The Foundation of College Success

1. The Foundation of College Success Reading Comprehension Strategies Presentation provided by UTPB West Texas Literacy Center, an HSI funded program. HSI is a federally funded program granted by the Department of Education Title V programs. Developed by Ana Miller, M.A., Reading Specialist

2. What is Reading? • “Reading is Thinking.” • Has dual purposes – decoding and comprehension • Requires your background knowledge and prior experiences • Interactive – You and the author • Constructive • Metacognitive – Awareness of your own thinking • Strategic • Involves all of you – Mentally, physically, emotionally, and sometimes spiritually

3. What Proficient Readers Do • Interact with text in a multisensory way • Search for connections between what they know and the new information • Ask questions of themselves, the authors, and the texts they read • Make inferences (reading between the lines) during and after reading • Distinguish important from less important ideas in text

4. What Proficient Readers Do • Are adept at synthesizing (formulating a new perspective or idea) information within and across texts and reading experiences • Repair faulty comprehension • Monitor the adequacy of their understanding Findings based on research by Pearson, 1992 and Keene & Zimmerman, 1997.

5. First Stage of ReadingPre-Reading • Preview Text SURVEY Title, subheadings, bold print, italicized words, margin notes Pictures, captions, graphics, maps, etc. Chapter questions Summary

6. Pre-ReadingAs you Preview the Text • Link your prior knowledge and experiences to the text Ask yourself: “What do I already know about this subject?” “What personal connections can I make to this information?” Take no longer than 5 minutes to Preview the Text.

7. Pre-Reading • Set a Purpose for Reading to Get Focused and Engaged in the Reading Process QUESTION Mentally or in writing BEFORE you read the first section of the chapter,turn a chapter heading, subheading, or boldface term into a question, using “why, how, what, when, where, who?”

8. Second Stage of ReadingDuring Reading • READ To find the answer to your question(s) Read only a short section, one paragraph to one page, depending on the difficulty of the text Read quickly and selectively, improving your comprehension by seeking the answer to your question(s)

9. During Reading • As you read Interact with the text by: Using all of your senses to see, hear, touch, taste, and smell what the author is describing In expository (nonfiction) text visualizing is most beneficial In narrative (storytelling) text all of your senses should be engaged, especially your emotions

10. During ReadingMake Connections with the Text • What does this remind me of? • How can I apply this? • How does this relate to lectures, class notes, other textbooks, other courses? • How does this relate to what I am needing to learn? • I wonder… • I have heard, seen, read about this…

11. Third Stage of ReadingAfter Reading • RECITE To find out what you comprehend from reading the section: Answer your question ALOUD, in YOUR OWN WORDS If you can’t say it, you don’t know it! Reciting is your most important tool for remembering information; it requires complete multisensory concentration needed to move information from short-term memory to long-term memory

12. After Reading • RITE To prepare for later review follow the RECITE step with any of these steps: Underline or highlight, using the “telegrammatic” method, if the material is fairly easy Make very brief notes in the margin or in your notebook, if the material is detailed and complex Record key names, dates, terms, and definitions Mark any confusing portions so you can clarify later When you don’t want to mark in the text, use post-it-notes

13. “Telegrammatic” Underlining or Highlighting • The Objective: • Your underlined or highlighted words should provide a sufficient, correct SUMMARY of the material. Avoid random marking Difficult texts or those you must know in great detail, may require marginal notes, outlines, or other note- taking methods Telegrammatic underlining or highlighting works well for easier or more general information

14. Repeat the Cycle • Move to the next section of the text and: QUESTION READ RECITE RITE

15. After ReadingFinal Step • REVIEW At the end of the chapter, take about 5 MINUTES to do an IMMEDIATE, brief review to double retention A WEEK LATER, review again briefly to strengthen long-term memory Review again EACH WEEK UNTIL YOU ARE TESTED, adding new chapters as they are assigned Reviewing cuts total study time by up to 90%

16. SQ4R Study-Reading Method • S – SURVEY • Q – QUESTION • R – READ • R – RECITE • R – RITE • R – REVIEW

17. Research Shows:Study-Reading Methods Do Work • Reading alone is a short-term memory operation • In a study, of upper-level students from a major university who used the SQ4R method for a semester- • Every student: Had a higher GPA Faster reading rate Improved comprehension *Spent 30% less time on studying than before The key is repetition!!!

18. Psychological Advantages of Study-Reading Methods • Provides mental organization or structure • Sets a purpose for reading • Produces sense of accomplishment • Creates sense of security • Multisensory

19. READING REQUIRES READER AND TEXT INTERACTION If there is no understanding, reading did not occur. “Tell me, and I’ll forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I’ll understand.” Author unknown

20. Adjusting Your Reading Rate • Scanning – 1000 to 2000 WPM • Skimming – 800+ WPM • Speed Reading – 300 to 800+ WPM • Study Reading – 100 to 200 WPM • Careful, Intensive Reading - < 100 WPM

21. References Feldman, Shattles, & McKenzie. (2004).Oracle EDU 1110. Unpublished manuscript, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX. Harvey, S. & Goudvis, A. (2000). Strategies That Work. Portland: Stenhouse. Leonard, E. (2007). What Every Student Should Know About…Study Skills. New York: Pearson.