IMPROVE YOUR READING

RATE

And MAXIMIZE YOUR

COMPREHENSION
Presentation provided by UTPB West Texas Literacy Center an HSI funded program. HSI is a federally
funded program granted by the Department of Education Title V programs.
Developed by: Ana Miller, M.A.. Ed., Reading Specialist
WHY SHOULD I IMPROVE MY
READING RATE?
 In college, you have more to read and less
time
 Reading too slowly reduces comprehension
 Reading too slowly does not stimulate your
brain and decreases interest in the text
 You have the capability-1 trillion brain cells
and the visual capacity to take in a full
page of text in 1/20 of a second
 Reading 500+ wpm is attainable
WHAT FACTORS REDUCE READING
RATE AND COMPREHENSION?

 Limited perceptual span or excessive fixation: Word-by-word

reading, pointing
 Regression: Needless or unconscious rereading, habitual and
signals lack of concentration
 Vocalization: Moving your lips while reading
 Subvocalization: Talking to yourself in your head as you read
silently
 Physical habits: Tapping foot, pencil
 Distractors: Watching TV, eating, interruptions, etc.
 Lack of reading practice

THESE FACTORS REDUCE READING SPEED, COMPREHENSION AND

RECALL
WHAT FACTORS INCREASE
READING RATE AND
COMPREHENSION?
 Set yourself up to succeed – read in a
quiet distraction free environment
 Do not read on your bed
 Read actively: Set your purpose for
reading and self-monitor
 Increase your eye-span - Chunking

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

READING!!!
AVERAGE READING RATES

 Adult – 250 WPM with 70%

comprehension (Smith, 2005)
 College Student – 300 WPM
 Slow Readers – 150 WPM or less or
250 WPM with limited comprehension
TYPES OF READING
 Scanning – Telephone book, dictionary
 Skimming – Surveying, previewing, checking
relevance of text
 Light Reading – Reading for leisure, novels, 100-200
wpm
 Word by word – Scientific information, unfamiliar
terms
 Study Reading – SQ4R (Survey, Question, Read,
Recite, Rite, Review) Goal: In depth comprehension
ADJUST YOUR SPEED ACCORDING TO YOUR PURPOSE
FOR READING AND THE DIFFICULTY OF THE TEXT
Research Based Reading Study
Method: SQ4R
 SURVEY – Skim title, subheadings,
graphics, captions, boldface terms,
first one to two paragraphs, summary
 As you skim, ask yourself, “What do I
know about these topics?”
 Bring in your background knowledge and
your prior experiences
 Take no more than 5 minutes for an
average chapter
SQ4R
 QUESTION - Turn the first
subheading into a question using
how, why, what, when, where, who?
 This technique creates reading for a
purpose – you are now seeking an
answer
 Improves focus and concentration
SQ4R
 READ – Quickly and selectively-
remember that you are searching for
an answer to your question
 Read only one section or a few
paragraphs, depending on the difficulty
of the text
 RECITE – Answer your question
ALOUD
 If you can’t say it, you don’t know it.
SQ4R
 RITE – This is the note-taking step
 Writing the answer to your question and other
relevant information doubles retention
 Cornell Method, Outline, Double and Triple
Column Journal, Graphics, Post-it-Notes
 This step creates an ongoing study guide
REPEAT THE CYCLE: Question, Read, Recite, Rite as
you read the next section of text. Repeat this
cycle until you have completed the reading
assignment or the chapter
QUESTION, READ, RECITE, RITE
CYCLE

READ
RECITE
QUESTION

RITE
SQ4R
 REVIEW – When you have completed the
reading assignment, following the Question,
Read, Recite, and Rite cycle, survey again,
answering your questions as you skim
 One week later, review the information again
 Review each week until you are tested, creating
a cumulative weekly review
 This step transfers information from short-term
memory to long-term memory
 Take 5 minutes to Review
ELIMINATE SUBVOCALIZATION
 The inner voice experienced as a
slight movement in the tongue or
throat region
 Slows down reading to about 250 wpm,
the speed of normal speech
 REMEDY
 Decrease eye fixation: Word-for-word
reading
INCREASE EYE SPAN - CHUNKING
 Eye span is the number of words that you read
at one time
 Chunking 2 words doubles rate, 3 words triples,
4 words quadruples…
 Increases comprehension
 Focus is on how the words fit together to make
meaning, rather than on each individual word in
isolation
PEN AS A PACER TECHNIQUE
Goal – To increase the number of words within a
chunk
SPEED READING IS NOT MAGIC
IT REQUIRES:
 The desire to improve your reading
skills
 The willingness to try new
techniques in reading
 The motivation to practice reading
References
 http://www.studyhall.com
 Rood, S. (2000). Improving Reading
Speed and Comprehension.
Longwood University.
 Smith, B. (2004). Breaking through
college reading. 7E. NY: Longman.