Do you want to make a lot of money?

But how?

Let’s read an article about how one man makes a lot of money.

BEFORE YOU READ: USING YOUR BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

Rationale: When we first look at a newspaper, we will see many headlines that standout and grab our attention. Once we find something that is interesting, we can draw from our background and predict what the article will be about. This is one of the first pre-reading steps for better comprehension of the material about to be read.

Note

The instant you see something that interests you, your mind is simultaneously accessing your background knowledge.

Your mind is already making predictions about the article that caught your attention.

So even when this occurs at a passive or subconscious level, it could be used as an active pre-reading strategy where you can focus on specific background knowledge that would be appropriate for the topic about to be read.

Let’s first look at the main title and the sub-heading beneath it.

The $200,000-a-Year Mine Worker

Resources Boom Fuels Demand for Underground Labor, Spurs Skyrocketing Pay; a $1,200 Chihuahua

What comes to mind when you see the title?

What do you know about mining?

What is a resources boom?

What kind of economic conditions create an increase in wages?

How does the $1,200 Chihuahua have any relevance to the article?

PREVIEWING: SKIMMING

By previewing the article, you will not only see how the text is organized, but also how it uses captions, pictures, and tables or charts to help you understand the topic. Here you will skim through the text in order to see the main idea and how the information is organized. By doing so, you will be better prepared mentally and visually to read the article in further detail.

Let’s now skim through the article and see how it is laid out.

What other pictures or supplemental information is in the article besides the main text?

What can they tell us? Is the text organized in an easy to read format? Did you come across any specific piece of

information that you may want to read in greater detail?

Do you think that you and many other people will not only like this article, but also learn something from it?

Are you motivated to further read the article?

James Dinnison, a 25 year old high school dropout from Western Australia, makes $200,000 a year running drills in underground mines to extract gold and other minerals. Why is he paid so much? John Miller explains on Lunch Break.

Despite having earned roughly US $1 million since he started, he has no savings and doesn’t apologize. ‘The mines are so dull, that when you get back here, everything is stimulation and excitement.’

Now your are a ready to read the article in detail. Enjoy.