Academic Learning Skills

A Student Guide to
Reading Comprehension
Reading is an important, and potentially time­consuming, part of education and life. It can be very rewarding, however, since we can read for fun or read to learn new ideas. Therefore, understanding what you read is very important. Since students have lots of reading to complete each day, it also is important to learn techniques for decreasing the time you spend reading each assignment while increasing your comprehension. Here are summaries of methods Kenneth Baldridge, author of Seven Reading Strategies, suggests for improving your reading skills:
  1. Survey Reading (pp. 1­7)
    • Sample key parts (title, table of contents, chapter organization) of books to look for clues about the content and organization.
    • Ask yourself questions to spark your interest and scan the reading looking for answers.
    • Determine how thoroughly you need to understand the material and spend the most time looking for things you do not know.
    • Spend no more than 10 minutes survey reading.
  2. Speed Reading (pp. 9­24)
    • Learn to use a rhythmic flow of your eyes over each page. (For complete details on how to speed read, read Seven Reading Strategies.)
    • Use speed reading for light reading. It gives you a wide awareness of the content, but not a thorough understanding. Therefore, it is not a good method for reading complex material over which you will be tested.
  3. Phrase Reading (pp. 25­43)
    • Look for groups of words rather than single words.
    • English has several phrases, such as "time of day," that are used repeatedly. Learn to look at them as a phrase rather than processing each individual word.
  4. Close Reading (pp. 45­57)
    • Look for central themes, main points, and details.
    • Restate what you have learned in your own words.
  5. Inquiry (pp. 59­74)
    • Ask yourself questions before you start reading. Try to answer them as you read.
    • Look at the subtitles and rephrase them as questions.
  6. Critical Reading (pp. 75­88)
    • Probe deeper into what you read.
    • "Talk" with the author. Ask questions, and look for answers in the text.
    • Look for assumptions in what you read. How does what you are reading affect your life and other things in the world?
    • Relate what you are reading to other ideas.
    • Decide how valuable the idea or information is to you and the world.
  7. Esthetic Reading (pp. 89­96)
    • Look for descriptive words and images.
    • Visualize what the author is saying.
    • Ask yourself what is not stated but could relate to the idea.
Combine these techniques and strategies to help you with your reading. Vary your techniques for each kind of reading you do (novels, textbooks, magazines, newspapers, etc.).

Writers INC provides some other useful tips for reading:

  • Avoid reading when you are tired or hungry. You might not remember what you have read.
  • Notice words in italics or boldface. These often are words you should be able to define. Try stating their meaning in your own words. This will help you remember them and test your understanding of them.
  • Look at visuals like maps, charts, and pictures.
  • Use all your senses. Peak your interest by imagining how something feels, tastes, looks, or smells.
  • Read difficult material slowly. Reread sections, if you need to.
  • Always summarize what you have read. This helps you test your understanding and remember ideas.
  • Write questions you want to ask your teacher or another adult about what you have read.
  • Try these reading strategies:
KWL
After skimming: Before reading: After reading:
List what you Know List what you Want to know List what you Learned

Draw It
Draw what you read about. Make pictures, web ideas, or draw diagrams.

SQ3R
Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review
Scan the material, ask questions, read, say what you have learned in your own words, review.

For more information, read:
Baldridge, Kenneth P. Seven Reading Strategies. Greenwich, CT: Baldridge Reading Instruction Materials, 1979.
Sebranek, Patrick, Verne Meyer, and Dave Kemper. Writers INC. Washington, D.C.: Heath, 1996.

Developed by Jessie Moore

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