Painless Reading Comprehension - Darolyn “Lyn” Jones Ed.D. 2016
What should i do before i start reading?
Preparations for reading
There is an old saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” What does that mean? The more you do ahead of time to prepare, the easier the task will be. The more you do before you start reading, the easier reading will be.
Think about this. When a famous singer like Taylor Swift is about to perform for thousands of fans, she doesn’t just run onto the stage directly from her tour bus and begin singing. She arrives at the concert venue before anyone else shows up and warms up with vocal exercises, has her hair and makeup done, gets dressed, and then runs onto the stage and begins singing. If Taylor Swift didn’t do all that, her show and singing wouldn’t be as good as her fans have come to expect. And because she wants success, she prepares. The same is true for reading.
Determine, decide, and deduce
If you want to be a successful reader, you have to determine, decide, and deduce!
1. Determine your purpose. Why are you reading this? The teacher told me to isn’t a purpose. Try again. Do you have to memorize the information for a test? Do you have to summarize or retell what you read? Do you have to write a report, explaining the events and motivations? Do you have to make an online poster, like Glogster, representing symbols about the topic? Do you have to act out a scene? The possibilities are endless. If you aren’t sure, then reread the assignment sheet or ask your teacher to clarify. To complete the assignment and be a successful reader, you must understand why you are reading what you have been assigned to read.
2. Decide what kind of material you are reading. Is it informational—just facts and dates? Is it fiction—a story? Is it a word problem you will have to solve? Is it a process—like how a piece of wood becomes a fossil? Just as we speak in different “languages” in different situations, we read differently depending on what we are reading.
3. Deduce how much time you will need to do the reading. Deduce or make an educated guess as to how long you will need to do the reading, and then add some extra time to that. Have you ever tried to read a fifteen-page chapter in study hall thirty minutes before it is due? Were you successful? Probably not. Give yourself plenty of time. Some people need longer than others, and that is okay. You won’t be given an award for speed reading. People who say they can read really fast may be able to, but they may also just be saying the words and not reading. You know the difference so don’t feel pressured to read faster. The reward for slowing down is that you understand what you have read. Only you know how long it takes you. So, set aside that amount of time and some extra time in case you run into problems. In the Introduction, I shared with you that I can read only about twenty pages at a time. When I have a lot of reading due, I read a little, take a break and work on something else like answering emails or checking my Facebook page, and then come back and read more until the reading is completed. As you read more and practice the techniques in this book, you will discover that you will be able to read faster. But, remember, reading is a process. You need to start at the beginning with these three steps.
✵ First, determine your purpose. Why are you reading this?
✵ Second, decide. Are you going to be reading fiction (a story) or nonfiction (like a textbook chapter or an article)?
✵ And finally, deduce. How long do you think it will take you to do the reading? Schedule time to read just like you schedule your sports, music, or karate practices and lessons!
Let’s Practice!
Try this exercise. Imagine you just received your driver’s license.
You take your dad’s car out for the first time, and you take your eyes off the road for just a second and hit the car in front of you. No one is hurt, but both cars are damaged. Write down or type what you would say or how you would describe the accident to
• the police
• your parents
• your best friend (text your best friend)
The descriptions are very different, aren’t they? Your description to the police would read as an information piece because that is all they want to know: who, what, where, and how fast. Your description to your parents might have some fiction blended in with the facts in the hopes you won’t get in as much trouble. You may not tell them that you were concentrating on the car stereo and not on the road. Your description to your best friend might be an even more dramatic account, giving greater details about what you were really doing and how it felt when you hit the car and had to tell your dad. (Just so you know, your parents will find out the truth. It’s better to be honest ahead of time.) Reading material also presents itself in different “languages.” By deciding ahead of time what kind of reading it is, you can prepare your reading brain to make sense of the words.
Let’s Practice!
An English and social studies selection about Holocaust survivor, Agnes Vogel, appears at the end of this chapter. Read about the required assignment before you read about Mrs. Vogel’s life.
Your Assignment: Agnes Vogel: Survivor from Hungary is a biography written about Holocaust survivor, Agnes Vogel. Your assignment after you read the biography is to write down or type a summary of the biography pointing out three facts about the Holocaust and three places Agnes traveled on her journey of survival.
Determine
First, determine. What is your purpose for reading this selection?
ANSWER: To write or type a summary discussing three facts about the Holocaust and three places. So, as you read, you know to look for or focus on those facts and reasons while you are reading.
Decide
Second, decide. What kind of reading is it?
ANSWER: Well, you know it is written about someone’s life, which makes it true. So, it is nonfiction or more specifically a biography. You also know the passage is about someone who survived something from the past. From those two facts, you should realize this won’t be a story with plot and characters but rather a true story with real events, facts, and insights into how it felt to live through something so horrific as the Holocaust.
Deduce
Third, deduce. How long will it take you to read this?
ANSWER: How long does it normally take you to read two pages? Do you normally read stories or fiction faster than nonfiction? Most people read fiction faster. So, give yourself some extra time.