Corso di Lingua 

Inglese
Dipartimento di Psicologia
Università degli Studi di Torino
Prof.ssa Elisa Armellino
Three prejudices on reading
O If you don’t know every single word in an
article you can’t understand it
O If you want to understand an article, you
have to read it from beginning to end
O You need a lot of time to read an
article/articles cannot be read quickly
 Reading stages
O Pre-reading (predictions, deductions on content)

O Reading (its pace varies according to your goal and

to the text)

O Post-reading (e.g.: review, summary)

 Reading Techniques
Two main reading techniques:

Skimming
Scanning

­ They have different aims

­ They follow different procedures

­ They both help readers understand texts

 Skimming
To skim = to move fast above a surface without
touching it:
The birds skimmed over the tops of the hills.

Thus, skimming a text means…

READING A TEXT FAST IN ORDER TO GET
THE GIST… that is, the general idea in a text
 Reading for Gist
O You do it when…

You don’t have enough time to read the entire article

You want to realize if the article suits your needs
You are not interested in detailed information
 Scanning
O To scan = to look at something (or someone) carefully

Nancy and Fred scanned Mary’s face in order to

understand if she was the person they were waiting for

Thus, scanning means…

TO READ A TEXT CAREFULLY IN ORDER TO
IDENTIFY SOME KEY INFORMATION AND IDEAS
 Reading Activity

http://
dyslexia.yale.edu/Dyslexia_articleintro.html
(see Pdf)
 Pre­reading
Consider the title, the sub-heading and the pictures:
O 1) make predictions on the content and type of
information in the article – which aspects of dyslexia
are going to be dealt with?
O 2) What type of language are you going to find?
Does the article suit your needs?
 Activities: 1st section

1) What is the first feature of dyslexic people the

articles makes clear immediately?
2) Why is dyslexia based on a paradox?

3) What used to be considered as the first cause of

dyslexia and what is it considered to be now?
4) Why does the author resort to Gregory’s case?
Mention at least 2 possible functions
 Activities: 2nd section
O Identify the key words to understand what the phonological model is

O How many phonemes is the word ‘cat’ made by?

O Since in speech phonemes are not clearly separated, what may our brain
do when we pronounce the word?
O Why are Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker mentioned?
 Activities: 2nd section
O Why is reading more difficult than speaking for dyslexic people?
Can you already provide an explanation just by looking at the
pictures and going through the captions?
O What is relevance of the experiment by “the

late Isabelle Y. Liberman of Haskins Laboratories”?

(What is the function of the òast part of section2?)

Activities: 3rd­4th section
1) What are the key words and key points
of “The Neurobiology of Reading”?
2) List the weak and strong aspects of
dyslexic people as these are described by
the author
 Conclusion
Now that you have finished reading, try to
summarize the content of the article to the
person sitting next to you.
The ‘listener’ will help you add useful
information if necessary
 Taking lecture notes
1st rule: be selective!
2nd rule: write in the same language the
lecture is given in
3rd rule: don’t worry if you miss a word…
postpone the time for filling the gap
4th rule: use formulas, abbreviations,
symbols to save time
 Taking lecture notes
O 5th rule: pay attention to non verbal
communication (it may indicate that
something important is going to be said)
O Examples of clues: INTONATION,
REPETITIONS, WORD SIGNALS (FIRST
OF ALL; THERE ARE 3 MAIN
ELEMENTS TO BE CONSIDERED;
FINALLY, ETC.), GESTUALITY
 Taking lecture notes
6th rule: exploit the visual and written
material that may be provided during the
lecture
revise your notes as soon as possible
7th rule: do listening practice with a wide
variety of audio material to improve your
listening skills
 ACTIVITY: Taking notes

Dyslexia: An Impairment of Language

Learning lecture by Prof. Maggie Snowling
at the British Academy

https
://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRNLonXAhd
k
 ACTIVITY: Taking notes
O What is dyslexia?

O What is its origin?

O What may be its consequences?

O What is ‘reading’?

O What did you pick up when she pointed to the

map?
O When was dyslexia first described and when?
 ACTIVITY: Taking notes
O Which was a possible cause of dyslexia
for Pringle Morgan?
O What changes with Orton about the way
dyslexia is defined?
O Who was Anna Gillingham? How did she
help dyslexic children?
O What do you remember about the Isle of
Wight Study?