HOW TO READ TEXT BOOKS EFFECTIVELY
“Practise is the best of all instincts” – Pubilius Syrus
Students become fluent readers by reading (Allington, 1980). Yet in elementary schools today, students read an average of only 78 minutes daily (U.S. Department of Education, 1986). Struggling readers read even less.
Struggling readers cannot or will not independently read the books in classrooms and libraries and often pretend they are reading. With increased use of heterogeneous grouping, struggling readers cannot read the basals and anthologies in use in their classroom. Also, poor fluency is a self-perpetuating problem. Struggling readers read so few words during their instructional and independent reading time that the gap between them and their peers continually widens.
Combining teacher modeling, repeated reading, and self-monitoring of progress creates a powerful tool to attack the fluency problem of struggling readers.
Teacher modeling improves the reading fluency of students (Eldredge and Quinn, 1988; Heckelman, 1969; McAllister, 1989; Reitsma, 1988). Teacher modeling consists of a proficient reader modeling good, correct reading for a less able reader .The student reads along quietly while listening to a tape of the passage until s/he is able to read the passage alone. The tape models correct expression and phrasing.
Repeated reading also improves fluency (Dowhower, 1987; Knupp, 1988; Koskinen, 1984; Larking, 1988, Rashotte, 1985; Richek, 1988). With this strategy, the student reads a passage of 100-200 words many times until the passage can be read fluently. The student rereads the passage until s/he is able to read it at a minimum of 80 words per minute. The 80-word-per-minute goal is an important starting point; the goal increases as the student's fluency improves.
Finally, daily monitoring of student progress improves student achievement (Schunk, 1982). The strategy involves 20-25 minutes a day, three to five days a week. Periodically, the teacher assesses the student's progress to ensure that the correct level of reading material is being used and that the appropriate fluency goal has been set.
Subvocalisation is the tendency to mumble and mutter ‘silently’ whilst reading, with or without lip movement. Your reading speed might be lowered but for a ‘deep read’, it is useful. Not everything has to be speed read.
United Nations has a benchmark for functional literacy of 400wpm minimum, with comprehension at this speed is in the range of 70 – 80%.
“Practise is the best of all instincts” – Pubilius Syrus
Students become fluent readers by reading (Allington, 1980). Yet in elementary schools today, students read an average of only 78 minutes daily (U.S. Department of Education, 1986). Struggling readers read even less.
Struggling readers cannot or will not independently read the books in classrooms and libraries and often pretend they are reading. With increased use of heterogeneous grouping, struggling readers cannot read the basals and anthologies in use in their classroom. Also, poor fluency is a self-perpetuating problem. Struggling readers read so few words during their instructional and independent reading time that the gap between them and their peers continually widens.
Combining teacher modeling, repeated reading, and self-monitoring of progress creates a powerful tool to attack the fluency problem of struggling readers.
Teacher modeling improves the reading fluency of students (Eldredge and Quinn, 1988; Heckelman, 1969; McAllister, 1989; Reitsma, 1988). Teacher modeling consists of a proficient reader modeling good, correct reading for a less able reader .The student reads along quietly while listening to a tape of the passage until s/he is able to read the passage alone. The tape models correct expression and phrasing.
Repeated reading also improves fluency (Dowhower, 1987; Knupp, 1988; Koskinen, 1984; Larking, 1988, Rashotte, 1985; Richek, 1988). With this strategy, the student reads a passage of 100-200 words many times until the passage can be read fluently. The student rereads the passage until s/he is able to read it at a minimum of 80 words per minute. The 80-word-per-minute goal is an important starting point; the goal increases as the student's fluency improves.
Finally, daily monitoring of student progress improves student achievement (Schunk, 1982). The strategy involves 20-25 minutes a day, three to five days a week. Periodically, the teacher assesses the student's progress to ensure that the correct level of reading material is being used and that the appropriate fluency goal has been set.
Subvocalisation is the tendency to mumble and mutter ‘silently’ whilst reading, with or without lip movement. Your reading speed might be lowered but for a ‘deep read’, it is useful. Not everything has to be speed read.
United Nations has a benchmark for functional literacy of 400wpm minimum, with comprehension at this speed is in the range of 70 – 80%.
Each human has around 137 million light preceptors, of which 110 million are used for peripheral vision, which means we can see much more than we believe and much more than we are reading.
Speed Reading Pointers
1. Do not read word for word. Read groups of words at a time.
2. Move forward. Do not ‘back skip’
3. Stay focused on the page you are reading.
4. Race. No lingering at words or pictures.
5. Do not slouch, keep an open posture. Both feet should be planted on the floor.
6. Eyes about 20 inches away from the reading material and reading material 20degrees to the horizontal.
7. Play baroque or new age music. (No lyrics) at about 60 beats per minute.
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