Improve Your Reading Comprehension

Student Success Workshop Sauk Valley Community College

What type of reader are you?

O Are you a passive reader who likes to use a

highlighter?

O Result: Reading passively delays learning

because you may have the tendency to become lazy and highlight most of your reading. Ask yourself this question, did I retain most of the material I highlighted?

What type of reader are you?

O Are You Reading The Material For Hours At A

Time Just To Get It Done?

O Result: You may become a lazy reader and

you do not really focus your attention on the critical points. In other words, you may have the tendency to zone out.

Issues with Reading Comprehension

O Take a moment to reflect on your experience

with reading and your college coursework.

O What do you struggle with when it comes to

reading?

Become an Active Reader

O The main goal of your reading assignments

is to connect ideas on the page to what you already know. Once you have formed a connection to the information, you will remember the information. So how can you become an active reader?

Unlock the Meaning of Text

O Reread, verbalize, and visualize reread the

information slowly to grasp the meaning, read the information out loud to help in understanding difficult information, and take the time to create visual images. O Use clues in words and sentences to learn meanings of unfamiliar words do not skip over words you do not know. O Substitute familiar words for unfamiliar words. Above the unfamiliar word, write the more common or familiar word. O Identify main ideas look for the topic, main idea, and the summary sentence in the paragraph.

Read Efficiently
When you purchase your textbook prior to the beginning of your class:
O Read the table of contents, preface,

introduction, or forward, to see how the information is organized and what information will be covered. O Examine the layout of the chapter or selection, and locate preview and review sections, key terms, and study questions.

Read Efficiently
O As you read:
O Make connections. Relate the information you are

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reading to the concepts you have already learned. Summarize each paragraph in a word or phrase and write it in the margin or in your notebook. When finished, list your words and turn this into an outline of the reading. Write facts or key terms in your notebook. Underline or highlight important information Make a list of specific questions that you need answered as you read.

Read Efficiently
O After you have finished your reading:
O Write a short summary of what you have read

in your own words. O If you are having trouble recalling the information, look back at the notes you took while you read. O If you are still having trouble, you may need to read the assignment again.

Reading Techniques
Method #1

SQ3R Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review

Reading Techniques
Survey the chapter Before reading the chapter: O Read the title, introduction and/or summary to help you focus on the main points of the chapter O Look over the chapter to notice major section headings and details that will reveal the authors method of organization O Note key words, questions, or statements which are in bold or italic O Look for any problems or questions for discussion at the end of the chapter. This will help you to determine the important concepts that you should learn from the reading

Reading Techniques
Question Questioning helps your mind engage and concentrate on what you are reading. O For each section in a chapter, ask 4 basic questions:
O What is the main point? O What evidence supports the main idea? O What are the examples? O How is this related to the rest of the chapter, the

book, or to me?

Reading Techniques
O O O

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Read the section Read the section slowly and actively. Search for the answers to your 4 basic questions Take notes Do not skip unfamiliar words, look up their meanings Try to determine the main point of the section and summarize in your notes If the subject was particularly complex, read through the section again.

Reading Techniques
Recite the Main Points O At the end of each section that you read, try to state, aloud or silently, the important points covered O Recite to remember if you have trouble reciting what you have read you may need to reread the information O If a key idea comes to mind, then you can be confident that you understand what you have read.

Reading Techniques
O O O

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Review Immediately after you finish reading, go back over your information Skim back over the chapter as well as any notes you have taken Reread any highlighted or underlined sections Go back over any questions from all the sections and see if you can still answer them When you are finished with the chapter, create a summary of the entire chapter

Reading Techniques
O Method #2

Design Your Own Question Notes

Reading Techniques
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With this technique, you want to think like your instructor Before reading your textbook, fold a piece of notebook paper in half. That way you can have questions in one column and answers in the other column. From the chapter headings, make study questions that you think could be on the test. Look for words in bold print, usually definitions. Make sure you know the definition AND you can give an example for the word. This will aid you in learning the material instead of just memorizing it. Remember: You are playing the role of the instructor, create questions that you think may be on your next exam.

Reading Techniques
O Remember: Writing questions and notes

may be time consuming at first, but keep in mind that you are not rewriting the chapter. You are picking out the important points and, as a result, you now have your review sheets prepared for the exam! O THE END RESULT A more active learner and better retention of the material since you are writing out the information!

Tips on Underlining in a Textbook

O Read an entire section first. O Make major points stand out clearly. O When reading, do not highlight everything. O Key terms and definitions are important to

highlight. O Watch for transitional words such as "First", "Next" and "Finally". These are signal words that the author is moving to another key point. O Consider color coding for different types of information.

In Conclusion
O Read earlier in the day for better

concentration O Try to read for 35 to 40 minutes at a time and then take a short break. O Know the structure of paragraphs by looking for the topic, main idea, summary sentence O Create motivation and interest by discussing your ideas with others and ask questions

In Conclusion
O Pay attention to pictures or graphs and always

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read the first and last sentence for a main idea and a conclusion Highlight important points or ideas so you can review those points later Build a good vocabulary by using a dictionary to look up words you do not know Use a systematic reading technique such as SQR3 or writing Question Notes Make sure you are paying attention and understanding what you are reading, if not reread the information.

Resources
O http://educatoral.com/SQR3.html O http://www.providence.edu/OAS/Shop/Reading.

htm O http://www.ulc.psu.edu/studyskills/reading_co mprehension.html#sq3r O http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/aS Guest1527-97501-question-notes-study-skillsnotetaking-web-based-strategy-education-pptpowerpoint/ O College Reading Success Dr. Pamela Petty Associate Professor of Literacy, College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Special Instructional Programs