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Reading Skills for College Students
Fourth Edition
by Ophelia H. Hancock
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The fourth edition of Reading Skills for College Students continues in the tradition of the previous editions--to improve the reading skills of college students and to increase their enjoyment of reading. With the increasing abundance of information available, students are required to read more both in and out of class. Therefore, it is mandatory to develop proficient reading skills and be able to critically select and evaluate information.
The format of this edition again allows for flexibility. An instructor may begin with any chapter desired or may omit chapters or exercises according to needs of individual classes. However, each chapter is strengthened by the preceding chapter or chapters. The exercises for each skill begins on an easy level and gets more difficult as the skill is perfected.
The book is divided into three major parts.
Part One, Reading Skills...
covers all the basic skills of reading-vocabulary, comprehension, and rate, while providing a wealth of interesting reading materials. All paragraphs and passages were selected not only to teach the skill intended but to add to the students' background knowledge as well. Every conceivable kind of questioning is used in the book, from true-false to essay, to prepare students for all the methods of teaching and tests that they will encounter. Each vocabulary and comprehension skill is explained with examples and is then reinforced with exercises using the skill. Chapter Two, Context Clues, has been expanded by adding paragraphs and a longer passage with words in context. The details, inferences, and critical reading chapters (Chapters Six, Nine, and Ten respectively), all have new passages with practice to strengthen by using these skills. The study skills chapter is an overview of study techniques and test-taking strategies. The rate chapter stresses phrase reading for ideas, flexibility in rate of reading, and the importance of determining a purpose for reading. Chapter Twelve, Graphics, covers graphs, charts, tables, and maps. This chapter follows the same format as the other skills chapters of explanation, examples, and then practice. In a reading context, graphics are designed to support information in the text. Therefore, in the exercises for this chapter, the graphics are presented in reading passages rather than in isolation.
Part Two, Reading in the Content Area...
contains six chapters: Literature, History, Political Science, Psychology, Biology, and Computer Science and Data Processing. Each chapter contains one long passage selected from a college textbook and is followed by a detailed vocabulary and comprehension exercise.
Part Three, Reading Selections...
has been expanded with two additional short stories, "The Chaser" and "The Necklace," making a total of five short stories in the text. Other selections were selected from newspapers, magazines, and books to provide a wide variety of reading materials. Each selection is followed by a vocabulary and comprehension exercise using a wide variety of activities and questioning techniques. The selections are arranged progressively from an easy reading level to a more difficult one, regardless of length, allowing the instructor to adapt the selections to individual classes.
This edition, like the previous three, provides opportunities throughout the text to practice good writing skills. In addition, each of the Suggestions for Further Study at the end of each chapter contains suggestions for expanding both reading and writing skills.
The Instructor's Manual with Tests contains teaching suggestions for each chapter, answers to all the exercises in the book, and tests on each reading skill.
Thank you for choosing Reading Skills for College Students for your reading classes. I hope you enjoy using the textbook as much as I enjoyed writing and revising it.
- Ophelia H. Hancock
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