This course can help you read anything more intelligently and with a greater understanding of what the writer intended. Reading Skills offers techniques and tips that are applicable to any type of reading — and writing. It covers previewing, scanning, dictionary usage, context clues, words with multiple meanings, paragraph structure, making inferences, separating fact from opinion, detecting bias, drawing conclusions, imagery, similes and metaphors, and the elements of fiction.

Course Description

Reading Skills consists of three study units that include a practice review quiz, the study material for the course, self-checks, and examinations.

• Preview written matter to get clues as to what it’s about
• Scan written passages to locate information that’s of interest to you
• Explain the types of information available to you in a dictionary
• Use context clues to determine the meanings of words
• Correctly use words that have multiple meanings
• Define the term paragraph
• Identify the topic and the topic sentence in a paragraph
• Explain the purpose of supporting details in a paragraph
• Identify and explain the various ways in which paragraphs are organized: with examples, with explanations, by cause and effect, and in chronological order
• Apply the following reading skills: making inferences, separating fact from opinion, detecting bias, and drawing conclusions
• Describe how imagery is used in poetry
• Define and identify similes and metaphors
• Define and explain the elements of fiction: characters, setting, plot, conflict, and theme

Course Outline

Lesson 1: The Printed Word

Practice review quiz; previewing magazines, fiction, and nonfiction; scanning; test-taking tips; word meanings; using a dictionary; context clues; words with multiple meanings

Lesson 2: Main Ideas

Paragraphs; topic sentences; stated and implied topics; supporting details; comparison and contrast paragraphs; paragraphs with examples and explanations; paragraphs in chronological order; cause and effect paragraphs; clue words

Lesson 3: Interpreting What You Read

Making inferences; separating fact from opinion; detecting bias; drawing conclusions; reading poetry for imagery, rhyme, and figures of speech; characters, setting, plot, conflict, and theme in fiction

After registering for the Reading Skills course, all of your learning materials will be shipped directly to you. If you like, you can also go to our website and download some of your study materials to get a head start. Your learning materials will guide you through the course content, explaining concepts and operations through a series of lessons. After each lesson, you’ll take an exam which you can submit by phone or our website. As you pass each lesson, you’ll proceed to the next topic until you complete the course.

There are three exams that need to be passed to complete your course in Reading Skills and you’ll have up to 15 weeks to complete the course.

Support
If you should ever need help with your studies, you can e-mail or call our instructors who will gladly help you with any questions that you might have.

Study Time
Since there is no set class schedule, you study when and where it’s convenient for you. You can complete your course as quickly as you’d like.

Completion
When you have successfully completed your course, you will receive a letter of completion along with an official transcript listing your completed course(s) and grades. You can apply your course towards our Diploma Program or a diploma from your local High School (be sure to check with your school authorities regarding mandatory attendance policies and whether they agree that the Penn Foster High School Program is acceptable toward the completion of your high school education).

Accreditation
Penn Foster High School is accredited by The Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools; has met the high standards of integrity and performance set by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), Washington D.C., and is licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools.

Whether you’re looking for accelerated studies or credit recovery, regionally and nationally accredited Penn Foster High School provides the courses you need to complete your High School Diploma.