Module 3: Reading Reflection

*Do you agree with Marilyn Adams (1990, pg. 108) who argued that rather than relying on content, skillful readers of English thoroughly process the individual letters of words in their texts? Why or why not?

 

I disagree with Adams argument that skilled readers focus intently on individual letters when reading a text.  I believe the reading process is so much more than that.  Weaver explains, “These studies, and indeed all the eye movement and fixation studies I have ever read about, show quite clearly that skilled readers do not focus on every word” (106).  Proficient readers do not focus on each single word much less every letter in a passage.  The eye fixation on words in a passage and the speed and fluency also determine how proficient a reader is and how well they comprehend a text.  Weaver continues to explain, “Furthermore-an observation from everyday life-good readers do not read word-for-word or even line-by-line when they choose to read more rapidly than that, as many good readers do, especially when reading for their own pleasure and their own purposes-even when their purpose is to gain information” (109).  When reading, the purpose is to gain information; therefore, I believe people read and look for key words in a passage to gain understanding.