Review 1
Fluency Strategy: PRO
PRO stands for Preview, Read, Organize. This reading strategy will help you build your reading fluency by helping you to organize and understand what you read.
Preview
The first stage of PRO is to preview the reading material by looking for features of the text that can help you. Read the title of the passage and any other headings. If any words in the passage are written in italics, read them. Read the first paragraph, the first sentences in the middle paragraphs, and the final paragraph. After doing this, stop for a minute and think about what the reading is about. Think about what you already know about the topic, and any questions you have that you hope the passage can answer.
Preview the reading passage below, Are Human Beings Getting Smarter? What do you think the answer to the title question will be? Then skim the rest of the passage and write a list of questions you hope to answer as you read the passage in detail.
Sample Answers
I think the answer might be "yes" because of technology and education. Questions I hope to answer: What is the Flynn effect? Why are IQ scores increasing? What causes the decline in recent years?
Read
Now, read Are Human Beings Getting Smarter? When you read, think about the questions you listed in the Preview stage. Look for answers to your questions.
Organize
The final stage of PRO is to organize the information in some way that will help you remember what you have read. One way is by creating a word web. The word web can help you easily see how the information in the passage is organized.
A Here is an incomplete word web based on Are Human Beings Getting Smarter? Complete the rest of the word web using the information in the passage.
Sample Answer
computers and video games → technology → lifestyle changes → negative effects on intelligence
Are Human Beings Getting Smarter?
IQ tests and other similar tests are designed to measure general intelligence rather than knowledge. Flynn knew that intelligence is partly inherited from our parents and partly the result of our environment and experiences, but the improvement in test scores was happening too quickly to be explained by heredity. So what happened in the 20th century that led to higher test scores?
Scientists have proposed several explanations for the Flynn effect. Some suggest that the improved test scores simply reflect an increased exposure to tests in general. Because we take so many tests, we learn test-taking techniques that help us perform better. Others have pointed to better nutrition, which results in babies being born larger, healthier, and with more brain development than in the past. Another possible explanation is a change in educational styles—children are encouraged to discover things for themselves rather than just memorizing information. This could prepare people to do the kind of problem-solving that intelligence tests require.
Flynn himself suggested that learning new technologies may have improved people's problem-solving skills. This may be true for the first decade of his tests, when IQ scores in many countries increased. However, in recent years, IQ test scores in some countries have begun to decline. Data from Norway, the Netherlands, Australia, and Great Britain have shown that as these countries become more and more modern, IQ scores have begun to drop.
While scientists aren't sure what's causing this decline, they think technology is dramatically changing the way that we learn and get information. For example, people are now able to access all kinds of information very easily using online resources like Google or Wikipedia. The danger is when they start to rely too much on these sources of information, and not do any thinking for themselves. Lifestyle changes that come with modern technology may also have a negative effect on intelligence, such as video games and television making people less social. So while the world may have gotten smarter over the 20th century, improving technology and changing lifestyles may soon reverse that trend.
Check Your Understanding
1. What best describes the Flynn effect?
2. The Flynn effect is probably the result of ______.
3. IQ tests evaluate our ______.
4. Who does others in paragrahp 2 refer to?
5. Which sentence gives the main idea of the passage?
6. The writer uses video games as an example of how ______.
7. Which statement would the writer probably agree with?
Self Check
1. Have you ever used the PRO method before?
2. Will you practice PRO in your reading outside of English class?
3. Do you think PRO is helpful? Why, or why not?
Sample Answer
Yes, I think PRO is helpful because it gives me a clear structure for understanding a text. It helps me stay focused and remember what I read.
4. Which of the six reading passages in units 1-3 did you enjoy most? Why?
Sample Answer
I enjoyed "We're in Vietnam!" the most because I like reading about travel and different cultures.
5. Which of the six reading passages in units 1-3 was easiest? Which was most difficult? Why?
Sample Answer
"For Better Grades – Use Your Brain!" was easiest because the topic was familiar. "Oh, No! Not Another Test!" was more difficult because it had more complex vocabulary.
6. What have you read in English outside of class recently?
Sample Answer
I read some news articles online and a short story by Ernest Hemingway.
7. What distractions do you face when you read? What can you do to minimize those distractions?
Sample Answer
I get distracted by my phone and social media. I can minimize this by putting my phone away and reading in a quiet room.
8. How will you try to improve your reading fluency from now on?
Sample Answer
I will try to read every day for at least 15 minutes and practice using PRO to understand passages better.
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