How to Learn to Read Faster

While reading a book can be a great past time for some, others find it difficult and challenging to say the least. From persons who suffer from poor reading comprehension to those who require more time than usual to get through a book, the thought of reading can be downright overwhelming. Well, not anymore. With a few commonly used techniques, you can learn to read faster in a matter of days.

Instructions

1. Review the Dolch List to strengthen reading skills and increase vocabulary. Daily study will allow you to master commonly used words. The Dolch List is available for several grade levels. For a copy, look online or purchase from a local book store.

2. Read daily to study how sentence structure and grammar function. Pay attention to how sentence structure informs the larger text. Study commonly used punctuation to eliminate the need to repeat complex sentences or return to a challenging passage to gather more information.

3. Identify common narrative devices to make predictions about the larger text. Allow your mind to leap forward and make assumptions about where the text will progress within the narrative. In doing so, you will no longer struggle to interpret and translate the text into a working definition for you. Instead, you can anticipate where the narrative will go and make adjustments as you allow the text to take you there.

4. Look for main ideas and information that can be skimmed so you do not get lost in the text. Practice scanning large materials so you are better able to quickly absorb difficult concepts and isolate key pieces of information.

5. Learn to focus your attention on the text. Write notes in the margin to sustain your concentration, if necessary. Avoid clutter and loud, distracting noises while reading.

Tips & Warnings

• Read a variety of books to help increase your reading speed.

• When using flash cards to increase vocabulary, select words that will challenge the student without causing additional confusion or discomfort with the learning process.