How to Improve Reading Comprehension
Haley M
Mr. Frye
World History (H)
3 Jan 2011
Improving Reading Comprehension. Reading is usually an easy task. However, for some people, remembering and understanding what they read is the difficult part. To better improve the skill of reading comprehension, here is a technique that may be useful.
When reading something that is interesting to you, it may seem easier to follow along. Your brain responds to things that you like quicker than to things that you are unfamiliar with. While reading a book that you are not particularly fond of, try to make connections to things that relate to your life. These connections could include personal experiences, your hobbies, people you know, or places you’ve visited. Try to figure out what you and the book have in common.
Also, try to think ahead. Concentrating on certain parts can allow you to make predictions to what the outcome will be. This will get your brain working to paying attention more of the time. You will feel more alert while reading to see if you will be correct. If your predictions were right, this reinforces your understanding. If you are wrong, you may realize that you need to think more ‘outside of the box’ and explore new ideas. In addition to these tricks, make an effort to take notes (if needed). Taking small notes of important details would be useful for easy test-taking, study guides, and just an all-over memorization method. Highlighting important words, dates, and facts will remind you to go back and review key points. These tricks may seem rather simple, but the combination of them all could be very beneficial. The strengths this technique provides include: improved memorization, better test-taking strategies, increased alertness while reading, and concentration methods. Although this technique is simple and helpful, it has limitations: It may only be useful for some types of reading. For example, it may be easier to relate your personal experiences to a novel, rather than to a history
Mr. Frye
World History (H)
3 Jan 2011
Improving Reading Comprehension. Reading is usually an easy task. However, for some people, remembering and understanding what they read is the difficult part. To better improve the skill of reading comprehension, here is a technique that may be useful.
When reading something that is interesting to you, it may seem easier to follow along. Your brain responds to things that you like quicker than to things that you are unfamiliar with. While reading a book that you are not particularly fond of, try to make connections to things that relate to your life. These connections could include personal experiences, your hobbies, people you know, or places you’ve visited. Try to figure out what you and the book have in common.
Also, try to think ahead. Concentrating on certain parts can allow you to make predictions to what the outcome will be. This will get your brain working to paying attention more of the time. You will feel more alert while reading to see if you will be correct. If your predictions were right, this reinforces your understanding. If you are wrong, you may realize that you need to think more ‘outside of the box’ and explore new ideas. In addition to these tricks, make an effort to take notes (if needed). Taking small notes of important details would be useful for easy test-taking, study guides, and just an all-over memorization method. Highlighting important words, dates, and facts will remind you to go back and review key points. These tricks may seem rather simple, but the combination of them all could be very beneficial. The strengths this technique provides include: improved memorization, better test-taking strategies, increased alertness while reading, and concentration methods. Although this technique is simple and helpful, it has limitations: It may only be useful for some types of reading. For example, it may be easier to relate your personal experiences to a novel, rather than to a history