWERS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. b b d a d b c b