How to become a very good reader?

Simply put, by reading a lot!

No, I am not going to cheat you. All I am saying is that if you find interesting books, you will read more and you will become a better reader.

In this article, I am going to suggest to you some good first books based on various themes:

1. If you are interested in philosophy or meta-physics, a great book to start your reading is Richard Bach’s “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”. This simple story (it has probably more pictures than words) of a self developed Seagull can make you think deep thoughts for weeks (it did that to me).

2. If you are a true scientist, Carl Sagan’s “Contact” is a great book. A great physicist and a believer in the life forms on other planets, he takes you on an enthralling journey to various worlds. The beauty of this book is that you will finally believe in the strength of science or God depending on what you want to.

3. If you are interested in Management and Business, Lee Iacoca’s Autobiography and Akio Morito’s “Made in Japan” are very good to start with.

I suggest two books as they bring out the contrasting difference between the “I can do anything” confident approach of the west and “I am so glad, I could do so much” humility approach of the east. Both are great people to learn from.

4. If you are interested in motivational works, “Success with Positive Mental Attitude” is a good book.

You might take very long, probably more than three months to read any of these books. That was approximately what I took to read my first book (that was while I was doing my B.E.). By the way, my first book was Mario Puzo’s “Godfather”. As you have noticed, I did not cover fiction in the above list.

The reason is simple: Each one has a different taste and it is very difficult to suggest. In addition, I feel you should do some serious reading also even if you are an avid reader of fiction. I did not have anyone at that time to guide me in this regard and read some fiction before I took up serious reading.

6 Habits of Effective Readers
By Cheeky Lit Teach, on October 3rd, 2010

Active Reading Can’t Be Seen

In my own teaching practice, I have been wanting to know more about what constitutes an effective reader. As an academic who has completed university degrees, I am obviously an effective reader; being an effective reader doesn’t mean that I naturally or intuitively understand why I am an effective reader. In fact, I believe that most effective readers do not understand why they are effective readers! People who actively create meaning as they read usually do not deconstruct what they are doing to create that meaning, so my experience has been that these effective readers do not understand what’s wrong with those who read the same material and say they do not understand the text that is on the page. “If only they would ‘try harder’, they would get it!” is a thought I am sure has been shared by many an educator that does not understand what is happening with that student who expresses difficulty with the reading.

“They can read the words aloud well enough, so why can’t they understand it?”

There are seven habits that effective readers have developed than non-effective readers need to actively practice to become better readers. Most effective readers required very little teaching as to how to actively create meaning as they read because they internalized the habits easily; however, ineffective readers require more training in how to actively create meaning from text.

They must develop the following six habits:

1. Predicting
2. Visualizing
3. Connecting
4. Questioning
5. Clarifying
6. Evaluating

Note that these six habits do not operate in isolation from one another. Reading is a complicated process that occurs in the mind and is somewhat more elusive than teaching a concrete-physical skill that you can see. It cannot be determined whether a person is a good reader by examining their physical appearance! Being a good reader can only be determined by checking (testing) a person’s understanding of a reading selection. The skill of reading effectively has been deconstructed into these six skills that do overlap and interact with each other.

Implicit and Explicit Information

Information in any text can be stated directly (explicitly) or indirectly (implicitly). When information is implied instead of directly stated, many readers do not recognize the suggested information. Each of the six habits relies on the understanding of implicitly stated information, so it’s a skill that must also be practiced in conjunction with these six habits.

1. Predicting

Predicting involves using what you already know about a subject and using what you have just read about a subject to take an educated guess as to what might happen in the near future or distant future within a story. When there is implicitly stated information, or implied information, in a text, the task of predicting is more difficult because the reader must first recognize the implicit information so that he can make a prediction as to what might happen in the future.

Ideas:

* Read a story aloud to your class and have them answer predicting questions as intervals during the story. I have done this with each student writing their responses in a quiet room (get everyone’s predictions) or aloud with student’s raising their hands to respond to the questions. You will not discover every student’s predicting ability, but you will be providing the class with explanation and discussion of the predictions made by students and why they are legitimate or not. For instance, if the student’s response does not take into account an implicitly stated detail, you have the opportunity to discuss the importance of that detail and why you would draw a particular conclusion based on it.

2. Visualizing

Visualizing involves creating mental pictures as you are reading a text. In a story, there will be descriptions of scenery and setting; characters appearance, emotions and physical reactions; and current plot events and flashbacks. All of these descriptions help the reader to actively create meaning about what is happening as they read. Being able to create pictures in your mind of the story elements mentioned above, helps the reader to understand what is happening in the story. The first step is knowing the basic events that have occurred; the second step is understanding the suggestions that have been made in the text–to understand the ‘deeper meaning’ of the text.

Completing visualization exercises in class is one way to help students become better visualizers, and I have found that students perceive these exercises as FUN! Whatever exercise you create, you should be asking the students to create a picture in their minds and you may want to extend the activity by getting the students to sketch what they see as well. The sketching is not about drawing the perfect picture; it’s about assisting the student to create a more detailed scene in their minds. I have found it to be an enjoyable, relaxing experience.

Ideas:

* Describe a picture to the class as they try to create a picture of it in their minds (with their eyes closed). You could have them pair-share to describe their mind pictures to each other. Then show the image that you have described to them. Ask them how it’s the same/different from the pictures they created.
* Try reading a short poem (10-20 lines) that contains visual imagery and ask the students to sketch what they see as you read the poem aloud. I usually read the poem at least three times while completing this exercise.

3. Connecting

Connecting relies on the previous learning and experiences of the reader. If a story involves riding on a subway, the reader could have difficulty visualizing and connecting to the events if the reader has never seen a subway and/or does not know how a subway operates. The reader’s prior learning in this case affects his present understanding of the story. There are three areas of connecting: actual prior experience, and prior reading or viewing on a subject. Actual prior experience is the best because the reader has first-hand knowledge; however, it’s not possible to have first-hand knowledge about every subject. It’s arguable whether prior reading or prior viewing is next best to actual experience since we all have different learning preferences. Viewing a film that contains scenes showing subways or involve a subway give the reader a clear visual as to a subway’s appearance and operation. It may not tell them everything about how a subway operates, but it will be enough to have a better understanding in the future of a text that involves a subway. Reading a text, preferably informational, will serve the same purpose as a film in learning about a new subject.

All your prior learning is called your SCHEMA. Each person’s schema is different because each has had a different life; no two person’s experiences are the same, so each brings a different schema to the new reading. If a person does not have much prior knowledge of general subjects, he will have more difficulty understanding what he has read; however, everyone can increase the size of his schema by learning about new topics and subjects. In the same way that new immigrants to a foreign country must learn the language to communicate, those with a low knowledge base can increase it by learning new things! If your students have low prior learning because of their lack of experience and reading, you can help to develop their connection by teaching them new facts.

Ideas:

* For instance, when teaching a story about the Great Depression, give the students an outline of what happened in this time period that includes key vocabulary and general facts.
* You could have the students research about the subject first before you read the story. When they have a greater understanding of the NEW subject, they will have a better understanding of what is happening in the story.

4. Questioning

Asking questions while you read is another reading skill that is important to becoming an effective reader. While reading a text, a reader should have questions while they are reading. Active readers are constantly asking questions without realizing it. The “how” and “why” questions help to focus the reader on what is important in a text. While focusing on those questions, the reader is engaged in the events of the story.

For example, in the novella Of Mice and Men when Lennie and George meet with the boss for the first time, the reader may ask, “Why does the boss find it strange that they travel together (because it’s natural for friends to travel together today)?” Later, when Slim tells George that it’s strange the two of them traveling together, the reader may ask, “Why does everyone in the story think it’s strange that these two guys travel together?” since the modern reader may not know that the transient workers during the Great Depression traveled alone and typically did not have any family. Then after discovering they are not relatives and discovering that Lennie often creates problems for George, the reader may ask, “I wonder why George travels with Lennie) when he could have less trouble if he traveled alone)?” since the reader has now learned that the author is writing about the loneliness of the transient worker during this time period. Steinbeck has numerous themes and purposes in this short novel; however, one of them is to develop the solipsism vs. commitment theme through the separation and loneliness of the characters; Lennie and George are an exception because they are together, but George stays with Lennie because he does not want to be alone like everyone else.

Ideas:

* Read a story aloud in class, stop at intervals and ask important questions to the class. Discuss responses.
* Same as above, but when you stop at intervals, ask the students what questions they are asking at this point in the story.
* Same as above, but when you stop at intervals, get students to write down the questions they are asking at this point in the story.

5. Clarifying

Clarifying quite obviously involves questioning, because if you are making a clarification, you are asking if something is true or if you are correct in making a particular assumption or drawing a particular conclusion. Clarifying is about making the text understood to the reader.

When a reader clarifies, he will likely start by asking a question. For instance, in the story “To Build a Fire” by Jack London, the reader may clarify, “Is the traveler experienced regarding traveling in the extreme cold?” To which, one would respond, “No, remember he is called a ‘chechaquo’ by the narrator which means ‘newcomer’ in Chinook.”

When making a clarification, a reader might reread the text to ensure he understood correctly. For example, the story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson involves not revealing key information until the last couple of paragraphs of the story. Once the surprise is revealed, the reader is compelled to revisit the story to clarify what is now understood. The reader rereads the story with a different perspective that puts the whole purpose and message of the story into context. (If you have not read this story, you must! I won’t ruin it here by telling you the conclusion.)

The reader may also restate what he has read and/or to visualize what has been described to ‘clarify’ his thoughts. Even when a reader is restating or visualizing, he is asking, “What does this mean? What has just occurred in this narrative?”
6. Evaluating

Evaluating occurs before and after reading a text; it involves making judgments about the text before and/or after reading the text, which could be a news article, short story, novel or novel chapter, play, email, script, etc. This skills encourages the reader to make critical judgments about the people (characters) and events, meaning he is forming opinions about the subject or specific situation and events of the text. After making these judgments, the reader may develop new ideas and general conclusions about any given subject: history, politics, sociology, psychology, etc.

Ideas:

* Create questions that require students to evaluate what they have just read. It’s surprising that students are generally lacking in critical thinking skills because I find that educators tend to consistently ask students to evaluate what they have read. Maybe it’s the development of the other habits that are lacking and and affecting their ability to evaluate what they have read.

Have you ever wondered…

• How can you become a better reader?
• What is speed reading?
• Who is the world’s fastest reader?

Did you know?

From a young age, children learn that reading is the foundation of their future education. Since so much of school involves learning about new ideas by reading about them, it’s no surprise that reading ability is a key indicator of a child’s future success in school.

Whether you’re still learning to read, struggling with reading or already reading at an advanced level, you can always become a better reader. Let’s take a look at a few strategies used by those who have learned to become speed readers.

If you’ve never heard of speed reading, it’s a group of reading methods used to increase how quickly you can read. Many people have created speed reading training programs that they sell in the form of videos, books, computer programs and training seminars.

Speed reading was very popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Many people wanted to learn to read faster to catch up on books they had always wanted to read.

After a decline in popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, speed reading is once again becoming more popular. Today, though, many people want to learn to read faster just to be able to keep up with the information overload that has come about in the Internet age.

Reading faster doesn’t necessarily make you a better reader, especially if you read faster but understand less of what you read. Some speed reading strategies, though, can make you a faster reader who still understands what you’ve read.

One basic strategy used by speed readers is to choose a comfortable place to read. Make sure you read in a comfortable position with plenty of light.

Get rid of distractions that prevent you from focusing. Little things like these can make your reading experience much more enjoyable.

Another strategy used by speed readers is called “chunking.” Chunking involves allowing your eyes to take in multiple words at a time — whole phrases or even short sentences — rather than just individual words.

Chunking allows your brain to use its incredible ability to recognize familiar patterns to increase both your reading speed and comprehension.

Some speed readers also use skimming as a technique to read faster when comprehension is not critical. For example, speed readers who skim Internet sites might skip over text that isn’t interesting or relevant in order to understand the basic message being communicated.

Skimming can be helpful when conducting research, especially to help determine whether particular texts are helpful or not. If you skim an article and decide it’s helpful, you should then reread the article more carefully to fully understand it.

As you read, do you hear the words being spoken in your head as if someone inside your head is reading to you? This phenomenon is called “subvocalization,” and it’s very common. Many speed readers learn to silence this “inside voice” to read faster.

So exactly how fast can speed readers read? In 1990, the Guinness Book of World Records listed Howard Stephen Berg as the Fastest Reader in the World based on his claims of reading upward of 80 pages or 25,000 words per minute. Of course, such speeds necessarily mean that only broad concepts and few details can be remembered.

The World Championship Speed Reading Competition insists on maintaining a reading comprehension level of at least 50 percent. Top contestants often read between 1,000 to 2,000 words per minute, while world champion Anne Jones read 4,700 words per minute with a 67 percent comprehension rate.

We hope that you want to become a better reader. Don’t get too caught up, though, in worrying about how fast you read. Part of the joy of reading is soaking up the author’s words and their meanings.

Many authors paint beautiful pictures with their words. If you read too fast, you might miss the subtle beauty that can be created with simple words on a printed page.

Try it out!

Since May is Get Caught Reading Month, grab a book, get comfortable and rediscover how much fun it is to read! Encourage your friends and family to share the pleasure of reading with the important people in their lives. If you catch someone reading, feel free to do a dance and celebrate!

Speed reading strategies aren’t just about reading faster. Even if you’re a good reader right now, some speed reading strategies might make you a more efficient reader. Even good readers can become better readers!

Check out these speed reading strategies to see if you have any bad reading habits that might be reducing your reading efficiency. Do you see any strategies that might make you a better reader? Give a few of them a try and see if they help you become a better reader.

Wonder words to know and use:

• foundation
• indicator
• strategies
• methods
• efficient
• overload
• posture
• distractions
• chunking
• skimming
• subvocalization
• comprehension

Still wondering?

Follow ReadWriteThink’s Make Time for Reading tip to develop a Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) time to read together as a family on a regular basis.

Wonder what’s next?

We know you’re anxious to see tomorrow’s Wonder of the Day, but just be cool. Go with the flow and we promise you’ll think it’s hot, hot, hot!

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Don’t waste your life in doubts and fears: spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour’s duties will be the best preparation for the hours or ages that follow it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Blue Eyes

Speed Reading