1. IMPROVE YOUR READING
RATE
And MAXIMIZE YOUR
COMPREHENSION
Presentation provided by UTPB West Texas Literacy Center an HSI funded program. HSI is a federally
funded program granted by the Department of Education Title V programs.
Developed by: Ana Miller, M.A.. Ed., Reading Specialist
2. WHY SHOULD I IMPROVE MY
READING RATE?
In college, you have more to read and less
time
Reading too slowly reduces comprehension
Reading too slowly does not stimulate your
brain and decreases interest in the text
You have the capability-1 trillion brain cells
and the visual capacity to take in a full
page of text in 1/20 of a second
Reading 500+ wpm is attainable
3. WHAT FACTORS REDUCE READING
RATE AND COMPREHENSION?
Limited perceptual span or excessive fixation: Word-by-word
reading, pointing
Regression: Needless or unconscious rereading, habitual and
signals lack of concentration
Vocalization: Moving your lips while reading
Subvocalization: Talking to yourself in your head as you read
silently
Physical habits: Tapping foot, pencil
Distractors: Watching TV, eating, interruptions, etc.
Lack of reading practice
THESE FACTORS REDUCE READING SPEED, COMPREHENSION AND
RECALL
4. WHAT FACTORS INCREASE
READING RATE AND
COMPREHENSION?
Set yourself up to succeed – read in a
quiet distraction free environment
Do not read on your bed
Read actively: Set your purpose for
reading and self-monitor
Increase your eye-span - Chunking
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
READING!!!
5. AVERAGE READING RATES
Adult – 250 WPM with 70%
comprehension (Smith, 2005)
College Student – 300 WPM
Slow Readers – 150 WPM or less or
250 WPM with limited comprehension
6. TYPES OF READING
Scanning – Telephone book, dictionary
Skimming – Surveying, previewing, checking
relevance of text
Light Reading – Reading for leisure, novels, 100-200
wpm
Word by word – Scientific information, unfamiliar
terms
Study Reading – SQ4R (Survey, Question, Read,
Recite, Rite, Review) Goal: In depth comprehension
ADJUST YOUR SPEED ACCORDING TO YOUR PURPOSE
FOR READING AND THE DIFFICULTY OF THE TEXT
7. Research Based Reading Study
Method: SQ4R
SURVEY – Skim title, subheadings,
graphics, captions, boldface terms,
first one to two paragraphs, summary
As you skim, ask yourself, “What do I
know about these topics?”
Bring in your background knowledge and
your prior experiences
Take no more than 5 minutes for an
average chapter
8. SQ4R
QUESTION - Turn the first
subheading into a question using
how, why, what, when, where, who?
This technique creates reading for a
purpose – you are now seeking an
answer
Improves focus and concentration
9. SQ4R
READ – Quickly and selectively-
remember that you are searching for
an answer to your question
Read only one section or a few
paragraphs, depending on the difficulty
of the text
RECITE – Answer your question
ALOUD
If you can’t say it, you don’t know it.
10. SQ4R
RITE – This is the note-taking step
Writing the answer to your question and other
relevant information doubles retention
REPEAT THE CYCLE: Question, Read, Recite, Rite as
you read the next section of text. Repeat this
cycle until you have completed the reading
assignment or the chapter
12. SQ4R
REVIEW – When you have completed the
reading assignment, following the Question,
Read, Recite, and Rite cycle, survey again,
answering your questions as you skim
One week later, review the information again
Review each week until you are tested, creating
a cumulative weekly review
This step transfers information from short-term
memory to long-term memory
Take 5 minutes to Review
13. ELIMINATE SUBVOCALIZATION
The inner voice experienced as a
slight movement in the tongue or
throat region
Slows down reading to about 250 wpm,
the speed of normal speech
REMEDY
Decrease eye fixation: Word-for-word
reading
14. INCREASE EYE SPAN - CHUNKING
Eye span is the number of words that you read
at one time
Chunking 2 words doubles rate, 3 words triples,
Increases comprehension
Focus is on how the words fit together to make
meaning, rather than on each individual word in
isolation
PEN AS A PACER TECHNIQUE
Goal – To increase the number of words within a
chunk
15. SPEED READING IS NOT MAGIC
IT REQUIRES:
The desire to improve your reading
skills
The willingness to try new
techniques in reading
The motivation to practice reading