Ways to Increase your Comprehension and Speed  Be a flexible reader.  Use a finger to pace your reading.  Read, then reread faster.  Build your vocabulary.

1. Be a Flexible Reader Your purposes for reading affects how fast you read and how much you try to remember. It is sometimes important to remember facts and details when you read. At other times, only the major points may interest you. When you entertain yourself by reading a good novel, you may not care if you remember any of it.

What do you do when you need to find specific facts?  Skim along quickly, looking only for the information you need.  Don’t read every word or every line.  You may often find information you need in lists, tables, or illustrations.

How do you read and remember complex material ?  Read every word.  Read particularly complex material aloud.  Read slowly and deliberately.

2. Use Finger Pacing  Pacing your reading with your fingers can increase your reading speed and comprehension.  Move your finger along each line as you read, and read at the pace your finger is moving. (Don’t point at each word- that slows you down and decreases comprehension. )  Let your fingers glide along the page just under and ahead of where your eyes are reading. This draws your eyes along faster and increases speed.  To increase your speed, move your finger faster.

 Finger pacing does three things to increase reading speed:  It helps break the habit of going back to reread words and sentences that you understood the first time.  It assists you to see more than one word at a time. This engages your peripheral vision.  It encourages you to read faster. As your speed increases, you’re likely to begin chunking groups of words as you read. Comprehension increases.

3. Read, then Reread Faster  Start by reading something that you already know.  Read a page slowly enough to feel comfortable with your comprehension.  Read the same page at a faster rate.

4. Build your Vocabulary  Here’s a simple, effective way to practice new words you encounter while reading.  When you come to a word you don’t understand, write it on a 3x5 card and look it up in the dictionary.  Then write its definition on the back of the card.

To bring new words into your long-term memory, use your vocabulary flash cards in three ways:  Look at the word and say the definition.  Look at the definition and say the word.  Look at the word and use it in a sentence. Drill until you know the words, then review from time to time.

Assignment:  Create a stack of at least 10 flashcards this week of new words that would increase your vocabulary. These are words that you encounter every day. They can be words from your classes or that you hear outside of school.  Bring the cards to class next time and be prepared to share the definitions with the class (without looking at the definitions).