1. Office of Special Services for Students VMI Building, 2nd Floor 828-9782 Lisa Webb, Interim Director Amy Miller, Learning Specialist ReadingComprehension

2. Ways to Improve Reading Comprehension • Develop a broad understanding • Know the structure of paragraphs • Identify the type of reasoning used • Anticipate and predict • Look for the method of organization • Create motivation and interest • Pay attention to supporting cues • Summarize and review • Build a good vocabulary • Develop questions based on what you have already read and/or learned

3. Tips to Help you Improve • Preview before reading • Look through material first to get a sense of what's interesting and important to you, and what you might be able to skip. Then focus on the sections that you need to understand and remember, and skim or skip the rest. • Avoid highlighting • You end up reading the material twice, and possibly not understanding or remembering it either time! • Form questions • Improve your reading comprehension, reading speed, and concentration by turning headings and subheadings in textbooks and other nonfiction books into questions. Then scan the text for the answers. Your reading speed improves by doing this, and you become focused on your material. Richard Feldman, Ph.D., Columbia University, 2006 Learning Techniques®

4. Tips to Help you Improve (continued) • Read Early in the Day • Many people can double their reading speed and improve their concentration by reading the material that's important to them early in the day. • Prioritize your Reading • Create piles for your reading materials - important, moderately important, and least important. Read the material in their order of importance. You'll improve your reading speed by doing this, and improve your reading comprehension by getting to the important material first, when your mind is clear and sharp. • Read in the Correct Place • Avoid reading difficult or important material in bed, where your mind and body tend to relax. You'll stay alert if you sit at a desk instead. Richard Feldman, Ph.D., Columbia University, 2006 Learning Techniques®

5. Tips to Help you Improve (continued) • Use your critical thinking and problem solving skills to help understand the material. • Skim first for main ideas • Speed read for main ideas in nonfiction books, like textbooks. Scan the table of contents and first and last sentences of each paragraph. You will improve your reading speed and comprehension if you first understand the book’s structure. This will also help you pick out which parts of the book you can skim and which you need to spend more time reading carefully.

6. Final Thought “Good reading means building frameworks for connecting words to thoughts.” ~Donald Martin

7. For More Information Please contact: Lisa Webb, lbwebb@vcu.edu Amy Miller, ammiller4@vcu.edu 804-828-9782 SpecialServices for Students