Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at thach thanh 4 high school to prepare for the 2016 national competition

Thach Thanh 4 High school

Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen

INDEX
PAGE
APPENDIX ............................................................................................................
I. INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................1
1. Reasons for the research…………………………………………….................1
2. Purposes ……………………………………………………………….………..1
3. Subjects ……………………………………………………………….…...........1
4. Methods……………………………………………………………….………....1
II. CONTENT ……………………………………………………………..….1 - 19
1. Theoretical background ……………………………………………..…….1 - 2
2. Reality before applying the research…………………………………..………2
3. Researches and solutions that have been used to solve problems……..……..2
3.1. Reading comprehension skills…………………………………….………2 - 4
3.1.1 Skimming ……………………………………………………………..……..2
3.1.2. Scanning……………………………………………………………..………3
3.1.3. Paraphrasing………………………………………………………….…3 - 4
3.1.4. Kinds of basic question in reading comprehension skills………….…4 -15
3.1.5. Example for all the types of questions of reading comprehension skills
……………………………………………………………………………..…...15-19
4. Effectiveness of research……………………………………………....………19
III.CONCLUSION………………………………………………………....…….20
1. General conclusion ……………………………………………………....……20
2. Recommendation………………………………………………………....……20
REFERENCES……………………………………………………………...………

Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students
at Thach Thanh 4 High School to prepare for the national competition

1


Thach Thanh 4 High school

Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen

I. INTRODUCTION
1. Reasons for the research
Today English is regarded as a global language that anyone in the world needs to
be fluent this foreign language as a way of communication and integration. So,
learning English becomes one compulsory subject for the schools. However, the
characteristics of the school where the majority of students are from ethnic
minorities, many students do not have access to English courses, and many parents
do not see the importance of it. Moreover, conditions of school facilities is limited,
these reasons prevent students from learning for English well to ethnic high school
students as well as students of Thach Thanh 4 high school
2. Purposes
From my point of view, I noticed that students often have some difficulties such
as impatience, the rules of pronunciation, new words and grammar etc. Of the four
skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing, the reading comprehension skill
always makes my students lost patience .The reading passages are too long for
them to understand because there are many new words and inferential questions
which makes any students downhearted Furthermore, this skill contains a lot of
points in the exams .Therefore, I have given my own experiences to help students
overcome the difficulties of this skills
3. Subjects
To help students figure out all the detailed method, the form of questions in the
comprehension exercises. The teacher should help students to know where the answer in

the reading is, what the way to do the type of questions is. In this way, the students will find
the method which they have to use with the types of question; it is most effective way for
them to avoid confusion between them with different ones
4. Methods
Firstly, reading comprehension skills do not only require knowledge of grammar
but also have abundant vocabulary. To do a comprehension exercise, students need
to understand at least 60-70% of the vocabulary, meaning of reading. If students do
not understand this, the reading will often provide too little information. Therefore,
students cannot find the answer to choose the multiple questions. Before reading,
students should be equipped with a quantity of vocabulary about 3000 words and
some fixed grammatical structure. For national exams, the new words are wide and
quite diverse. In this case, we need to learn words from basic to advanced
Instructure students to learn new words through film, picture or in the process of
doing comprehension exercises

Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students
at Thach Thanh 4 High School to prepare for the national competition

2


Thach Thanh 4 High school

Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen

II.CONTENT
1. Theoretical background
Reading comprehension skill is one of the most difficult skills because it needs
many factors such as vocabulary, grammar to answer the question. Students are not
often easy to get an answer quickly, translate the meaning of it. Even though they

have found the passage that relates to the answer but in some case, they cannot find
out the answer. Maybe they do not know the closest meaning, opposite meaning,
the way to move from specific nouns into common nouns, change part of speech
and use other structures
2. Reality before applying the research
Understanding the student’s difficulties , teacher must know how to simplify the
types of questions in order that the students can increase their interest, help them
see that this skill is not too difficult as they thought, make students feel passion for
all types of questions as well as for English subject
3. Researches and solutions that have been used to solve problems
Teacher must find the measures to solve the difficulties of reading comprehension
skills, provide many examples from easy to difficult, ask students to look up and
learn by heart all kind of words that concern vocabulary or the structure as a source
of examples for the following exercises. Besides, teacher need to ask them to do
this one for each topic to realize what kind of vocabulary is used for that topics,
help them increase vocabulary for other skills, such as filling in the blanks, etc;
Show students that they have to understand certainly the skill of each type, practice
more and more to be abundant experience for themselves
As the student’s difficulties I see, through researching and teaching, I have given
some interesting methods for this skill, here are some experiences myself so as to
help students cope with the difficulties of reading comprehension skills
3.1. Reading comprehension skills
Before doing reading comprehension exercises, students have to understand
clearly some basic skills .There are three basic skills that often appear in reading
3.1.1 Skimming
● Definition
Skimming refers to the process of reading only main ideas within a passage to
get an overall impression of the content of a reading selection
● When is skimming skill used?
- Skimming to find the significance of readings in order to determine where is the

important information; to determine the main keywords
- After skimming a passage, you will determine whether you need to read this skill then

● How to skim
- Read the title and the introduction or the first paragraph
- Read the first sentence of every other paragraph and any heading and sub-heading
Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students
at Thach Thanh 4 High School to prepare for the national competition

3


Thach Thanh 4 High school

Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen

- Notice any pictures, charts or graphs, any italicized or boldface words or phrases
- Read the summary or last paragraph
3.1.2. Scanning
● Definition
Scanning is a reading technique to be used when you want to find specific
information quickly. In scanning you have a question in your mind and you read a
passage only to find the answer, ignoring unrelated information
● When is Scanning skill used?
Scanning is often used when searching for data such as names, dates, parameters
or words in texts without reading and understanding all the other parts of the
questions or for students, after completing skimming they can apply Scanning to
find the exact answer
● How to Scan
- State the specific information you are looking for

- Try to anticipate how the answer will appear and what clues you might use to help
you locate the answer
- Use heading and any other aids that will help you identify which sections might
contain the information you are looking for
- Selectively read and skip through sections of the passage
3.1.3. Paraphrasing
● Definition
Paraphrasing is using your own words to express someone else’s ideas whilst
still preserving the main ideas of the original source
For example:
* Original: Her life spanned years of incredible change of women
* Paraphrases: Mary lived through an era of liberating reform for women
● Some paraphrase’s technique
This technique consists of the following ways:
♦ Using synonyms
For example:
* A car exhibition → An auto show
* To identify problems in the system → To expose defects in the system
♦ Using antonyms
For example:
* The public school is opened to Monday through Saturday →The public school is
closed on Sunday
* To encourage better attendance → To have fewer absences
♦ Moving from a specific noun into common noun
For example:
Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students
at Thach Thanh 4 High School to prepare for the national competition

4

Thach Thanh 4 High school

Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen

* They are buying some apples →they are buying some fruits
* She has bought a microwave oven for two days → She has bought a kitchen
♦ Moving from a common noun into a specific noun
For example:
* Fossil fuels → coal, oil, and gas
* Transportation → bus, subway, train and airline service
♦ Word class conversion
For example:
* He cycles very slowly → He is very slow cyclist
* To take occasional walks →To walk occasionally
♦ Using other structures
For example:
* High salary based on the level of prior experience →Pay depends on how much
experience the employee has
* Public parking is available, but limited → Visitors aren’t easy to find a place to park

3.1.4. Kinds of basic question in reading comprehension skills
There are nine questions that usually appear in reading comprehension .It is
divided into three main groups: the question of main idea, the question of specific
information and reference, the question of vocabulary
● The questions of main idea
- Question 1: Finding the main idea of the reading
- Question 2: Finding the purpose of the reading
In general, the readings are at least a question of this type, it can be asked in
many different forms but finally, it will ask students to identify “topic”, “title”, “

subject” “main idea”. Here is a main ideas questions table which helps students
understand exactly for this ones
Main ideas questions
Some kinds of main -what is the topic/subject of the passage?
ideas questions
-what is the main idea of the passage?
-what is the author’s main point in the passage?
-what is the author’s main purpose in the
passage?
The answer
-The question is usually located the first or last
of each paragraph. If the main idea isn’t the first
or last of each paragraph, we will do it after
completing all other questions
The method
-Read the first line of each passage
-Find the most common idea in the first line and
the relationship between them
Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students
at Thach Thanh 4 High School to prepare for the national competition

5


Thach Thanh 4 High school

Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen

-while reading, pay attention to the keywords
that is repeated several times

-skim all passage to check the correct content
-Eliminate wrong answers certainly, normally,
the main idea isn’t too general, too specific or
not mentioned
-Choose the best answer in other options
♦ Give the example to explain this method
An air pollutant is defined as a compound added directly or indirectly by humans to the
atmosphere in such qualities as to affect humans, animals, vegetation, or material
adversely .Air pollution requires a very flexible definition that permits continuous change.
When the first air pollution laws were established in England in the fourteenth century, air
pollutants were limited to compounds that could be seen or smelled- a far cry from the
extensive list of harmful substances known today. As technology has developed and
knowledge of the health aspects of various chemicals has increased, the list of air
pollutants has lengthened. In the future, even water vapor might be considered an air
pollutant under certain conditions
Many of the more important air pollutants, such as sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, and
nitrogen oxides, are found in nature. As the earth developed, the concentration of these
pollutants was altered by various chemical reactions; they became components in
biogeochemical cycles. These serve as an air purification scheme by allowing the
compounds to move from the air to the water or soil. On a global basis, nature’s output of
these compounds dwarfs that resulting from human activities
However, human production usually occurs in a localized area, such as a city .In such a
region, human output may be dominant and may temporarily overload the natural
purification scheme of the cycles. The result is an increased concentration of noxious
chemicals in the air. The concentrations at which the adverse effects appear will be greater
than the concentrations that the pollutants would have in the absence of human activities.
The actual concentration need to be large for a substance to be a pollutant; in fact, the
numerical value tells us little until we know how much of an increase this represents over
the concentration that would occurs naturally in the area. For example , sulfur dioxide has
detectable health effects at 0.08 parts per million (ppm) , which is about 400 times its

natural level of 0.1 ppm and is not usually a pollutant until its level reaches about 15 ppm
Question: what does the passage mainly discuss?
A. the economic impact of air pollution
B. what constitutes an air pollutant
C. how much harm air pollutants can cause
D. the effects of compounds added to the atmosphere
Explain the answer.
Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students
at Thach Thanh 4 High School to prepare for the national competition

6


Thach Thanh 4 High school

Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen

Skimming the first and last each paragraph to find the main idea the passage. Then,
we can use elimination to find the best answer
A. the economic impact of air pollution is not mentioned
B. the passage refers to the pollutants in the 14th century in England until now
C. the passage is not mentioned about how much harm air pollutants can cause
D. the effects of compounds added to the atmosphere .this isn’t main idea the
passage ►The correct answer is B (what constitutes an air pollutant)
-Question 3: Identify organizational ideas, general organization or attitude
This kind of question, we are often asked to identify passage’s organization or
author’s attitude. For question about organization, we should pay attention to the
connection words between paragraphs. For the question about author’s attitude, we
should notice the adjective expression
Organization question

Signal
Time order/chronological order
Firstly, secondly, finally, next, then.
Cause and Effect
Because, since, as, as a result
Definition and example
Define, mean, indicate
Comparison and contrast
On the other hand, more, less, most
Problem-solution
Cause, result in/ deal with
♦ Provide the example for this kind’s question
Increasing numbers of parents in the US are choosing to teach their children at home
.In fact; the US department of education has estimated that in 1999, about 850.000
children were being homeschooled. Some educational experts say that the real number is
double this estimate, and the ranks of homeschooled children seem to be growing at the
average rate of about eleven percent every year. At one time, there was a theory accounting
for homeschooling: it was traditionally used for students who could not attend school
because of behavioral or learning difficulties. Today, however, more parents are taking on
the responsibility of educating their own children at home due to their dissatisfaction with
the educational system. Many parents are unhappy about class size, as well as problems
inside the classroom. Teacher shortages and lack of funding mean that, in many schools,
one teacher is responsible for thirty or forty students. Escalating classroom violence has
also motivated some parents to remove their children from school
Although there have been a lot of arguments for and against it, homeschooling in the
U.S has become a multi-million dollar industry, and it is growing bigger and bigger. There
are now plenty of websites, support groups, and conventions that help parents protect their
rights and enable them to learn more about educating their children .Though once it was
the only choice for troubled children, homeschooling today is an accepted alternative to an
educational system that many believe is failing

Question: The attitude of the author towards homeschooling can be best
described as…..
A. acceptable B. favorable
C. remarkable
D. unfavorable
Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students
at Thach Thanh 4 High School to prepare for the national competition

7


Thach Thanh 4 High school

Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen

Explain the answer:
For this kind of question, we should do after skimming all passage to understand
the passage’s main content to find the attitude of author. In this passage, the author
gives the thesis about the trend of increasing numbers parents for homeschooling in
the USA.
The reasons for this trend are taking place and developing, so the author’s attitude
is positive ►The best answer is B (favorable)
● Stated detail questions
-Question 4.Determining information that appears in the reading
The question about determining information in reading always asks little detailed
information in reading. Answer for the question is available information in the
reading. Normally, the correct answer is only “restatement” again the information
by using different expression words. Below is the table’s stated detail question
Stated detail questions
-According to the passage,

The questions
-It is stated in the passage……………………
-The passage indicates that……………………….
-Which
of
the
following
is
true……………………..
The answer
It is located in the reading
The methods
-Underline main word, important idea in the
reading
-Use scanning skills to find appropriate passage
to read carefully information
-Read carefully sentences which contain the key
and idea in the question
-Eliminate the mistake options and choose the
best answer
♦ Provide the example for this stated detail questions
An air pollutant is defined as a compound added directly or indirectly by humans to the
atmosphere in such qualities as to affect humans, animals, vegetation, or material
adversely .Air pollution requires a very flexible definition that permits continuous change.
When the first air pollution laws were established in England in the fourteenth century, air
pollutants were limited to compounds that could be seen or smelled- a far cry from the
extensive list of harmful substances known today. As technology has developed and
knowledge of the health aspects of various chemicals has increased, the list of air
pollutants has lengthened. In the future, even water vapor might be considered an air
pollutant under certain conditions

Many of the more important air pollutants, such as sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, and
nitrogen oxides, are found in nature. As the earth developed, the concentration of these
Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students
at Thach Thanh 4 High School to prepare for the national competition

8


Thach Thanh 4 High school

Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen

pollutants was altered by various chemical reactions; they became components in
biogeochemical cycles. These serve as an air purification scheme by allowing the
compounds to move from the air to the water or soil. On a global basis, nature’s output of
these compounds dwarfs that resulting from human activities
However, human production usually occurs in a localized area, such as a city .In such a
region, human output may be dominant and may temporarily overload the natural
purification scheme of the cycles. The result is an increased concentration of noxious
chemicals in the air. The concentrations at which the adverse effects appear will be greater
than the concentrations that the pollutants would have in the absence of human activities.
The actual concentration need to be large for a substance to be a pollutant; in fact, the
numerical value tells us little until we know how much of an increase this represents over
the concentration that would occurs naturally in the area. For example , sulfur dioxide has
detectable health effects at 0.08 parts per million (ppm) , which is about 400 times its
natural level of 0.1 ppm and is not usually a pollutant until its level reaches about 15 ppm
Question: According to the passage, human –generated air pollution in
localized regions…………..
A .can be dwarfed by nature’s output of pollutants
B .can overwhelm ( lấn át )the natural system that removes pollutants

C .will damage areas outside of the localized regions
D .will react harmfully with natural pollutants
Explain the answer:
“Key words” in the question is “human-generated” “air pollution” “localized regions”. So,
we have to use scanning skill to find where key word located in the passage is. We can see
the information in sentence: “human output may be dominant and may temporarily
overload the natural purification scheme of the cycles”
►The correct answer is B (can overwhelm the natural system that removes
pollutants)
●Unstated detail questions
-Question 5: Determining information that is not mentioned in the passage
It means that you find the answer which its content isn’t mentioned. It often
appears the words such as: “not mentioned” “not stated” “all the following options
are true Except” or “not true”. This kind of question has three options that contain
the same information in the paragraph and one question is not mentioned in the
ones. Below are the table’s unstated detail questions
Unstated detail questions
The question
-Which of the following is not stated/mentioned…?
-Which of the following is not discussed…………?
-All of the following are true except………………?
The answer
The answer is the information that is not mentioned
in the passage or it is a incorrect answer
Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students
at Thach Thanh 4 High School to prepare for the national competition

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The method

Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen

-Read carefully the question and the available
options, underline key words
-Skim quickly to choose the appropriate information
part for key words
-Eliminate the options that is mentioned or correct
in the reading
-Choose the answer that is not mentioned or
incorrect

♦ Provide the example for this stated detail questions
Fiber scopes are one of the most important outcomes of the science of fiber optics.
Fivers made of glass and transparent acrylic plastic are capable of conveying light energy,
and when thousands of these fibers are combined in what is called a fiberscope, they can
transmit images. The most common fiberscopes contain about 750,000 fibers, each 0.001
centimeter, or 10 microns, in diameter. For certain uses, the diameter of the fiber may be as
small as 5 microns.
Fiberscopes have a wide range of applications. In the medical field, physicians use
fiberscopes to examine internal organs and as an aid in the dedicate surgery. Miniature
probes have also been developed to view muscle fiber, skin tissue, and blood cells.
Fiberscopes have also found varied uses in industry, particularly to inspect or control
operations in inaccessible areas. Bundles of fiberscopes fused together in a solid plate,
called a faceplate, are being used in the manufacture of television tubes and other cathoderay tube devices
The most far reaching applications of fiber-optic technology are in communication.
Optical fibers carry voice message for telephone service. The sound of the voice is

electronically broken down into thousands of pulses of second, which causes a transmitting
laser to send coordinated pulse of light through the optical fibers. At the receiving end, the
light pulse are converted to electrical signals and the voice message is reconstructed
.Light-wave communication systems can handle an immensely greater number of telephone
calls and television programmes than the current system, and they will form the basis of
the “ electronic superhighway” expected to crisscross the nation in the near future of the
information age.
Question: Fiberscopes are being used to do all of the following Except……….
A. assist in delicate surgeries
B. control operations in inaccessible areas
C. converts light pulses to electrical signals
D. transmit images
Explain the answer:
The information in passage “In the medical field, physicians use fiberscopes to
examine internal organs and as an aid in the dedicate surgery (A). Miniature probes
Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students
at Thach Thanh 4 High School to prepare for the national competition

10


Thach Thanh 4 High school

Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen

have also been developed to view muscle fiber, skin tissue, and blood cells.
Fiberscopes have also found varied uses in industry, particularly to inspect or
control operations in inaccessible areas (B). They can transmit images (D)
►The answer is C (Convert light pulses to electrical signals)
● Question about where in the passage

-Question 6: Finding the information where is in the passage
This question asks to find information in the question about where is the
information mentioned in the passage, it is located in where line or paragraph in
reading. The answer will be lines or paragraphs that have the information. Below is
the table’s question about where in the passage
Question about where in the passage
The question
Where in the passage…………….?
The answer
The answer is some connective lines in the reading
which contain the information of question
The method
-Determine the key word or main idea of the question
;read quickly the options
-Skim all passage to find out the information’s
location of key word in the question
-Choose the best answer
♦ Provide the example for this question about where in the passage
Fiber scopes are one of the most important outcomes of the science of fiber
optics. Fivers made of glass and transparent acrylic plastic are capable of
conveying light energy, and when thousands of these fibers are combined in what is
called a fiberscope, they can transmit images. The most common fiberscopes
contain about 750,000 fibers, each 0.001 centimeter, or 10 microns, in diameter.
For certain uses, the diameter of the fiber may be as small as 5 microns.
Fiberscopes have a wide range of applications. In the medical field, physicians
use fiberscopes to examine internal organs and as an aid in the dedicate surgery.
Miniature probes have also been developed to view muscle fiber, skin tissue, and
blood cells. Fiberscopes have also found varied uses in industry, particularly to
inspect or control operations in inaccessible areas. Bundles of fiberscopes fused
together in a solid plate, called a faceplate, are being used in the manufacture of

television tubes and other cathode-ray tube devices
The most far reaching applications of fiber-optic technology are in
communication. Optical fibers carry voice message for telephone service. The
sound of the voice is electronically broken down into thousands of pulses of second,
which causes a transmitting laser to send coordinated pulse of light through the
optical fibers. At the receiving end, the light pulse are converted to electrical
signals and the voice message is reconstructed .Light-wave communication systems
can handle an immensely greater number of telephone calls and television
Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students
at Thach Thanh 4 High School to prepare for the national competition

11


Thach Thanh 4 High school

Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen

programmes than the current system, and they will form the basis of the “
electronic superhighway” expected to crisscross the nation in the near future of the
information age.
Question: Where in the passage does the author discuss the use of miniature
probes in medicines?
A. at the end of paragraph 1
B. in the middle of paragraph 2
C. at the beginning of paragraph 3
D .at the end of paragraph 3
Explain the answer:
To answer the question, we should read carefully the question and underline the key
words “use of” “miniature probes” “medicines” to determine the content you need.

Then, look quickly the location of key words. We can see the information
“Miniature probes have also been developed to view muscle fiber, skin tissue, and
blood cells” ►The answer is B (In the middle of paragraph 2)
● Implied detail questions
-Question 7: Question about inference
This question usually asks you to give conclusions or inferences about detailed
information in the passage. This question contains the words “implied, inferred,
probably” These words help you realize the signal of this question. The answer
isn’t directly available in the passage. We have to rely on the available information
to infer and give the conclusion. Below is the table’s implied detail questions
Implied detail questions
The question
-It is implied in the passage that……………
-It can be inferred from the passage that….
-It is most likely that…………….
-What probably happened…….?
The answer
The answer for the question is based on understanding
yourself in the readings. However, we can find the order
of readings.
The method
-Find out key words
-Skim to find where is the location of key words
-Read carefully sentences that contain key words
-Find out the appropriate answer in the passage
-Use elimination for the most incorrect answer, then,
choose the best answer in the rest of options
♦ Provide the example for question about inference
Fiber scopes are one of the most important outcomes of the science of fiber optics. Fivers
made of glass and transparent acrylic plastic are capable of conveying light energy, and

when thousands of these fibers are combined in what is called a fiberscope, they can
transmit images. The most common fiberscopes contain about 750,000 fibers, each 0.001
Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students
at Thach Thanh 4 High School to prepare for the national competition

12


Thach Thanh 4 High school

Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen

centimeter, or 10 microns, in diameter. For certain uses, the diameter of the fiber may be as
small as 5 microns.
Fiberscopes have a wide range of applications. In the medical field, physicians use
fiberscopes to examine internal organs and as an aid in the dedicate surgery. Miniature
probes have also been developed to view muscle fiber, skin tissue, and blood cells.
Fiberscopes have also found varied uses in industry, particularly to inspect or control
operations in inaccessible areas. Bundles of fiberscopes fused together in a solid plate,
called a faceplate, are being used in the manufacture of television tubes and other cathoderay tube devices
The most far reaching applications of fiber-optic technology are in communication.
Optical fibers carry voice message for telephone service. The sound of the voice is
electronically broken down into thousands of pulses of second, which causes a transmitting
laser to send coordinated pulse of light through the optical fibers. At the receiving end, the
light pulse are converted to electrical signals and the voice message is reconstructed
.Light-wave communication systems can handle an immensely greater number of telephone
calls and television programmes than the current system, and they will form the basis of the
“ electronic superhighway” expected to crisscross the nation in the near future of the
information age.
Question: It can be inferred from the passage that fiberscopes………………

A. have more uses in industry than in medicine
B. will play a major role in the information age
C. will decrease in importance as they become more common
D. have reached the peak of their development
Explain the answer:
To do the sentence, you should underline key words in the question. The passage
talks about fiberscope’s major role in the information age. The key words are
“major role in the information age”.
We can find out the information “Fiberscopes will form the basis of the
“electronic superhighway” expected to crisscross the nation in the near future of the
information age.”
For question about inference, we should combine all skills to do, understand the
part of speech and topics that is mentioned in the passage
►The correct answer is B (will play a major role in the information age)
● Reference questions
-Question 8: Finding out word or phrase word that is referred to the passage
Commonly, this question often use pronouns “she, he, they…..” or “them, it, him” ,
possessive “ their , its” or “ this, that, these, those” to use the word that will be
inferred. The question usually appears the word “refer” and you only read carefully
the reference questions and the previous sentences. The answer is in the previous
sentence or reference sentence . Below is the table’s reference questions
Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students
at Thach Thanh 4 High School to prepare for the national competition

13


Thach Thanh 4 High school

Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen

Reference questions
The question
The word “X” in the passage refers to
The answer
It is the phrases in previous sentence or reference
questions
The method
-Read the questions and available options
-Skim to find out reference word in the question
-Read carefully the sentence that contains reference
word and the previous sentence, find out phrases
which is listed in the choice of answer
-Use elimination for the most incorrect answer, then,
Choose the best answer in the rest of options
♦ Provide the example for question about inference
Fiberscopes are one of the most important outcomes of the science of fiber
optics. Fivers made of glass and transparent acrylic plastic are capable of
conveying light energy, and when thousands of these fibers are combined in what is
called a fiberscope, they can transmit images. The most common fiberscopes
contain about 750,000 fibers, each 0.001 centimeter, or 10 microns, in diameter.
For certain uses, the diameter of the fiber may be as small as 5 microns.
Fiberscopes have a wide range of applications. In the medical field, physicians
use fiberscopes to examine internal organs and as an aid in the dedicate surgery.
Miniature probes have also been developed to view muscle fiber, skin tissue, and
blood cells. Fiberscopes have also found varied uses in industry, particularly to
inspect or control operations in inaccessible areas. Bundles of fiberscopes fused
together in a solid plate, called a faceplate, are being used in the manufacture of
television tubes and other cathode-ray tube devices
The most far reaching applications of fiber-optic technology are in

communication. Optical fibers carry voice message for telephone service. The
sound of the voice is electronically broken down into thousands of pulses of second,
which causes a transmitting laser to send coordinated pulse of light through the
optical fibers. At the receiving end, the light pulse are converted to electrical
signals and the voice message is reconstructed .Light-wave communication systems
can handle an immensely greater number of telephone calls and television
programmes than the current system, and they will form the basis of the “
electronic superhighway” expected to crisscross the nation in the near future of the
information age.
Question: The word “They” in paragraph 3 refers to………….
A. fiberscopes
B. light – wave communication systems
C. television programmes
D .telephone call
Explain the answer:
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The information in sentence “Light-wave communication systems can handle an
immensely greater number of telephone calls and television programmes than the
current system and they”
► The correct answer is B (light – wave communication systems)
● Vocabulary in context question

-Question 9: Finding out synonyms or antonyms
This is kind of difficult question that ask you to guess the meaning of a difficult
word. It often appears and based on context in the passage. However, it will have
some signals for you to guess. Below is the table’s vocabulary in context question.
Vocabulary in context question
The questions
- What is the meaning of “X” in line “Y”
-The word “X” in line “Y” could be replaced by…
-Which of the following word has the closest meaning
with the word “X” in line “Y”
-Which of the following has the opposite meaning with
the word “X” in line “Y”
The answer
Base on the information around word which is given in
the passage to guess the meaning of word
The method
-Find the word in the readings
-Read carefully the sentence that contain the word you
need
-Look for clues in context to help you understand the
meaning of the word.
-Choose the answer that context shows
♦ Provide the example for question about inference
Fiber scopes are one of the most important outcomes of the science of fiber
optics. Fivers made of glass and transparent acrylic plastic are capable of
conveying light energy, and when thousands of these fibers are combined in what is
called a fiberscope, they can transmit images. The most common fiberscopes
contain about 750,000 fibers, each 0.001 centimeter, or 10 microns, in diameter.
For certain uses, the diameter of the fiber may be as small as 5 microns.
Fiberscopes have a wide range of applications. In the medical field, physicians

use fiberscopes to examine internal organs and as an aid in the dedicate surgery.
Miniature probes have also been developed to view muscle fiber, skin tissue, and
blood cells. Fiberscopes have also found varied uses in industry, particularly to
inspect or control operations in inaccessible areas. Bundles of fiberscopes fused
together in a solid plate, called a faceplate, are being used in the manufacture of
television tubes and other cathode-ray tube devices
The most far reaching applications of fiber-optic technology are in
communication. Optical fibers carry voice message for telephone service. The
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sound of the voice is electronically broken down into thousands of pulses of second,
which causes a transmitting laser to send coordinated pulse of light through the
optical fibers. At the receiving end, the light pulse are converted to electrical
signals and the voice message is reconstructed .Light-wave communication systems
can handle an immensely greater number of telephone calls and television
programmes than the current system, and they will form the basis of the “
electronic superhighway” expected to crisscross the nation in the near future of the
information age.
Question: The word "coordinated" in paragraph 3 is closest meaning to.........
A. Separated
B. organized
C. transformed

D. deconstructed
Explain the answer:
We can’t know about the word, but if you read carefully the sentence and its
sentence, around, we can guess the meaning of word in context “which causes a
transmitting laser to send coordinated pulse of light through the optical fibers”
►The correct answer is B (organized)
3.1.5. Synthetic examples for all the types of question of reading skill
There are three valid arguments to support the preservation of endangered
species. An aesthetic justification contends that biodiversity contributes to the
quality of life because many of the endangered plants and animals are particularly
appreciated for their unique physical beauty. The aesthetic role of nature in all its
diverse forms is reflected in the art and literature of every culture, attaining
symbolic status in the spiritual life of many groups .According to the proponents of
the aesthetic argument, people need nature in all its diverse and beautiful forms as
part of the experience of the world
Another argument that has been put forward, especially by groups in the
medical and pharmacological fields, is that of ecological self-interest. By
preserving all species, we retain a balance of nature that is ultimately beneficial to
humankind. Recent research on global ecosystems has been cited as evidence that
every species contributes important or even essential functions that may be
necessary to the survival of our own species. Some advocates of the ecological
argument contend that important chemical compound derived from rare plants may
contain the key to a cure for one of the diseases currently threatening humans
beings. If we do not protect other species, then they can’t protect us
Apart from human advantage in both the aesthetic and ecological arguments, the
proponents of a moral justification contend that all species have the right to exist, a
viewpoint stated in the United Nations World Charter for Nature, created in
1982.Furthermore, if humankind views itself as the stewards of all the creatures on
Earth, then it is incumbent upon human beings to protect them, and to ensure the
continued existence of all species. Moral justification has been extended by a

movement called “deep ecology”, the members of which rank the biosphere higher
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than people because the continuation of life depends on this large perspective. To
carry their argument to its logical conclusion, all choices must be made for the
biosphere, not for people
Question 1: Which of the following is the main topic of the passage?
A. the quality of life
B. the preservation of species
C. the beauty of the world
D. the balance of nature
Question 2: According to the passage, what do we know from research on global
ecosystems?
A. humans have a responsibility to nature B. nature represents spiritual values
C. a balance of nature is important
D. nature is very diverse
Question 3: The word “perspective” in the third paragraph could best be replaced by:

A. event
B. view
C. ideal
D. truth

Question 4: Which of the arguments supports animal rights?
A. self- interest argument
B. aesthetic justification
C. moral justification
D. ecological argument
Question 5: The author mentions all of the following as justifications for the
protection of endangered species EXCEPT
A. the right to life implied by their existence
B. the intrinsic value of the beauty of nature
C. the control of pollution in the biosphere
D. the natural compounds needed for medicines
Question 6: What does the author mean by the statement: According to the
proponents of the aesthetic argument, people need nature in all its diverse and
beautiful forms as part of the experience of the world?
A. The world is experienced by nature in various forms that are equally beautiful
B. people are naturally attracted to beautiful forms rather than to different ones
C. nature is beautiful because it provides varied experiences for people
D. an appreciation of the Earth requires that people have an opportunity to enjoy
the diversity and beauty of nature
Question 7: The word “them” in the third paragraph refers to:
A. steward
B. humankind
C. human beings
D. creatures
Question 8: It can be inferred from the passage that the author
A. is a member of the “deep ecology” movement
B. does not agree with ecological self- interest
C. supports all of the arguments to protect species
D. participated in drafting Charter for Nature
Question 9: The word “unique” in line 4 is closest in meaning to:

A. active
B. new
C. strong
D. special
Question 10: Where in the passage does the author explain how rare species
contribute to the health of the human species?
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A. lines 1-3
B. line 5-7
C. line 12-15
D. line 18-20
♦ Detailed explanation for all questions
Question 1: Which of the following is the main topic of the passage?
A. the quality of life
B. the preservation of species
C. the beauty of the world
D. the balance of nature
This is the kind’s question of main idea. The question is usually located the first or
last of each paragraph. Let’s read the first sentence of paragraph “There are three
valid arguments to support the preservation of endangered species”
►The answer is B (the preservation of species)

Question 2: According to the passage, what do we know from research on global
ecosystems?
A. humans have a responsibility to nature B. nature represents spiritual values
C. a balance of nature is important
D. nature is very diverse
This is the kind’s stated detail questions. Let’s underline main word, important idea
in the reading “what do we know from research on global ecosystems”? Then, let’s
read carefully sentences which contain the key and idea in the question “By
preserving all species, we retain a balance of nature that is ultimately beneficial to
humankind” ►The correct answer is C (a balance of nature is important)
Question 3: The word “perspective” in the third paragraph could best be replaced by:

A. event
B. view
C. ideal
D. truth
This is kind’s vocabulary in context question. Read carefully the sentence that
contain the word you need “the members of which rank the biosphere higher than
people because the continuation of life depends on this large perspective”
According to the context, perspective is the same meaning with “view”
►The answer is B (view)
Question 4: Which of the arguments supports animal rights?
A . self- interest argument
B. aesthetic justification
C . moral justification
D. ecological argument
This is the kind’s stated detail questions. Let’s underline main word, important idea
in the reading “Which of the arguments supports animal rights”? Then, let’s read
carefully sentences which contain the key and idea in the question “Apart from
human advantage in both the aesthetic and ecological arguments, the proponents of

a moral justification contend that all species have the right to exist
►The answer is C (moral justification)
Question 5: The author mentions all of the following as justifications for the
protection of endangered species EXCEPT
A. the right to life implied by their existence
B. the intrinsic value of the beauty of nature
C. the control of pollution in the biosphere
D. the natural compounds needed for medicines
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This is the kind’s unstated detail questions. Read carefully the question and the
available options, underline key words “justifications for the protection of
endangered species EXCEPT” and then, skim quickly to choose the appropriate
information part for key words by Eliminating the options that is mentioned or
correct in the reading:“ The proponents of a moral justification contend that all
species have the right to exist”(A)“An aesthetic justification contends that
biodiversity contributes to the quality of life because many of the endangered
plants and animals are particularly appreciated for their unique physical
beauty.”(B)“Another argument that has been put forward, especially by groups in
the medical and pharmacological fields, is that of ecological self-interest”(D)
►The correct answer is C (the control of pollution in the biosphere)
Question 6: What does the author mean by the statement: According to the

proponents of the aesthetic argument, people need nature in all its diverse and
beautiful forms as part of the experience of the world?
A. the world is experienced by nature in various forms that are equally beautiful
B. people are naturally attracted to beautiful forms rather than to different ones
C. nature is beautiful because it provides varied experiences for people
D. an appreciation of the Earth requires that people have an opportunity to enjoy
the diversity and beauty of nature
According to the proponents of the aesthetic argument, people need nature in all its
diverse and beautiful forms as part of the experience of the world? It means that you have
to understand author’s different significance. To do this question, you should infer the
sentence “the proponents of the aesthetic argument, people need nature in all its diverse and
beautiful forms as part of the experience of the world” what sentence is it similar with?
Using elimination to choose the best answer from understanding yourself about author’s
sentence
►The correct answer is “D” “the proponents of the aesthetic argument, people
need nature in all its diverse and beautiful forms as part of the experience of the
world” is the same with “an appreciation of the Earth requires that people have
an opportunity to enjoy the diversity and beauty of nature”
Question 7: The word “them” in the third paragraph refers to:
A. steward
B. humankind
C. human beings
D. creatures
This is the kind’s reference questions. The answer is the phrases in previous
sentence or reference questions You should read carefully the sentence that contains
reference word and the previous sentence “Furthermore, if humankind views itself
as the stewards of all the creatures on Earth, then it is incumbent upon human
beings to protect them” then, find out phrases which is listed in the choice of
answer ► The answer is D (creatures)
Question 8: It can be inferred from the passage that the author

A. is a member of the “deep ecology” movement
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Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen

B. does not agree with ecological self- interest
C. supports all of the arguments to protect species
D. participated in drafting Charter for Nature
This is kind’s implied detail questions. The answer for the question is based on
understanding yourself in the readings. According to passage, we can find that the
author have pointed out different perspective basis but improvement to protect
species in the world. The protection of the species in the world is right. However, it
has the different view; the author supports all of the arguments to protect species
►The correct answer is C (supports all of the arguments to protect species)
Question 9: The word “unique” in line 4 is closest in meaning to:
A. active
B. new
C. strong
D. special
This is kind’s vocabulary in context question. Read carefully the sentence that
contains the word you need “many of the endangered plants and animals are
particularly appreciated for their unique physical beauty”. According to the
context, “unique” is the same meaning with “special”
►The correct answer is D (special)

Question 10. Where in the passage does the author explain how rare species
contribute to the health of the human species?
A. lines 1-3
B. lines 5-7
C. lines 12-15
D. lines 18-20
This is kind’s question about where in the passage. Let’s determine the key word or
main idea of the question “explain how rare species contribute to the health of the
human species?”, then, Skim all passage to find out the information’s location of
key word in the question. We can see “Some advocates of the ecological argument
contend that important chemical compound derived from rare plants may contain
the key to a cure for one of the diseases currently threatening human beings.”
►The answer is C (lines 12-15)
4. Effectiveness of research.
This experience helped me teach effectively. So, I will have more knowledge for
myself .Besides, the most important factor is the understanding of students. Many
students know how to find out the kind of questions, the location of exact answers.
I have introduced this method into tests such as 15 and 45 minutes. And I found
that almost students understand clearly. Below is a statistics according to survey
each class

class

12A1

The
number
of
student
45

The ratio of students to
The result of test, survey
participate in building
student at the end period
post
Number
35

Ratio (%)

Number

Mark

Ratio (%)

87.4

30

5→8

87.1

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Thach Thanh 4 High school

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12A2

43

37

81.8

34

5→8

82.7

11A3

38

34

79.5

30

5→8

58.9

III. CONCLUSION
1. General conclusion
During my process of teaching, I found the excellent students have solved well
all kind of reading comprehension skills, but the average one is not good. Because,
the excellent students knew about the part of speech, the meaning of word and
grammatical structures, etc. While average ones do not have enough knowledge to
answer the questions .Therefore, I have introduced all kinds of questions of reading
comprehension skills, the locations of answer and the methods to help them
overcome problems and not to lose the basic knowledge
2. Recommendation
* For my office and colleagues.
I would like to offer my office to invest more reference books, hold English
activities in order that they have many chances to speak and learn English to each
other. Besides, I hope that my colleagues will cooperate and help me correct
mistakes in the process of teaching English.
* For Department of Education and Training
I wish we will be give care to our teaching in a mountainous school for us to feel
passionate in our career
I know that my research is limited. I would like to have many comments from
colleagues so that I could accumulate more research for myself
Approved by

Thanh Hoa May 25th 2016
Written by

Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen

Sincerely thank!
Thach Thanh, May 25th 2016
Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen
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REFERENCES
1.Training reading comprehension skills : Vu Mai Phuong. Ha Noi nation
university Publisher
2. English Textbook 12
3.General review of thematic English : Luu Hoang Tri. Ha Noi Publisher

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