CONSOLIDATED BY: Ms.

KHUSHALI ADHIYA

A SHORT GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE READING SKILLS


Ever since we learn to read, we are constantly suggested by our elders, teachers and mentors to
read to read a variety, read well and to keep reading. There are eventually beautiful benefits of
reading one of the prime ones being the benefit of knowing a range of information that
consequently adds to our existing knowledge. Of course, various additional benefits derive out
of this very basic advantage of reading!

Reading comprehension is defined as the level of understanding of a text/message. This
understanding comes from the interaction between the words that are written and how they
trigger knowledge outside the text/message. Proficient reading depends on the ability to
recognize words quickly and effortlessly.

Here are five tips to help you improve your reading:

1. Styles of reading
2. Active reading
3. A tip for speeding up your active reading
4. Spotting authors' navigation aids
5. Words and vocabulary























CONSOLIDATED BY: Ms. KHUSHALI ADHIYA

1. STYLES OF READI NG

There are three styles of reading which we use in different situations:

a. Scanning: for a specific focus
The technique you use when you're looking up a name in the phone book: you move your eye
quickly over the page to find particular words or phrases that are relevant to the task you're
doing.
It's useful to scan parts of texts to see if they're going to be useful to you:
the introduction or preface of a book
the first or last paragraphs of chapters
the concluding chapter of a book.

b. Skimming: for getting the gist of something
The technique you use when you're going through a newspaper or magazine: you read quickly
to get the main points, and skip over the detail. It's useful to skim:
to preview a passage before you read it in detail
to refresh your understand of a passage after you've read it in detail.
Use skimming when you're trying to decide if a book in the library or bookshop is right for you.

c. Detailed reading: for extracting information accurately
Where you read every word, and work to learn from the text.
In this careful reading, you may find it helpful to skim first, to get a general idea, but then go
back to read in detail. Use a dictionary to make sure you understand all the words used.




















CONSOLIDATED BY: Ms. KHUSHALI ADHIYA

2. ACTI VE READI NG

When you're reading for your course, you need to make sure you're actively involved with the
text. It's a waste of your time to just passively read, the way you'd read a thriller on holiday.
Always make notes to keep up your concentration and understanding.

Here are four tips for active reading:
a. Underlining and highlighting
Pick out what you think are the most important parts of what you are reading. Do this with your
own copy of texts or on photocopies, not with borrowed books.
If you are a visual learner, you'll find it helpful to use different colours to highlight different
aspects of what you're reading.

b. Note key words
Record the main headings as you read. Use one or two keywords for each point. When you
don't want to mark the text, keep a folder of notes you make while reading.

c. Questions
Before you start reading something like an article, a chapter or a whole book, prepare for your
reading by noting down questions you want the material to answer. While you're reading, note
down questions which the author raises.

d. Summaries
Pause after you've read a section of text. Then:
1. put what you've read into your own words;
2. skim through the text and check how accurate your summary is and
3. fill in any gaps.




















CONSOLIDATED BY: Ms. KHUSHALI ADHIYA

3. A TI P FOR SPEEDI NG UP YOUR ACTI VE READI NG

You should learn a huge amount from your reading. If you read passively, without learning,
you're wasting your time. So train your mind to learn.
Try the SQ3R technique. SQ3R stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recall and Review.
Survey

Gather the information you need to focus on the work and set goals:
Read the title to help prepare for the subject
Read the introduction or summary to see what the author thinks are the key points
Notice the boldface headings to see what the structure is
Notice any maps, graphs or charts. They are there for a purpose
Notice the reading aids, italics, bold face, questions at the end of the chapter. They are all
there to help you understand and remember.

Question
Help your mind to engage and concentrate. Your mind is engaged in learning when it is actively
looking for answers to questions.
Try turning the boldface headings into questions you think the section should answer.

Read
Read the first section with your questions in mind. Look for the answers, and make up new
questions if necessary.

Recall
After each section, stop and think back to your questions. See if you can answer them from
memory. If not, take a look back at the text. Do this as often as you need to.

Review
Once you have finished the whole chapter, go back over all the questions from all the headings.
See you if can still answer them. If not, look back and refresh your memory.













CONSOLIDATED BY: Ms. KHUSHALI ADHIYA

4. SPOTTI NG AUTHORS' NAVI GATI ON AI DS

Learn to recognize sequence signals, for example:

"Three advantages of..." or "A number of methods are available..." leads you to expect several
points to follow.
The first sentence of a paragraph will often indicate a sequence:"One important cause
of..." followed by "Another important factor..." and so on, until "The final cause of..."

General points are often illustrated by particular examples, for example:

General: Birds' beaks are appropriately shaped for feeding.
Particular: Sparrows and other seed-eating birds have short, stubby beaks; wrens and other
insect eaters have thin pointed beaks; herons and other fish hunters have long, sharp beaks for
spearing their prey.

Whatever you are reading, be aware of the author's background. It is important to recognise the
bias given to writing by a writer's political, religious, social background. Learn which
newspapers and journals represent a particular standpoint.





























CONSOLIDATED BY: Ms. KHUSHALI ADHIYA

5. WORDS AND VOCABULARY

When you're a graduate people expect you to use a vocabulary which is wider than a school-
leaver's.

To expand your vocabulary:
Choose a large dictionary rather than one which is compact' or concise'. You want one
which is big enough to define words clearly and helpfully (around 1,500 pages is a good
size).
Avoid dictionaries which send you round in circles by just giving synonyms. A pocket
dictionary might suggest: impetuous = rash'.

A more comprehensive dictionary will tell you that impetuous means rushing with force
and violence', while another gives liable to act without consideration', and add to your
understanding by giving the derivation 14th century, from late Latin impetuous =
violent'.

It will tell you that rash means acting without due consideration or thought', and is
derived from Old High German rasc = hurried.

So underlying these two similar words is the difference between violence and hurrying.

There are over 600,000 words in the Oxford English Dictionary; most of them have
different meanings, (only a small proportion are synonyms).

Avoid dictionaries which send you round in circles by using very complicated language
to define the term you're looking up, leaving you struggling to understand half a dozen
new words.

Keep your dictionary at hand when you're studying. Look up unfamiliar words and work
to understand what they mean.

Improve your vocabulary by reading widely.
If you haven't got your dictionary with you, note down words which you don't understand and
look them up later.









CONSOLIDATED BY: Ms. KHUSHALI ADHIYA

READI NG STRATEGI ES
The use of effective comprehension strategies is highly important when learning to improve
reading comprehension. These strategies provide specific instructions for developing and
retaining comprehension skills. Implementing the following instructions with intermittent
feedback has been found to improve reading comprehension across all ages.

Setting a Goal
Previewing Sentence and Text Structures
Activating Background Knowledge
Self Questioning
Summarizing
Feedback and Monitoring