Reading

• Of all the skills necessary to

succeed , the two most important
are:
• R e a d i n g – the intake of information
• W r i t i n g – the production of
information
• In this presentation, we deal with
how t o make your reading
s k i l l s w o r k f o r you…
 Take Charge o f Your
• Reading
Before all else, if you don’t like to read,
accept
the importance of the skill and work on it. This is
CRITICAL to your success!
• Commit to reading goals
• Plan time and space to concentrate
• Capture and connect
• Know how to read primary and
secondary sources.
• Preview and Review…
 Commit to Reading
• Goals
Stay positive, reading can be enjoyable.

• Break chapters into “chunks.”

• Preview each chunk before you start.
• Pace yourself according to difficulty level.
• Take
Read breaks.
other sources if the reading is confusing.
• Keep building your vocabulary.
• When necessary, skim readings for key points
• Make understanding the material of prime
importance.
 Plan Time and Space to
Concentrate
• College reading takes a great deal of
concentration.
• Schedule time to read in a place
where you won’t be interrupted.
• Find an environment in which you
can concentrate best.
• If you must read in a noisy
environment, consider wearing
headphones with familiar
instrumental music just loud
enough to block distractions.
 Capture and
• Connect
Capture the supporting details; connect
them to the main idea.
• Capture what you don’t know and conne it
to what you do know.
• Elements of Your Reading Plan
– Preview
– Skimming
– Active Reading
– Analytic Reading
– Review
 Developing Your
• Vocabulary
Consider the context around new Learn to read
“outside the
and challenging words. box!”
• Jot down unfamiliar terms and find
the meaning using a dictionary.
• Analyze terms to discover the most
meaningful part of the word.
• Take the opportunity to use new terms
in your writing and speaking.
 A Reader’s
Glossary
Cause-effect How one thing causes another to happen
Compare-contrast How things are similar and how they are different

Draw a conclusion To make up your mind about an idea

Context clue Getting the meaning of a word from the words around it

Implied Suggested without being directly stated

Inference To guess or speculate to draw a conclusion

Main idea The primary subject of a passage or paragraph

Objectivity Not influenced by personal feelings or prejudice

Prior knowledge What you already know

Supporting details Specific items that elaborate on the main idea

 Preview
This is a lot of work!
Who needs it?

• Scan the material to see what lies

ahead.
• Consider the context for the
assignment.
• Consider the length of the reading
assignment and estimate how long it
will take.
• Consider the structure and features
of the reading to help you digest the
material.
• Consider the difficulty and plan
your time accordingly.
 Reviewing
• Review to remember the main
points of the material.
• Test yourself on your
comprehension.
• Some ways to review:
– notes
– study questions
– flash cards
– visual maps
– outlines
• Make reviewing every week a
study goal.
 Skimming
• Skimming covers the content
at a general level.
• It involves reading at about
twice your normal rate.
• Focuses on introductory statements, topic
sentences and boldface terms.
• Provides the chance for you to see what kind of
information the assignment contains
• Enables you to gather the surface ideas if yo u
don’t have enough time to read deeply.
 Right!
Read us the Get involved
story about the in reading!
wolf

Active Reading
• Use it to avoid empty reading—reading
then realizing that no information has come
across.
• Identify yourself completely in what the author is
trying to say: throw yourself into his mind!
• Focus on identifying the main ideas and on
understanding how supporting points reinforce
those ideas.
• In other words, get really interested & involved!
 Analytic
InvolvesReading
• Reading at a more intense level.
• breaking ideas open and digging
underneath their surface.
• Enables you to try to spot flaws in the writer’s
logic.
• Promotes a comparison of the work to other
works.
• Should involve questioning the author and
yourself.
• In other words, active skepticism with a
purpose
 Take a book
Tips f o r Improving
to lunch this
week!
Reading Ability
• Find a quiet study location.
• Read in 50-minute blocks with
breaks in between.
• Take notes, recite key ideas or
jot down questions in the
margins.
• Experiment with your reading
Show them we’re a rate.
regular bunch this
week! • Focus on key issues in the text.
Highlighting
Text
• Highlight:
– Topic sentences, Key words, Conclusions
• But watch out!
– Highlighting too much can cause you to re-
read everything because you don’t know
what’s important.
– Highlighting doesn’t show you why
you highlighted something
– You need to have the entire text with you to
review.
 Important Points
About College
• Reading
You are expected to read the material
and understand it on your own.
• Successful students complete
assigned readings before class to
help them understand the lecture.
• Connections and overlaps between
lecture and reading reinforce learning.
• Also, reading ahead prevents you from
being embarrassed when you are called
Instructors do NOT always cover the
reading material in lecture.
 A Summary o f Strategies
to Improve Reading
• Practice a positive • Shift gears when you do
attitude. not make progress.
• Make the author your • Read other sources if the
companion. reading is confusing.
• Build your vocabulary.
• Pace yourself
• Work on reading faster.
according to difficulty
• Increase your
level.
accountability for reading.
• Take breaks to restore
concentration.