Chapter 5 Reading

STUDY SKILLS Made easy
Chapter 5:Reading
Reading 1
Chapter outline
7.1 Reading Techniques
7.2 The SQ3R Method
7.3 Key Words
7.4 How to Read Faster
Learning Styles 2
Chapter outline
Learning Styles 2
Introduction
Do you like reading? What type of materials do you read mostly?
How often do you read?
In college or university, you have to do a lot of reading for your subjects or courses. Most of
the required reading materials in your studies such as handouts, books, magazines, journals,
etc. are in English.
Most students are put off by the huge volume of reading required as well as the feeling that
they cannot understand what they read. While some are frustrated at the snail’s pace at
which they read.
In this chapter you will be exposed to some reading techniques that will help you to
read effectively. Before we look at some of these reading techniques, let’s find out your
reading speed
Activity 1
Read The Following Passage at your normal Speed and time your self
for one minute.
When the time is up, circle the number in the right column where you
have stopped.
The number tells you how many words you read per minute.
Activity 1
Based on the number you have circled, refer to the table below
to find out your reading speed.
Reading Techniques
When we read, we all use different reading techniques according to
why we are reading and the information we are looking for. Some of
the reading techniques that we use are as follows:
Reading for Pleasure
Reading in detail
Skimming
Reading critically
Scanning
Reading Techniques
Skimming
When we skim a passage, we are trying to get a general
overview of it.
We are trying to get the main gist of the passage by reading
quickly.
By skimming , we can also identify the location of specific

information that we might need to refer to again.
Reading Techniques
Scanning
When we scan a passage, we are trying to locate a particular piece of
information or answer a specific question.
We can scan effectively if we first skim a passage because we can then
roughly remember the location of certain bits of information.
Our ayes can specifically zoom in to a particular piece of information

in the passage and ignore the rest.
Reading Techniques
Reading in detail
This is the last technique we use after skimming and scanning.
We usually read in detail when we have scanned a particular piece

of information in order understand fully.
We also read in detail only when we want or have to. For example
we would read very closely to understand every detail of our
examination questions or the small print of a legal document.
Reading Techniques
Reading critically
We read something critically because we want to understand
what is written and contribute our opinions or thoughts to it.
This is an important skill because it allows us to evaluate and

make a critical assessment of what we have read.
Reading Techniques
Reading for Pleasure

This is the most enjoyable for most of us. We read something for
pleasure because we are interested in it. Such as reading a
newspaper. An entertainment magazine, a novel, etc.
There is no pressure as we do not have to worry if we forget what

we have read.
Activity 3 & 4
Read The Following Passage and answer the
questions.
Which of the reading techniques did you use
when you were reading and answering the above
questions ?
The SQ3R
The SQ3R method is a reading technique that gets you actively

involved in your readings. This reading method was developed by
Francis Robinson in 1941.
By using the SQ3R method, you will be able to understand and
remember what you have read. SQ3R basically stands for
survey, questions, read, recall, reviews.

Before you read a book, spend some time to survey it to ensure that
you have understood all the necessary information about the book.
How do we survey a book? You can look the following:

To become actively involved in your reading, you need to read with a
purpose. Be it a whole book, a particular chapter or a section, ask
yourself, “ why am I reading this?” and “ what am I looking for
specifically?”
When you can answer these questions, you are reading with a
purpose. In addition , these questions will help you to understand
and remember what you are going to read.
Once you have a clear purpose of reading, start reading. Remember to read as an
active reader with the objectives of answering the questions you set as you read
along.
You may need to vary the way you read and your reading rate to absorb different
types of information. While reading, don’t make notes because this will interfere with
your concentration and understanding. You can make notes after you have read a
particular section.
Don’t expect to understand everything on the first reading. Reading too much at
once will not help your brain to absorb and digest what you are reading. As our
attention span is short, divide your reading into manageable sections.
Once you have finished reading a book, it does not mean that your
revision has been completed. You may probably understand what you
have just read, but are you able to remember it?
Most students usually forget 80% of what they have read within 24
hours after studying. Most study problems are caused by forgetting
what one has read, not by the difficulties in understanding.
So after you have done your reading, ask yourself, “ what was the text
about?” you may want to read aloud to a friend or quietly to yourself
what you have read.
You may also want to write down what you recall without copying the
text to show that you understand what you have read.
Write the main points down as how you remember them and, if
necessary , check the text for accuracy. If you can recall most of what
you have read , this shows that you have been actively involved in your
reading.
You may also want to write down what you recall without copying the
text to show that you understand what you have read.
After a few days, check the accuracy of what you have read by reviewing the material
you have studied. This is a form of revision to keep the information you read fresh in
your mind so that it will be stored in your long-term memory.
The SQ3R method has already been proven effective, and it will save you from
unnecessary stress and anxiety before the examinations because you will have already
successfully Retained the information you have read in your mind.
So try this SQ3R method in your revision and See if it works for you. Remember to give
it some time as it takes a lot of practice before you can completely benefit from it.
Key Words
Key words are words which carry the meaning of the main points in a
text. In a passage, less than 30% of the words are key words.
Key Words
Most key words are nouns, verbs and adjectives, such as “method”,
“read” and “effective”.
If you take note of the key words in a passage, you Should be able to
remember the content of the passage better.
They will form the notes you make for your future reading. Therefore,
if we concentrate on these key words in our notes, we will be able to
Cut down the amount of reading we need to do and study effectively.
How to Read Faster
When we read, we need to vary our reading speed according to the
types of reading we do.
There are times we need to read slowly and there are times we need
to read fast.
Activity 8
When do we need to read slowly?

How to Read Faster
If you want to learn to read faster, you need to have a strong desire to
practice and improve yourself, and the willingness to try new ways.
Remember that you do not learn to read fast overnight. It requires strong
dedication and a lot of practice.
The following are some strategies that will help you to read fast.
Reduce Fixations
Avoid Regression
Use a Pointer
Avoid Vocalizing
Use the Dictionary only when it is necessary
Read more

Reduce Fixations
A fixation is that short second when our eyes focus on a word. When we
read, our eyes actually jump from one fixation point on a word to another as
shown in the table below.
It is during these fixations that reading takes places as information is

absorbed.
Reduce Fixations
 To read faster, we should have fewer fixations on each line.
In other words, we should not read each and every word on the line. Instead,
we should include a few words in one fixation as shown in the table below
By reading this way, your eyes will be able to take in several words at once.
This will be less tiring for your eyes and you will also be able to read for
longer periods.
Avoid Regression
When you read something, avoid re-reading. In other words, do not re-read
groups of words that you have already read to check your understanding.
This will reduce your reading speed and you will lose your concentration.
Avoid Regression
What you should do is to continue reading on. You will be able to
understand what you are reading once you reach the end of the text.
If necessary, skim through the text quickly another time to check your
understanding.
Use a Pointer
Another way to avoid regression and to read faster is to put your
index finger on the page and run your finger along the lines of
print.
At the same time, focus your eyes on the tip of your finger as you
move along. Alternatively, you may use a pen or a ruler. Once you
have increased your reading speed, try reading without your finger
on the page.
Avoid Vocalizing
Some of us read aloud or move our lips as we read. This is called
vocalisation. Some of us vocalize as we read because we need to be able
to hear ourselves to fully understand what we read.
Vocalizing while reading, however, will slow our reading speed by at
least two or three times.
Use the Dictionary only when it is necessary
As we read, we will encounter some words that we are unfamiliar

with. However, we should not stop and look up the words in the
dictionary. Just continue reading and you will be able to get the main
idea of the text without needing to understand every word in it.
What is more important here is your understanding of what you are

reading. Sometimes, you will be able to guess the meanings of Some
unfamiliar words From the context of the passage.
In addition, you may see the same words being repeated in other
texts. Therefore, you will be able to learn the meanings Unconsciously.
Read More
 The best way to learn to read faster is to read more. The more you
read, the better you will become at reading.
 Furthermore, you will be able to widen your vocabulary and this will
help you to read faster as you start to recognize more words.
 Read something simple first, then work your way up with more
advanced texts when you are ready.
 Therefore, start reading now take
every opportunity to read
whenever you can.

Activity 9
 Read the following passage. remember to
avoid regression and vocalization. Just
continue reading with shorter fixation
Chapter 5: Reading
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Chapter 5 Reading

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STUDY SKILLS Made easy

How often do you read?

Reading for Pleasure

By skimming , we can also identify the location of specific

Our ayes can specifically zoom in to a particular piece of information

We usually read in detail when we have scanned a particular piece

This is an important skill because it allows us to evaluate and

Reading for Pleasure

There is no pressure as we do not have to worry if we forget what

Read The Following Passage and answer the

Which of the reading techniques did you use

when you were reading and answering the above

The SQ3R method is a reading technique that gets you actively

survey, questions, read, recall, reviews.

How do we survey a book? You can look the following:

When do we need to read slowly?

It is during these fixations that reading takes places as information is

As we read, we will encounter some words that we are unfamiliar

What is more important here is your understanding of what you are

every opportunity to read

whenever you can.

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