Reading Strategies, Part 3 From Test-Taking Strategies and Study Skills for the Utterly Confused by Laurie Rozakis, Ph.D. PowerPoint and Some Activities by Mary F. Ciccone-Cook

Be a Power Reader

Boost Your Vocabulary When people say, “I can’t read well,” they often mean, “I get stuck on the difficult words.” A bigger vocabulary and strong reading skills go hand in hand. The more words you know and understand, the more easily you will comprehend what you read. Because reading will be less of a chore, you’ll enjoy it more, too.

Boost Your Vocabulary When you study words mentally arrange them in these three categories: Words you know. These are the words you can define. You should know secondary as well as primary definitions. You can comfortably use these words in a sentence, too.

Boost Your Vocabulary Words you think you know. These are words that you have seen before and perhaps even used in conversation and speech. However, you’re not exactly sure what they mean. As you read, you usually figure out these words by their context, the surrounding words and phrases. Definition clues have the definition right in the passage. The definition is a synonym (word that means the same). It may come before or after the unfamiliar word. Contrast clues tell you what something isn’t rather than what it is. Often, you’ll find contrast clues set off with unlike, nor, or instead of Common sense clues encourage you to use what you already know to define the word.

Boost Your Vocabulary Words you’ve seen only once or never. In nearly everything you read, you’ll find words that are completely new to you. If you can’t figure out these words through context clues and they are crucial to the meaning, it pays to stop reading and look them up in a dictionary. Keep a word journal, writing down all the new vocabulary you collect in this way. The simple act of writing the words can help fix them in your mind.

Boost Your Vocabulary Directions: Complete the skimming practice activity in Exercise 1: Boost Your Vocabulary on the handout entitled “Be a Power Reader.”

Use Structure Clues Identifying the structure of a reading selection can also help you increase your comprehension. Fiction is structured according to chronological order, the order of time. Events are arranged from first to last, as on a timeline. Fiction writers often use dates to show the order of events. In addition, writers can use time-order words to show when events happen: after, at length, before, currently, during, eventually, first, second, third (and so on) finally, immediately, in the future, later, meanwhile, next, now, soon, subsequently, then, today.

Use Structure Clues Nonfiction articles are often arranged in one of three ways: chronological order, cause-and- effect order, or comparison-and-contrast order. Cause-and-effect order shows the reason something happened (the cause) and the results (the effect). Signal words include as a result, because, consequently, due to, for, for this (that) reason, if. . . then, nevertheless, since, so, so that, therefore, thus, this (that) is how. Comparison-and-contrast order shows how two people, places, or things are the same (comparison) and different (contrast)

Use Structure Clues Directions: Complete the skimming practice activity in Exercise 2: Use Structure Clues on the handout entitled “Be a Power Reader.”

Determine Your Reading Speed and Comprehension To determine your present reading speed, read the selection, “Power to the People,” (Exercise 3 on the handout entitled “Be a Power Reader”) for precisely one minute. Then note the line at which you stopped reading and multiply that number by 10 (the average number of words per line). This is your initial reading speed.

Determine Your Reading Speed and Comprehension Use the chart below to determine your relative reading speed: Reading Speed 500 - 1500 words per minute = speed reader 250 words per minute = average reader 150 words per minute = average speaker

Determine Your Reading Speed and Comprehension Reading fast is useless if you don’t understand what you read. To determine your present level of comprehension, allow yourself 15 minutes to read “Power to the People” and then answer the questions that follow (see Exercise 3 on the handout entitled “Be a Power Reader).

Determine Your Reading Speed and Comprehension After reading “Power to the People” and answering the questions, score yourself by using the answer key below and chart on the next slide to determine how well you understood the main idea. Answers: a 2. d 3. d 4. c 5. b 6. c 7. c 8. a 9. b l0. d

Determine Your Reading Speed and Comprehension Use the chart below to determine your relative reading comprehension: Reading Comprehension Excellent comprehension = 9 - 10 correct Above average comprehension = 7 - 8 correct Average comprehension = 5 - 6 correct Below average comprehension = 0 - 4 correct

Skim a Passage to Pump Up Your Reading Speed Francis Bacon once said, “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some to be chewed and digested.”

Skim a Passage to Pump Up Your Reading Speed Consider this scenario: You have a social studies class in 15 minutes, but you haven’t read the three chapters that will be discussed. Or how about these situations: You never got around to reading the article for your economics class, the short story for your English class, or the notes for your science review. What can you do? When you need a general idea of a text and you don’t have the time to read in depth, skimming is the answer.

Skim a Passage to Pump Up Your Reading Speed Skimming is a very fast way to read. Skimming allows you to glance at a passage to find specific information. This method is especially useful when there are only a few items of information that you want from a particular passage. It is not recommended as a substitute for studying a text in depth. Here are two different ways that you can skim a passage.

Skim a Passage to Pump Up Your Reading Speed Here are two different ways that you can skim a passage. Method 1: Straight down the middle Run your eyes down the middle of the page. Focus on the facts you need. Method 2: Crisscross First scan from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. Then scan from the top right corner to the bottom left corner.

Skim a Passage to Pump Up Your Reading Speed Directions: Complete the skimming practice activity in Exercise 4: Skim a Passage for Reading Speed on the handout entitled “Be a Power Reader.”

Skim a Passage to Pump Up Your Reading Speed Answers for “A Software Revolution”: 1. They will be in software development. 2. Their information cannot be easily accessed. 3. It is called DowQuest. 4. They will screen the information flooding in and you will get what you need. 5. Businesses will be using it.

Use Hand-Eye Techniques to Increase Reading Speed Some people are able to read more quickly by using a marker, a pencil, or their fingers as they read. Running a marker across the page helps you focus on important words, details, and ideas. This helps you key into the most crucial facts and ignore extraneous details. Tracing your hand down the page automatically leads your eye down the type. This helps you move forward over the lines. Finally, moving your hand (or marker) down the page forces you to read faster than you speak. As a result, you don’t mouth the words or read aloud, which always slows you down.

Use Hand-Eye Techniques to Increase Reading Speed Here’s how to use hand-eye techniques to pick up some reading speed: 1. Use an index card as a marker, hold a pencil eraser side down, or use your index finger. 2. Place your marker on the first word of the first line of type and focus your eyes slightly in front of your marker. 3. Move your marker from left to right across the line of type as you follow with your eyes. 4. When your eye reaches the right margin, move your marker slightly up and to the right to prevent abrupt stops.

Use Hand-Eye Techniques to Increase Reading Speed Directions: Complete the hand-eye techniques practice activity in Exercise 5: Hand-Eye Techniques for Speed Reading on the handout entitled “Be a Power Reader.”

Increase Your Comprehension by Reading on Three Levels When you read, the full meaning of a text emerges on three levels: the literal, the inferential, and the evaluative. You will get more from a text if you learn to read on all three levels. Here’s how to read for levels of meaning.

Increase Your Comprehension by Reading on Three Levels Here’s how to read for levels of meaning. 1. Look for the literal meaning. Read exactly what the words say. Find out what the author directly states in the text. Ask yourself these questions: What are the important facts in this passage? What point is the author making? What happens in the story? What events move the story along?

Increase Your Comprehension by Reading on Three Levels 2. Find the inferential meaning. • An inference is an educated guess about the content. Combine information in the text with what you already know to make an inference. When you make an inference, you are generalizing about the information you are reading. A generalization is a broad conclusion drawn from information in the text. The generalization is valid if it is based on sufficient evidence; it is invalid if the text contains exceptions to the statement. Ask yourself these questions: What is implied rather than stated? What does the author expect me to know? What have I figured out that the writer does not directly state in the passage?

Increase Your Comprehension by Reading on Three Levels 3. Make the evaluative leap Evaluations are judgments you make about the author’s statements. Make evaluations by deciding whether or not you agree with what the author has stated or implied in the text. Make distinctions between facts and opinions to reach your own conclusions about the content.

Final Practice to Increase Reading Speed Directions: Complete the practice activity in Exercise 6: Combining Techniques for Speed Reading on the handout entitled “Be a Power Reader.”

Final Practice to Increase Reading Speed Answers: 1. b 6. d 2. e 7. b 3. a 8. a 4. d 9. e 5. a 10. b