TEACHING READING OF HORTATORY EXPOSITION TEXT BY

COMBINING VISUALIZATION STRATEGY AND HIGHLIGHTING

STRATEGY AT SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Oleh

Rahmy Putri *)

**) Handayani SB, M.Pd Pembimbing atau Pengajar Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris
STKIP PGRI Sumatera Barat

Abstrak

Makalah ini ditulis bertujuan untuk membantu mengatasi salah satu dari
sekian banyak permasalahan yang ada dalam pengajaran membaca (reading) pada
sekolah menengah atas (SMA). Selain itu makalah ini juga dimaksudkan sebagai
masukan bagi guru-guru bahasa inggris dalam melaksanakan pelajaran reading
sehingga siswa tertarik dan termotivasi untuk belajar membaca khususnya
hortatory exposition teks. Dalam makalah ini penulis membahas bagaimana
pengajaran reading melalui penggabungan strategi visualization dan strategi
highlighting. Dengan strategi ini mempermudah guru meningkatkan keinginan
siswa dalam membaca dan mempermudah siswa dalam memahami isi bacaan.
Ada beberapa langkah yang digunakan dalam penggabungan dua strategi ini
secara garis besar strategi visualization membantu siswa untuk meningkatkan latar
belakang pengetahuan siswa melalui gambar terhadap materi yang akan di ajarkan
oleh guru. Dan ada beberapa langkah yang dilakukan siswa dalam strategi
highlighting secara garis besar guru menjelaskan tentang strategi highlighting
yang digunakan untuk memgidentifikasi informasi penting dalam text dengan cara
menandai point-point penting yang terdapat dalam text dengan menggunakan
stabilo atau pensil warna. Tujuan dari penggabungan dua strategi ini agar siswa
menjadi lebih aktif, efektif dan efisien dalam membaca.

Keywords : Reading, Visualization Strategy, Highlighting Strategy.

*Penulis

**Pembimbing
Introduction
Reading is an activity which is
done to catch ideas or information of
written text. By reading, the readers will
get knowledge which is important in
daily life activity. For the students in
schools, reading is an activity which can
motivate them to be active in adding
their knowledge and activating their
thinking process. It is caused that during
reading they catch and reach much
information about anything from their
reading. Reaching much information in
reading will help the students have much
knowledge, especially related to their
study. Therefore, students are supported
to do the reading activity and have good
ability in it. It is done in order to provide
the students with full of knowledge
about everything. Also, by reading well,
the students can increase their
background knowledge and experiences
from read the written text.
Then, Reading comprehension is
ability to know or grasp ideas with the
mind. It is known that reading
comprehension is very important for our
life in the world, especially for the
students. The student can be easy to
understanding and get information from
written text that they have read.
Therefore, before the students get
information from the written text, they
must be able to back up their background
knowledge and comprehend the written
text in learning process.
Teaching reading is a guideline
for the teachers to help the students in
comprehending the text easily. From
several experts’ explanation, teaching
reading will give significance effect for
the students in reading achievement.
Teaching reading helps student to
understand what they read, how to read,
and what the purpose of reading itself.
Furthermore, the purpose of teaching
reading is to develop reader’s attitude,
ability and skill needed for gathering
information from written sources. In
teaching reading, the teacher should
apply an appropriate strategy or
technique of reading based on problem
faced by the students in comprehending
the text.
Based on the writer’s experience
in teaching reading when the writer did
teaching practice at Senior High School,
there are some factors which faced by
the students to understanding the written
text. Those problems are caused by some
factors that made the students failed in
reading. The first factor is from the
strategy of teaching reading that was be
used by the teacher. The teachers use a
single strategy and same strategy in
teaching reading.
The second factor is from the
teachers. The teachers did not motivate
the students to activate their background
knowledge in learning process. The
teacher only uses some questions and
some ways to back up the students’
background knowledge.
The last factor is from the
students. There are some factors can
cause the students failed in reading.
First, students were difficult to
understand word by word from the
written text. Second, students were
difficult to find the idea from the written
text. Third, students have lack of
vocabulary and do not master the
grammatical enough, it made students
did not understand about the text. The
last, the students didn’t know how to
back up their background knowledge
based on the material that the teacher
gave in learning process. Whereas all of
them very important to understand and
comprehend the written text.
To solve the problems in reading,
the teacher should be creative in
searching a strategy in teaching reading
to improve the students’ ability in
reading. It means that students need
creative teacher that can combine or use
more than one strategy in learning
process. It can make the students
understand what the students have read.
There are many strategies that can
teacher apply in the classroom. The
writer focus visualization strategy, this
strategy learn about to create picture in
their mind and help the students to
increase their background of knowledge
through the pictures. Last, highlighting
strategy is a flexible strategy that may be
tailored to fit various types of
information, and different skill level.
These strategies help students
understand about the written text and
comprehend about what they have read.
Review of Related Literature
Reading is the process of
transferring idea and to know meaning
from words and sentences from the
written text. According to Nunan
(2003:68), reading is a fluent process of
readers combining information from the
text and their own background
knowledge to build meaning. Reading
ability is very important for daily life
and gives information for the students to
comprehend the text, because the goal of
reading is comprehension. With reading,
student can increase their knowledge
such as social, culture, politic, etc. It’s
the tool for the student to get a
comprehension about they have read
In addition, Seyler (2004:185)
gives opinion that reading is the process
of obtaining or constructing meaning
from a word or cluster of words. It
means that, reading is a process
combining words and sentences to make
the reader can get meaning from the
words. Then, word cluster as a tool for
students that make their easier to
understand the ideas from the sentences.
In words cluster students can predict the
main ideas of the sentences, without read
all of the text.
 Based on definition above, the
writer can conclude that reading is
important to students. Reading is not
only reading a text or something that is
written, but reading is an understanding
language process that needs readers’
ability to understand, to getting new
vocabularies, to increase their
background knowledge, get information
and get general idea of reading material.
So, these are the reason why reading is
important by the students.
Teaching Reading
Teaching reading is very
important in teaching English.
According to Davies (2000:92) there is
three activities in teaching reading
comprehension. The first pre-reading
activity, this activity is designed to
prepare the students for actual reading of
the selected materials. second, whilst-
reading activity; this activity is the core
activity in teaching learning process. In
whilst reading activity, the teacher
distributes the text to the students. And
the last post-reading activity, It is an
activity in teaching reading to
comprehend the text. In post reading
activity, the teacher asks the students to
retell about the text. And make summary
about the text.
Next, Nunan (2003:68) teaching
reading usually has at least two aspects.
It can refer to teaching learners who are
learning to read for the very first time
and refers to teaching learners who
already have reading skills in their first
language. It means that, in teaching
reading the students learn how to read in
one language and the students learn how
to transfer skills that they have already
learned to the new reading context in a
new language.
In conclusion, teaching reading is
how to derive meaning as well as
analyze and synthesize what they have
read is an essential part of the reading
process. So, the teachers help the
students how to make the students
understand about the text. Then, the
teacher should know what the student
need in teaching learning process, and
stages of reading is before reading,
during reading and after reading. In
teaching reading the students learn how
to read in one language and the students
learn how to transfer skills that they have
already learned to the new reading
context in a new language.
Visualization Strategy
According to Antonacci et al
(2009:154) visualizes is instructional
strategy that facilities comprehension of
informational text trough the use of
imagery. This strategy helps students to
understand about informational text
through the use of imagery.
Then, Roe et al (2010:197) stated
visualization is the process of forming
mental images that depict reading
content, such as story setting, character,
etc. This strategy makes students more
easily to remember the important
information from the text. It is helps
students to find important information
without read the story again.
In addition, according to Paris,
(2011:69) visualization is strategies can
helps students transform words into
higher-level concepts, and improve
student’s focus, attention to detail
independent reading skill. This strategy
helps students to improve
comprehension of their idea and easy to
find everything that student want to read
Based on the explanation above,
the writer can conclude that
Visualization strategy is one of strategy
that can be used by the teacher to help
students enjoy in reading. It it can make
the students will be easy to find the
important information without read the
story again. This strategy can help
students to develop their idea and
imagination in the story and also help
student’s increase comprehension in
reading. So, this strategy can help the
students to improve comprehension of
their idea and easy to find everything
that student want to read.
Procedure Visualization Strategy
The procedure of visualization
strategy based on Antonacci et al
(2009:155)
1) Introduce the topic to the students.
Teacher presents the topic of
hortatory exposition text through a
brainstorming activity.
2) Model analysis of the text features.
Teacher conducts a text walk before
read-aloud, nothing map, visual
aids, and chapter heading. Selected
key vocabulary words are presented
in context and discussed.
3) Read aloud selected Passage.
Teacher reads aloud the selected
passage and direct students to sketch
their idea while listening.
4) Discuss versions of illustration.
Student share the image of the
passage and discuss variation among
them. Teacher ask student to note
patterns across image such as
scenes, object, and emotions.
5) Facilitate students’ application to
text. Teacher asks student to write a
summary of the passage based on
the discussion. Students continue to
read the text and use the
visualization strategy to process the
information.
Advantages Visualization Strategy
In addition, according to Paris,
(2011:69) advantages visualization
strategy is strategies can helps students
transform words into higher-level
concepts, and improve student’s focus,
attention to detail independent reading
skill. This strategy helps students to
improve comprehension of their idea and
easy to find everything that student want
to read.
Highlighting Strategy
Highlighting strategy helps
students to organize what they have read.
There are some definitions of
Highlighting strategy based on expert.
Cerveny et al (2003) Highlighting is a
strategy which uses highlighting of main
ideas and supporting details to help
teacher teach students to improve the
organization of their reading and writing.
It means that, this strategy can make the
students will be easy to found the
important information in the text and
make the students comprehend about the
text.
Furthermore, Hedgcock et al
(2009:176) defines Highlighting is
valuable intensive reading skill, both for
comprehension monitoring while reading
and for review after reading. Effective
highlighting focuses primarily on key
ideas in a passage and may identify key
quotations that capture the sense of the
text in the author’s own voice. This
strategy helps students easier to identify
and find everything that student want to
read. This strategy focuses on key idea
and important information from the text.
In addition, Ellis (2012) state
highlighting and underlining are obvious
strategies. This strategy can help the
students to remember the important
information from the text and the teacher
can easier improve the student’s ability
to organize the text in reading and
writing skill.
Based on the explanation above,
the writer can conclude that highlighting
strategy is one of strategy that can be
used by the teacher to help students
organize what they have read by
selecting what is important information
from the text. This is a good strategy to
make students easy in understanding and
increase comprehension in reading. This
strategy make student remember where
the important information in the text.
Procedure of Highlighting Strategy
According to Harvey et al (2007:
157) there are some procedures in
highlighting strategy:
1) Look carefully at the first time and
the last line of each paragraph.
Important information is often
contained there.
2) Highlight only necessary word and
phrases, not entire sentence.
3) Jot notes in the margin or on a stick
note to paraphrase the information,
merge your thinking with it, and
better remember it.
4) Don’t get thrown off by interesting
details. Although they are
fascinating, they often obscure
important information.
 5) Make notes in the margin to
emphasize a pertinent highlighted
word or phrase.
6) Note signal words. They are almost
always followed by important
information
7) Pay attention to the vast array of
nonfiction features that signal
importance.
8) Pay attention to surprising
information. It might mean you are
learning something new.
9) When finished, check to see that no
more than a half the paragraph is
highlighted. As a readers become
more adept, on third of the
paragraph is a good measure for
highlighting.
Advantages of Highlighting Strategy
There Highlighting strategies
have advantages for the students. La
cotti (2003:18) states that highlighting
can be applied to just about any reading
assignment. So take advantage of
teachable moments unplanned moments
in your day that allow you to reinforce a
concept just reading needs. Provide time
to complete the second item on the “after
reading “side of the bookmark. This will
be enable you to see if students can
explain how highlighting helps them
understand the text.
Combining Visualization strategy and
Highlighting Strategy in teaching
reading of Hortatory Exposition text.
There are several points that can
be considered in teaching reading
through Visualization and Highlighting
strategies at senior high school such as
preparation and teaching procedure.
Preparation includes material in teaching
reading, classroom management, and
time allocation. Then, in procedures
there are included pre-teaching activity,
whilst-teaching activity, and post-
teaching activity. Visualization and
Highlighting strategies can be used in
pre-teaching activity until post-teaching
activity.
In visualization strategy the
teacher can know how far backgrounds
of knowledge that the students have
related the material that will be learn.
Visualization strategy is applied from
Pre-teaching activities as the
brainstorming related the material that
will be learned. Before it, teacher
prepares students physically and
mentally to follow learning process. In
this step the teacher begins the class by
greeting to the students and the teacher
checks the students’ attendance. Then,
the teacher ask s the students’ readiness
before starting the lesson, after that
teachers do a brainstorming to the
students by giving several picture and
giving the questions related to the topic.
Brainstorming is very
useful to pick up the students’
background of knowledge and make the
students get the idea or information
about the topic based on the pictures.
Furthermore, in whilst-teaching
activities are including exploration,
elaboration and confirmation. First, in
exploration, the teacher explains the
material to the students based on the
pictures and arguments that the students
give when they do a brainstorming
before. It means that, when the teacher
shows the pictures to the students, they
give many information and arguments
based on the pictures. So, based on the
student’s opinion, arguments and
information, the teacher can explain
what kind of the text that will be learned.
After that, the teacher gives examples of
hortatory exposition text for the students
and the teacher read aloud the text
firstly.
Next, in elaboration, the writer
applies both of the strategies and mixes
the procedures from visualization and
highlighting strategies. In this step, the
teacher asks to the students to sketch
their idea in the paper while they
listening the hortatory exposition text
that the teacher read. It means that, when
the teacher read aloud the text, the
students can imagine in their mind the
information that they get from hortatory
exposition text related to the pictures.
Next, the teacher asks the students to
read all of the hortatory exposition text
silently. Then, the teacher asks to the
students to discuss with peers about what
they choose to highlight trough the
picture that the teacher show before. It
means that, after the students read all of
the hortatory exposition text, the teacher
ask the students to look pictures 1 until
pictures 4 and the students discuss with
peers to search the important information
from the pictures in hortatory exposition
text. After that, the teacher asks the
students to highlight the text with
different colors. It means that, the
teacher asks the students to highlight the
important information with different
color that the students get after discuss
with peers through the pictures in
hortatory exposition before. Next, after
the students highlight the text they must
review their highlight for comprehend
the hortatory exposition text.
Third, confirmation in this step
the teacher asks the students to make
summaries about the hortatory
exposition text based on their languages.
It means that, the teacher ask the
students to make summaries based on
the pictures and important information
that they highlight in exploration and
elaboration before. Next, the students
can comprehend about the hortatory
exposition text. It means that, after the
students make summaries about the text,
the teacher can know how far the
students comprehend about the hortatory
exposition text.
The last in post-teaching activity,
in this step the teacher assign score
based on individual score gains. It means
that, after the students finish making
summaries, the teacher asks the students
to collect their summaries and the
teacher gives individual score about their
summaries. Then, the teacher asks the
students about the material that have
been learn in the classroom. It means
that, the teacher gives several question to
the students related the material that the
teacher teaches before in the classroom.
It purpose to evaluate how far the
students’ comprehending the lesson.
Next, the teacher gives conclusion about
the lesson to the students. It means that,
the teacher gives simple conclusion
about hortatory exposition text. The last,
the teacher closes the teaching learning
process.
Conclusion
Based on the explanation in
previous chapter, the writer concludes
that reading is one of important skills in
English learning. Reading is the way
people to get information, ideas and add
the reader’s knowledge as a result from
what they are reading. In teaching
learning process, reading helps the
students to get information from the text
and helps the students easy to
comprehend what is the text about. In
teaching reading the teacher should
know purpose of teaching reading as a
skill that have to be learned by students,
especially for students at senior high
school, but in fact, some students still
have problem in teaching reading. It was
because by some problems that the
students got difficult to understand and
comprehend the text that they have read,
it was difficult for them to find the main
idea. Then, the way of the teacher in
applying the strategy is not suitable for
the student’s condition.
To overcome the problem above,
the teacher should consider a good
teaching strategy. The teacher not only
can use one strategy, but also can
combine two strategies in teaching
reading, such as: Combining
Visualization and Highlighting
strategies. These strategies are designed
to help students in reading
comprehension, build students critical
thinking and explore what they are get
after read. Visualization strategy helps
students to focus important information
and important idea in the text. This
strategy uses students’ imagination to
comprehend the text. When student’s
visualization the text, students can
develop their imagination and increase
their concentration in reading. The
students can easy to find the most
important idea without read again the
text. Highlighting strategy helps students
focus to get important information and
important idea in text. When students
highlight the text, students increase their
concentration in reading. This strategy
can help students remember about the
idea that the students want. They can
find the most important idea without and activities for years 1-9. New
read again the text. York : Queensland Studies
Authority.
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