HOW DO YOU BECOME A BETTER READER?

This introductory guide will help REDC participants become better readers and to help them
cope with the reading material that is provided during training. This guide is divided into two
parts. Part one is the basic level and that includes R1, R2 and R3 and the other part is advance
level and is covered in R4, R5 and R6.

Reading may not be the skill that you want to improve in the immediate future. You may think
that you read in your everyday life anyway, so you don't need to spend extra time on it. Another
worry is that you may not be able to tell whether you have become a better reader or not after
some time of learning. But if you plan your learning carefully, you will find that it is not
impossible to evaluate the progress you have made in reading. Also, you may get a surprise
bonus: both your writing and speaking could have improved, too.

Improving reading speed (R1)

You may want to increase your reading speed so that you can cope with the heavy
reading load. This sheet suggests some of the ways that can help you read fast.
Reading for main points (R2)
This sheet helps you identify the main points of a text. This subskill is particularly useful
if you do not want to bother about details.
Reading for specific information (R3)
If you want to locate specific information from a text, this sheet will suggest tips for
doing so. Normally you have already had some basic knowledge about the topic and you
have some specific questions in mind that you hope the text will be able to provide
answers for.
Reading critically (R4)
If you are not satisfied with basic understanding of a text, this sheet will give you some
ideas on how to read between the lines. In other words, you will be able to distinguish
opinions from facts; and you will be able to form your own judgement on the issues
raised in a text. This sheet will also give you advice on how to make use of text
organisation to understand a text.
Devising a reading plan (R5)
This sheet helps you plan your reading project. First, it explains the four key components
of an effective plan. Then it shows examples to give you a better idea on how to make a
reading plan.
How to enjoy reading (R6)
This sheet aims to raise your awareness on how to enjoy reading by means of a
questionnaire. You can also try out the strategies suggested in this advice sheet. They will
help you enjoy your reading more.
IMPROVING READING SPEED R1

"I read very slowly."

"I tend to read the same line over and over again."
"I have loads of readings to do and I don't think I would ever finish them."

Do these comments sound familiar to you? If yes, don't feel bad because you are reading in a
foreign language. When people read in a foreign language, very often, they don't have enough
confidence in their text interpretation; and therefore, they usually read more slowly than they do
in their own language. After these words of comfort and reassurance, of course, you still want to
improve your reading speed. Before you read on, consider the following:

How fast (or how slowly) do I read?

It is important to measure your reading speed before and after your practice in speed reading so
that you know how much you have achieved. To do so,

Choose two reading passages of about the same length and the same difficulty level.
Use one passage before practice and the other after.
Get a stop watch ready.
Read the passage.
Record the time you took to finish the passage.

If you read a passage with comprehension questions, you may also check and see how well you
have understood it. After you have recorded your pre-practice reading speed, you may start
practising. REMEMBER: You may use any reading materials available, and you may practise
anywhere you like. Now, are you ready for some tips?

Tips on improving your reading speed

Identify a purpose for your reading and try to achieve that purpose in your reading. (This
tip can be useful for any kind of reading.)
Ignore the word(s) or part(s) that you do not understand.
DON'T ever read back! This will slow you down. Just go on reading, bearing the passage
title in mind.
DON'T let your eyes stay on the same line for more than 5 seconds.
Try to identify one main idea from one paragraph. (Of course some paragraph may
contain more than one main idea, whereas in other cases, one main idea could be
expressed in several paragraphs.)
Eye movement: There are different suggestions on how to use your eye movement to
help you read faster. There is no one solution. The best way is to experiment yourself
before you identify the method that suits you. Different methods are as follows:
 1. Move your eyes diagonally.

2. Read the words at the beginning and at the end of each line.

3. Read the words in the middle of each line.

Read nouns and verbs only.

With the help of these tips, practise as much and as often as you can. Don't forget to measure
your reading speed at the end to see how much faster you can read.
READING FOR MAIN POINTS R2

When you read for main points only, of course, you will increase your reading speed naturally.

It would be easier to locate main points in a reading article if you know what they are. A simple
way is look at the title of the article. A good title should be able to summarize the theme of the
article. When you read, try to identify all the points related to the theme or the title.

If the title does not tell explicitly what the content or theme is, then try to predict. This sheet will
give you some tips on helping you to locate main points, and the materials that you may use for
practice.

Tips on locating main points

Identify a purpose for your reading.

List out several points you want to get from the article, and look for those points when
you read.
Look for any signposts in the article. They are hints to let you know whether the nearby
text contains important information. When you see signposts such as "in other words",
you may automatically skip this part since it is a paraphrase of a previously-mentioned
point. Other signposts such as "another important point", "what is important is...", etc. are
signals that tell you to read on.
It's WRONG to assume that the first sentence of each paragraph summarizes the main
idea of that paragraph.
It's also WRONG to assume that each paragraph should contain one main idea. Some
paragraphs may contain more than one main point. And in other cases, one main point is
expressed in several paragraphs.
Take graphics and layout as hints. Important words may be in bold or larger font size.

What materials can I use for practising?

Newspapers
Magazines
Lecture notes
Course readings
Advertisements
Newsletters
E-mail
Any readings you come across in your daily life
READING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION R3

The technique scanning or looking for specific information is very useful when you know
exactly what you are looking for in a text. Since you have a very specific goal in mind, when you
read, you only read the relevant part(s) and ignore the irrelevant.

Very much similar to reading for main points, you could start by making a list of points you
would like to locate in a text. The list will help you find the relevant points in the text. Now,
before you do some practice, read the tips in the following section. You could use the list as an
exercise for scanning. To do this, please follow the steps below:

1. Predict one or two tips that you think are relevant to scanning. You could either write
them down or remember them.
2. Read and see if the following list contains your prediction.
3. Read the tip(s) that you have predicted correctly, and ignore the rest.
4. If you have done all of the above steps in 30 seconds, congratulations! You should be
quite skillful in scanning and need not read on.

Tips on locating specific information

Keep in mind what you want to locate in a text.

Jot down on a piece of paper a few key words that are related to the topic you want to
explore in a text. When you read, look for those key words. Slow down when you see
them. After some practice, you could perform this 'anticipation-confirmation of
anticipation' process mentally instead of actually writing the key words.
DON'T read every word.
Make use of headings. If you read a book, use the contents page or the index. If you read
an article, make use of the headings and sub-headings to help you locate the information
you want.
Set a time limit for yourself. If you cannot find anything relevant after the set time, the
text probably does not provide what you want.
DON'T use a dictionary unless you are very sure the word in doubt is related to the
information you are looking for.

What materials can I use for practising?

Newspapers
Magazines
Lecture notes
Course readings
Advertisements
Newsletters
E-mail
Restaurant menus
Travel guide books
Telephone directories
 Library catalogues
Any readings you come across in your daily life

READING CRITICALLY R4

Reading critically is usually seen as the most challenging reading technique because you need to
read beyond the basic meaning or to read between the lines. Although most writers would write
everything they want to express, there are cases when they don't want to be so explicit all the
time. This is especially true when the writers want to make their writing more interesting to read.
You also need to read critically to evaluate the opinions of the writer. You may not agree with
everything s/he says. Remember, we do not think alike; and therefore we share different
opinions. Reading critically means you are ready to disagree with the writer's opinions, and be
able to form your own judgement of the issues raised in the text. Or if you totally agree with the
writer, you should at least know why you do so. Here are a few tips:

Tips on reading critically

The best thing to do is to read with a partner, and exchange your viewpoints on the text
with each other.
Distinguish facts from opinions. Facts are based on evidence, whereas opinions are not.
For each of the opinions stated, think of the purpose of the writer. Does s/he state his/her
opinions to:

persuade?
amuse?
threaten?
reassure?
criticize?

Think when you read. Stop between reading to allow yourself time to think about the
content of the text and the opinions of the writer.
If the argument is too complex to handle mentally, break down the points and represent
them in whatever format you feel comfortable on a piece of paper. You may use diagram,
flowcharts, point form, etc.

What materials can I use for practising?

Newspapers
Magazines
Lecture notes
Course readings
Advertisements
Newsletters
E-mail
 Any readings you come across in your daily life

DEVISING A READING PLAN R5

You must be thinking of starting your practice. Before you do so, it is important that you should
come up with a plan first. Here are a few questions you need to address before making a plan:

Why do you choose to work on reading?

What is it that you really want to improve? Do you really want to improve reading? Or do
you actually want to improve on other skills such as writing or vocabulary?
How much time do you have for practising this skill?
Would you prefer to work on your own or with a reading group?

What is a reading plan?

Like any plan you make for your self-access learning, an effective one should have the following
components:

Component What is it?

Aim Write out your learning aim as clearly as possible. You must know exactly what
you want to achieve at the end of your learning.
Input It is important to carry out thorough research by listing out all the input you plan
to use in your learning. This may include the materials and facilities you plan to
use, as well as people who may be able to help you with your learning. Try to give
as many details as you can for each input, e.g. title of books and reading materials.
Practice Estimate the amount of time you plan to spend on reading, and write out how you
would carry out your reading activities. For example, you can make reading a
daily habit by giving yourself a fixed time slot for this activity. Also, design some
activities that you would enjoy doing after your reading, for example, writing
down your feelings or talking to someone about your reading.
Evaluation Write out all the strategies and methods you plan to use for evaluating your
reading.

Depending on your aim, the input, practice and evaluation can be very different. In any case,
there must be a direct and logical link between your aim and the input, practice and evaluation
methods you choose.
HOW TO ENJOY READING R6

This advice sheet is specially designed for executives who want to know about how to enjoy
reading.

In order to find out how to enjoy reading, you need to know yourself better as a reader. Apart
from reading for your studies, what else do you read? How much do you know about yourself as
a reader? Below is a table with questions that will help you find out more about yourself as a
reader before you start trying to read for fun. Please be honest with your answers.

Aspect Questions
Your attitude Is reading enjoyable and fun to you?

a. Yes.
b. No.
c. Sometimes, it depends.

Your reading 1. How often do you read?

habits a. Every day.
b. Only at weekends.
c. Once a month.
d. Rarely.

2. What do you usually read?

a. Newspapers.
b. Magazines.
c. Comic books.
d. Novels.
e. Nothing except course materials.
f. Others: _________________________

3. At what time of the day do you usually read?

a. In the morning when I am still fresh.
b. At night when it is quiet.
c. Not fixed.
d. Others: _________________________
Reading materials 1. Put the following reading materials in order of preference.
a. Newspapers.
b. Magazines.
c. Comic books.
d. Novels.

2. What are the most important factors that affect your choice of
materials?
a. The reading is short.
b. The reading is easy.
c. There are pictures or drawings.
d. I can learn something from what I read.
e. The reading raises an issue that I can think about.
f. Others: _________________________

Your reading 1. Is vocabulary a problem for you?

ability a. Yes.
b. No.
c. Sometimes.

2. What do you do when you don't understand what you read?

a. Use a dictionary.
b. Ask someone.
c. Ignore it.

Post-reading What activities do you usually do after you have read something?
activities
a. Write a journal.
b. Discuss it with my friends.
c. Nothing.

Now that you have answered all the questions, please read the strategies recommended.

Aspect Strategies
Your If you do not find reading enjoyable and fun,
attitude
Think about any positive features in relation to reading in your own
language. Try to transfer these features to reading in English. For
example, if you enjoy reading about a certain topic, or reading a certain
 type of material in your language, do the same in English.
Try and see if you tend to choose some material far too difficult for
yourself.
Try different ways to help yourself enjoy reading. For example, you can
form a reading group so you can share your reading experiences with
other people.

Your 1. If you do not read very often now, try to build up a regular reading habit,
reading even though you might only spare a few minutes each time.
habits 2. Any reading material is fine. But if you want to enjoy reading, choose
materials that you really like.
3. Again, time is not an issue as long as you feel relaxed.

Reading 1. Start with what you enjoy most. As you progress with your reading, you
materials may want to try out other materials. Even though you may not enjoy some
of them very much in the beginning, you may learn about different writing
styles.

Your 1. If you have a vocabulary problem, you can refer to the different
reading dictionaries. There are also specialized dictionaries about culture, sports,
ability idioms and slang. If you find yourself spending more time checking
dictionaries than reading, you have probably chosen something too
difficult.
2. If you need someone to share your reading with, you can find your own
reading partners.

Post- In real life, many people choose not to do anything after their reading. So
reading if you prefer not to do anything after reading, then don’t force yourself,
activities and simply enjoy your reading.
There are, however, people who enjoy talking to their friends about what
they have read. So you may do the same by sharing with your friends
about your reading.
If you are really serious about your reading, take some follow-up action.
For example, if you have read about some theory on swimming, you may
want to put this theory into practice. Alternatively, you may write a book
review or a journal after reading.

To summarise, here are some tips on how to make reading fun:

Read something short and easy to begin with, for example, news headlines, comics, or
even signs you find in the streets and public places.
Read something with lots of pictures.
Buy a book you like. Since you can write in it, you will have a sense of ownership. You
can also lend it to your friends.
Read aloud some of the dialogues in your reading. Or ask someone to read aloud with
you.
Act out a small part of the story. This will help you get a better understanding of the
story, and you will find reading more fun.

Happy Reading