Unit Three Active Reading Lesson 8 PrereadingPrereading is a way to familiarize yourself quickly with the organization and content of the material. Prereading involves getting a quick impression or overview of what you are going to read before beginning to read. You might think of prereading as similar to looking at a road map before you start out on a drive to an unfamiliar place. The road map, like prereading, gives you an idea of what lies ahead and how it is arranged. Prereading Is Effective Prereading is effective because it: 1. helps you become interested in and involved with what you will read 2. gives you basic information about the organization and content of the article 3. focuses your attention on the content of the article 4. allows you to read somewhat faster, since the material is familiar 5. provides you with a mental outline of the material. You can anticipate the sequence of ideas, see relationships among topics, and follow the authors direction of thought. Also, reading becomes a process of completing or expanding the outline by identifying supporting details. How to Preread Prereading involves looking only at those parts of the reading material that will tell you what it is about or how it is organized. The portions to look at in reading a textbook chapter are listed below. 1. Read the title. Often the title functions as a label and tells you what the material is about. It establishes the overall topic or subject. 2. Read the introduction or opening paragraphs. The first few paragraphs of a piece of writing are usually introductory. The author may explain the subject, outline his or her ideas, or give some clues about his or her direction of thought. If the introduction is long, read only the first two or three paragraphs. How to Preread 3. Read each boldface heading. Headings, like titles, serve as labels and identify the content of the material they head. Together, the headings will form a mini- outline of the important ideas. 4. Read the first sentence under each heading. Although the heading often announces the topic that will be discussed, the first sentence following the heading frequently explains the heading and states the central idea of the passage. 5. Notice any typographical aids. The typographical aids include all features of the page that make facts or ideas outstanding or more understandable. These include italics (slanted print), boldface type, marginal notes, colored ink, capitalization, underlining, and enumeration (listing). 6. Notice any graphs or pictures. Graphs, charts, and pictures are used for two purposes. First, they emphasize important ideas, and second, they clarify or simplify information and relationships. Therefore, they are always important to notice when you are prereading. 7. Read the last paragraph or summary. The last paragraph of a chapter often serves as a conclusion or summary. By reading the summary before reading the chapter you will learn the general focus and content of the material. Practice of Reading Techniques Read the title and the subtitles of reading selection A in this unit and think about the following questions. 1. What are the major functions and effects of music in our life and society? 2. Are there any censorship regulations on songs and music in our country? 3. What impact does music have on our perceptions? 4. What role does music play in our life and society? Lesson 8The Functions and Effects of Music Reading Selection A CATALOGUEWarm-up Activities About the Author Background Information Language Points Keys textWarm-up Activities 1. Do you often listen to music? According to your experience, what are the functions of music? 2. Does it ever occur to you that music has social and political use? About the Author Sam Becker is a resolutely centered teacher-scholar- adviser. He grew up in Quincy, Illinois, lived with his family in St. Louis, and moved to Iowa City in the early 1940s, completing his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. at the University of Iowa, and, for good measure, staying here. More than half a century of his life has been spent here only an hour from the river that defines Middle America geographically and culturally. About the Author Samuel L. Becker, 47BA, 49MA, 53PhD, has devoted most of his professional career to the University of Iowa. A Quincy, Illinois, native, Becker began working at the UI 54 years ago, when he washed pots and pans at Currier Hall as an undergraduate student. In just a few short years, Becker went from student worker to working with students and serving the university in several administrative capacities. Sam in 1940 About the Author A three-time Iowa Graduate in communications and theatre arts, Becker joined the UI faculty in 1950. He was appointed a full professor in 1961 and was chair of the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts from 1968 to 1982. During Beckers tenure in the department, he served on more than