Reading is a very pleasurable pastime and as a skill, it is practically indispensable. But reading is a skill that can still be improved. Reading at a fast pace has a lot of benefits – you get to save time, you are able finish more reading materials, and you gain more free time as well. Learning to read fast gives a particular advantage to students who need to pore over a huge amount of reading materials. Imagine how much time you’ll get to save if you can go through these materials at a fast pace? If you want to learn how to read faster here are some tips you can follow.
The first thing you should do is to get the relevant reading materials you need and surround yourself with it. Surrounding yourself with books, magazines, and newspapers will help promote a conducive atmosphere for reading and this will further motivate you to read. You can try reading aloud as a way of improving your diction. It’s also a good way of finding out how fast your pace is when reading. Try to be conscious about how many words you read in a minute.
Try to make a list of words that are commonly used in everyday life. This list, also known as a Dolch List, contains words that are used every day. Familiarizing yourself with these words will make it easier to read faster. You’ll also have a more instinctive understanding of what these words mean and, consequently how other words mean when used within the context of these words.
Devote time for reading and do this everyday. Try to allot at least an hour everyday exclusively for reading. This exercise will help you get more acquainted with reading continuously and it will help you read faster in the long run. Try to read not just what you like reading but also other kinds of reading materials, even those that you don’t like reading, like a particular genre of fiction.
You should also learn the study techniques like skimming and scanning. By teaching yourself to look for keywords and glean the bigger picture from brief passages you’ll be able to go through stuff at a faster pace. But don’t rely too much on this kind of technique. It should only be used to give you the ‘lay of the land’, so to speak. You should still learn to read through everything , only at a faster reading rate.
Parents who want ti improve their child’s reading speed can start by understanding their child’s reading level.
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