Basic Reading Tips...
After reading the first chapter, make sure you know:
- What Point Of View your book is told from (first or third, usually)
- Who the main characters are
- When the story is told (Is this a story told in the past or present?)
- Where the story takes place (Is the story in Germany? New York? or a fictitious place?
- What is the basic plot of the story?
Schedule time for reading every day!
Some days you can plan for an hour or more of reading. Other days, it might just be 10-15 minutes. Stick to your game-plan and read as often as you can with a tutor.
Read in places where you won't be distracted
Some days you can plan for an hour or more of reading. Other days, it might just be 10-15 minutes. Stick to your game-plan and read as often as you can with a tutor.
Read in places where you won't be distracted
- library
- ASC (tutoring)
- quiet room at your home with TV off, etc...
Read through the hard words
When you find some new vocabulary, (if you own the book), underline or circle the words you don't know, but keep reading! Come back to the words after you finish the paragraph or chapter. Oftentimes, the context (or story) will help you guess the words you don't know. After you have a guess about what the word means, then you may use a dictionary, not a translator, to find out what the words mean and then write them in a journal. This is the quickest and most effective way to learn words!
When you find some new vocabulary, (if you own the book), underline or circle the words you don't know, but keep reading! Come back to the words after you finish the paragraph or chapter. Oftentimes, the context (or story) will help you guess the words you don't know. After you have a guess about what the word means, then you may use a dictionary, not a translator, to find out what the words mean and then write them in a journal. This is the quickest and most effective way to learn words!
Do NOT use a translator
One of the things you will hear me say a lot is: THE TRANSLATOR IS THE ENEMY!
This is because you are an advanced speaker of English. You are talking and writing about advanced ideas.
One of the things you will hear me say a lot is: THE TRANSLATOR IS THE ENEMY!
This is because you are an advanced speaker of English. You are talking and writing about advanced ideas.
- Advanced ideas don't always translate accurately.
- Context is important! ---The same words or phrases could mean something completely different in one situation than in another.
- The translator wastes time! It really slows you down!
Read out loud with a tutor and/or friend
This not only gives you practice with English pronunciation, but it also helps you understand what you are reading. The truth is, as humans, we talk to communicate, so when we put our talking-skills to work by reading out loud, we usually have an easier time understanding what we read. The more you practice reading out loud, the easier it becomes.
Click HERE to see when the Academic Skills Center (tutoring) is open.
This not only gives you practice with English pronunciation, but it also helps you understand what you are reading. The truth is, as humans, we talk to communicate, so when we put our talking-skills to work by reading out loud, we usually have an easier time understanding what we read. The more you practice reading out loud, the easier it becomes.
Click HERE to see when the Academic Skills Center (tutoring) is open.
Advanced Reading Strategies
Hopefully you've taken a reading class and the following more advanced strategies will be a review. If not, click the buttons below to learn important reading strategies that will help you not only with this Book Talk assignment, but with other classes that require reading as well.