Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

After successful completion of Reading 117, students will be able to:

• Read textbooks and research material with increased effectiveness
• Expand both general and specialized vocabularies
• Develop inferential reading skills
• Develop awareness and application of nuances, imagery, figurative language, connotation, symbolism, irony, and satire
• Read not only with enjoyment but with a sense of enlightenment
• Respond to texts both verbally and in writing, presenting ideas and opinions based on the reading
• Access campus support services and other learning resources

Assessment may include, but is not limited to:

1. Speed reading and comprehension tests/activities
2. Quizzes on vocabulary and correct usage
3. Midterm and comprehensive final
4. Group/individual work demonstrating vocabulary usage
5. Group/individual work demonstrating comprehension strategies
6. Book review/project of novel, biography, or autobiography
7. Other assessment activities may include:
   1. 5-10 hours on computer reading software with an analysis
   2. Conference with instructor
   3. Portfolio
   4. Individual projects, such as outlines, oral book reviews, Service Learning

Themes and Concepts:
Recurring themes and concepts that students will work with include:

1. Main idea/thesis/controlling idea
2. Comprehension and rate
3. Eye movement and motor skills
4. Inferential and critical reading
5. Passive vs. active reading
6. Etymology and Greek and Latin roots/affixes

Skills

• Critical thinking skills
• Skimming, scanning and rapid reading skills
• Dictionary skills/reference skills
• Vocabulary skills
• Determining meaning by inference
• Distinguishing slanted language, fallacies, and misinformation from accurate information