Extensive reading strategies focus on enjoying reading and building fluency, rather than meticulously analyzing texts. These strategies emphasize reading for pleasure and overall comprehension.
Here are key strategies employed in extensive reading:
- Reading for General Meaning: The primary goal is to understand the overall message and enjoy the story or information, rather than getting bogged down in every detail.
- Guessing at or Ignoring Unknown Words/Passages: Rather than stopping to look up every unfamiliar word, readers are encouraged to guess the meaning from context or simply skip over words or passages that don't significantly impact their understanding. This maintains reading momentum.
- Being Comfortable with Ambiguity: Recognizing that perfect comprehension is not always necessary or attainable. Readers should be okay with some level of uncertainty about specific details, as long as the general meaning is clear.
- Choosing Appropriate Reading Material: Selecting texts that are at a comfortable reading level is critical. This ensures that the reader can understand the majority of the text without excessive difficulty. The material should also be genuinely interesting to the reader.
- Reading Regularly and Frequently: Consistent reading is key to improving fluency and comprehension. Setting aside dedicated time for extensive reading can help develop a reading habit.
- Focus on Quantity: Aiming to read a large volume of material, rather than spending a lot of time analyzing short texts. The more you read, the more your vocabulary and reading skills will improve.
In summary, extensive reading strategies prioritize fluency, enjoyment, and overall comprehension over meticulous analysis, encouraging readers to embrace ambiguity and read a large volume of material at a comfortable level.
