Page 10 - Active Skills for Reading Intro Book

Read in phrases rather than word by word.
Don't point at each word while you read. Practice reading in phrases-groups of words
that go together.
Engage your imagination.

Good readers visualize what they are reading. They create a movie in their head of the
story they are reading. As you read, try sharing with a partner the kinds of pictures that
you create in your mind.
Avoid subvocalization.

Subvocalization means quietly saying the words as you read. You might be whispering
the words or just silently saying them in your mind. Your eyes and brain can read much
faster than you can speak. If you subvocalize, you can only read as fast as you can
say the words. As you read, place your finger on your lips or your throat. Do you feel
movement? If so, you are subvocalizing. Practice reading without moving your lips.

Don't worry about understanding every word.
Sometimes, as readers, we think we must understand the meaning of everything that
we read. It isn't always necessary to understand every word in a passage in order to
understand the meaning of the passage as a whole. Instead of interrupting your reading
to find the meaning of a new word, circle the word and come back to it after you have
finished reading.

Enjoy your reading.
Your enjoyment of reading will develop over time. Perhaps today you do not like to read
in English, but as you read more, you should see a change in your attitude. The more
you read in English, the easier it will become. You will find yourself looking forward to
reading.
Read as much as you can.
The best tip to follow to become a more fluent reader is to read whenever and
wherever you can. Good readers read a lot. They read many different kinds of material:
newspapers, magazines, textbooks, websites, and graded readers. T o practice this, keep
a reading journal. Every day, make a list of the kinds.of things you read during the day
and how long you read each for. If you want to become a more fluent reader, read more!