11 Steps To Becoming An Active Reader

"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." - Joseph Addison

1. Stop believing you hate to read
2. Understand your reading level
3. Look at reading as entertainment; not work
4. Stop making excuses
5. Decide where you read the best
6. Know where you mind needs to be
7. Find a book you like
8. Start simple
9. Make scheduled times to read
10. Keep your book close often
11. Talk to a friend

Getting the Essential Information

The first step in increasing your reading comprehension is to learn how to get the basic information.
Like a good detective, start with the basic facts. To get the facts, be an active reader and look for
clues as you read.

Imagine, for a moment, that you are a detective. You have just been called to the scene of a crime; a
house has been robbed.What’s the first thing you should do when you arrive?
a. See what’s on the TV.
b. Check what’s in the fridge.
c. Get the basic facts of the case.

The answer, of course, is c, get the basic facts of the case: who, what, when, where, how, and why.
What happened? To whom? When? Where? How did it happen? And why?
As a reader faced with a text, you go through a similar process. The first thing you should do is
establish the
facts. What does this piece of writing tell you? What happens? To whom? When, where, how, and
why? If you can
answer these basic questions, you’re on your way to really comprehending what you read.

What Are the Facts?

Let’s start with a definition. A fact is:
■ Something that we know for certain to have happened
■ Something that we know for certain to be true
■ Something that we know for certain to exist
 Law

Across
6. – A person that helps someone else commit a crime. Can be on purpose or not.
8. – An action between two or more persons in the courts of law, not a criminal matter.
10. – A form of alternative dispute resolution in which the parties bring their dispute to a neutral third party, who
helps lower tensions, improve communications, and explore possible solutions. Similar to mediation, but it may
be less formal.
Down
1. – To disagree. An appellate court opinion setting forth the minority view and outlining the disagreement of one
or more judges with the decision of the majority.
2. – A document or an object shown and identified in court as evidence in a case.
3. – Something tangible or intangible that someone holds legal title.
4. – An act that breaks the law.
5. – A judicial command or order proceeding from a court or judicial officer, directing the proper officer to enforce
a judgment, sentence, or decree.
7. – Punishment for breaking a law.
9. – When the people involved in a legal dispute agree about something.