Skill Builder No. 10: Reading Tips

Skills Guide Content

Goal: Improve attention to reading comprehension

4 different techniques for improving reading comprehension:

Learn and understand these skills and then ask your student to tell you which ones are working for them and which ones are brand new (and less easy) to use. Practice them for yourself so you understand how your brain has to switch modes between each of these techniques.

• repetition
• skimming
• scanning
• reading thoroughly

Activity from Planner

There is more than one way to read! Taking notes while doing any reading makes your recall even stronger! You can use the different methods at the bottom of the page to help you with different kinds of assignments.

• Skimming – quickly for overview
• Scanning – quickly for specific facts
• Reading Thoroughly – slow and paced
• Repetition – more than once

Extended Activity

There’s more than one way to read! You can use these different methods to help you with different kinds of assignments:

1. Skimming is reading rapidly to get a general overview of the material. Skimming tells you what general information is within a section.
2. Scanning is reading rapidly to find specific facts. Scanning helps you locate a particular fact.
3. Reading thoroughly means reading carefully. Use a ruler, bookmark, or finger to keep your place. This method takes time and requires attention and focus for an in-depth reading of the material. This can be an excellent method for essays.
4. Repetition is reading once through and then repeating the reading again. This means reading it all, not too slow or too fast. (Medium speed, please.) Then do it again, allowing your brain to pick up every fact and exposing yourself to facts twice. This makes your short-term memory more reliable.

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