READING STRATEGIES

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READING STRATEGIES

• Ten Tips to Improve Reading
• In Freshman English
• By
• Mary Bennett, GEAR UP
• Macon Middle School and Franklin High

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A Good Reader ASKS QUESTIONS

• Strategy 1
• ASK YOURSELF
• What is your reason for reading?
• Are you reading to understand a procedure?
• To inform yourself about current events?
• Are you reading for leisure?
• Are you reading to be able to answer
• questions at the end?

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My purpose for reading is to pass a test.

• Strategy 2
• If the purpose of the reading assignment is
  required as part of a final exam
• You may find it helpful to read some of the
  question prompts first. This will give you a
  guide to think about while you read and a
  specific answer to look for while reading.

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Reading Style

• Think about how you feel about reading.
• Are there any emotions that come up before you
  start to read? Are you feeling fear, dread,
  excitement?
• Ask yourself if you have a positive or negative
  attitude toward reading.
• If you are constantly feeling against the need
  to read then it will be more difficult for you
  to understand what you read.

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Strategy 3

• Aim to adopt a POSITIVE attitude toward reading.
  
• Create a purpose for reading! Read leisure
  material, short novels, newspaper funnies and
  magazines to support a positive attitude toward
  reading.

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Reading Speed

• How fast do you read?
• Determine your reading rate. Read a passage for
  one minute. Count up the words. This is your
  words per minute reading speed.

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Strategy 4

• Use a small card or book mark to help keep your
  eyes on track. This increases handeye reading
  coordination.
• Placement of card is important. Place the card
  under the first 3-4 words of a sentence and push
  it along as you read. This helps guide the eye
  and move it smoothly along the sentence. It may
  also improve reading speed.

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Behaviors that slow reading rates

• Do you read aloud or quietly mouth the words?
• This actually slows down your reading speed.
• Using your finger may slow down reading because
  it only underlines one word at a time.

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Strategy 5

• Strive to read silently, especially on long
  passage reading.
• Reading the question and answer choices very
  softly is okay.

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A good reader keeps track mentally of what is
happening in the passage

• Strategy 6
• Good readers ask themselves
• What is the main idea of this passage?
• Where is the main idea or topic sentence located?
• What are the supporting details?
• Where are the facts that contribute to the main
  idea?
• Are examples given to provide specific details?
• Where are they located in the passage? Underline
  them.

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Using Context Clues to Figure out Words

• Strategy 7
• What do you do when you come across a word that
  you do not know? Circle it.
• Can you figure out what it means by the other
  words surrounding it?
• Read the sentences before and after the sentence
  it is in
• Can you figure out what is intended by re-reading
  the sentence it is in? Can you think of a
  synonym for it that makes sense?

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The Pause

• Strategy 8
• After reading 2 or 3 paragraphs, PAUSE. Stop and
  ask yourself, Do I know whats going on?
• If not then you better re-read it or at least
  look back and skim over the material to get the
  jist of whats happening.

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Good Readers Ask Questions

• Strategy 9
• Once you have read something,
• Ask yourself what you got out of it?
• What was the main idea?
• Who did what? What happened?
• How did it happen?
• What was the THEME?

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The Authors Purpose

• Strategy 10
• What was the authors purpose?
• To Inform, Persuade, Narrate, Humorous
• Did the author seem to have an opinion about the
  situation?
• What would the author have to know to write about
  this subject?

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What makes a Good Reader?

• Good readers ask questions.
• Good readers ask questions before, during and
  after they read.

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Bibliography

• Margaret Uhar, Reading Specialist
• Department of Education, Texas High School WASL
  Reading Item Analysis
• Reading Skills and Strategies page 125 of the
  Middle School Literature Text
• Study Guides and Strategies
• http//www.studygs.net/reading