Tuesday, October 21, 2008

How Fast Do You Read?

Are you a fast and fluent reader? Should you be? Today in Reading Workshop we discussed the pace used when reading. Sometimes even the most fluent reader should s l o w d o w n. Sometimes even the slowest reader should speed up and get through the text. The important thing to know is how to pace yourself depending on your purpose.

Reading Rate








If you want to be a better reader, first think about your purpose. Then adjust your reading speed to fit your purpose. Most readers do this, at least to a certain extent, without even thinking about it. In fact, as you become a better reader, you will constantly move back and forth on the continuum, without even being aware that you are making adjustments.

However, with difficult text, it is important to consciously take the time to understand what you are reading. Look at key vocabulary, using context clues to figure out words that you don't know. What part of speech is a word? Maybe it is just an adverb that will not keep you from understanding the sentence, so it can be ignored if you don't understand it. Determine whether a point is a major component of an article, or just a supporting detail. Frequently supporting details are not necessary to understand the gist of the writing.

This decision to slow down, and break down an essay for key concepts and ideas (like finding the W's) will help you become a better reader, improve comprehension, and improve your grades.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I read pretty fast and skim for key words in the sentence or even the paragraph. I think it is more important to read slow because you will understand the book more clearly. When you read fast you will not understand the book as clear as you would if you would have read it slower.

Anonymous said...

I read pretty fast but sometimes I start reading slow because I don't get the part or chapter. I actually like reading so I pretty much read fast. My mom has taught me step by step.

Anonymous said...

I think you should read slow when your looking for information like on a report. Or when you are starting a new book so you can get the main idea. The time to read fast is when you are looking for W letters like who what where when and why or when you are are skimming a paragrph.

Mr. McGuire said...

Kyle,

Thank you for coming back to join us on the blog.

I think you, Brianna, and Seth make a great point, vary your reading speed to fit the need.:)

Anonymous said...

Some people read slow some read fast, it depends on the setting, Like me I read in the middle.

Anonymous said...

Some people read slowly but I read fast depending on how many pages are in the book and how hard the words are.