1. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Chapter 18: Improving Reading Rate and Learning to Skim and Scan College Reading and Study Skills, Ninth Edition by Kathleen T. McWhorter

2. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Objectives:  This chapter will show you how to adjust your reading rate and reading technique to suit both the material you are reading and your purpose for reading it.  You will also learn how to skim and scan.  LEARNING PRINCIPLE: Successful students read and learn selectively.

3. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers How to Build Your Reading Rate  Avoid Roadblocks to Reading Efficiency  Moving Your Head  Moving Your Lips  Keeping Your Place on the Line  Preread to Familiarize Yourself with the Material

4. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers How to Build Your Reading Rate  Try to Eliminate Regressions  Be aware of regressions and force yourself to continue.  Use an index card and slide it down the page as you read.  Read in Meaning Clusters

5. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers How to Build Your Reading Rate  Learn to Pace Yourself  Use an index card.  Use your hand or index finger, or a pen or pencil.  Use a timer or clock.

6. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers How to Build Your Reading Rate  Use Rereading to Build Speed  Select an article.  Time yourself and compute your speed.  Take a five-minute break.  Time yourself again.  Pick a new selection and try the process again.

7. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Adjusting your reading rate in response to the material and to your purpose for reading is called reading flexibility. See Figure 18.1 for types of reading.

8. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Developing Reading Flexibility  Choose a good place to read.  Preread the material.  Define your purpose for reading.  Decide what rate is appropriate.  After the first page, stop and evaluate your rate and understanding.

9. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers You Don’t Have to Read Everything IF  A high level of comprehension is not needed.  You are searching for specific information.  You are familiar with what you are reading.  The material does not match your purpose in reading.  The writer’s style allows you to skip information (portions).

10. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Skimming Techniques  Preread skimming: to get ready to read.  Skim-reading: the only coverage you will be giving the material.  Review skimming: going back over the material for a review. Skimming is the process of reading only main ideas within a passage and glancing at the remainder of the material.

11. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers How to Skim-Read  Read the title.  Read the introduction.  Read headings and subheadings.  Notice pictures, diagrams, charts.  Read the first sentence of each paragraph.

12. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers How to Skim-Read  Glance at the remainder of the paragraph.  Notice italicized or boldfaced words.  Look for lists of ideas.  Look for unusual or striking features, such as a series of dates, capitalized words, or large-figure numbers.  Read the summary or last paragraph.

13. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Scanning involves looking for a particular piece of information such as in a telephone book, index, or television listing.

14. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Scanning Techniques  State in your mind the information and try to form it into a question.  Anticipate what key words the answer will appear in.  Determine the organization of the material.  Use headings to identify or find the information you are looking for.

15. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Scanning Techniques  Selectively read and skip through sections to find the information.  When you reach the fact you are looking for, notice it immediately.  Carefully read the sentences around which the fact appears to confirm your information.

16. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Summary Questions  What techniques can be used to improve overall reading rate?  What factors influence reading flexibility?  Is it always necessary to read every word on a page? Why?

17. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Summary Questions  When should I read selectively?  What is skimming and when do you use it?  What is scanning and when do you use it?

18. © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Take a Reading Road Trip! Take a trip to the INDIANAPOLIS SPEEDWAY and visit the Reading Rate module on your CD-ROM.