MANAGING YOUR READING TIME
Those in a hurry
do not arrive.
Zen Saying
I.
What is
Efficient Reading?
II.
Tips for
Efficient Reading
·
Know Reading Averages
·
Track Your Reading Rates
·
Understand Speed Reading
·
Reading Quickly
·
Regression
·
Subvocalization
·
Pacing
·
Developing a
Reading Plan
III.
Test Taking and
Time Management
IV.
Practice with
Reading
V.
Chapter Summary
VI.
Post-Test
MANAGING READING TIME
Comprehension
should be your main reading goal, not how fast you read.
·
Develop a general study schedule that shows specifically when you
plan to study for each class and for how long.
·
Choose the times you study based on when you are most alert, and
determine the length of time of each study session using your reading averages
for the subjects you are taking.
·
Track your reading rates so you can create daily reading plans
that set realistic goals for your classes each week.
The following reading tips are presented
in this chapter and will contribute to your becoming a more efficient reader:
·
reading quickly, when it is appropriate
·
skimming
·
regressing or rereading
·
subvocalizing
·
pacing
The goal of critical reading is to "slow down" and take
time to digest what you are reading. It is a thinking process. Thinking takes
time. Explain to students that although they should be aware of how fast they
read so they can pace themselves, plan their study time accordingly, and
improve their reading efficiency, speed is NOT the goal of critical reading. In
this chapter they will learn that different rates are appropriate for different
types of reading. Most speed-reading programs are neither too concerned with
comprehension nor designed for textbook reading. Have students go back to their
learning journals to write about what they just learned.
table 4.1
Number of Pages Read
Subject:
___________________
Session Number
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
Date
|
||||||||||||||
Number of Pages Read
|
TABLE 4.2
GRAPHING READING RATES
Session
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
Date
|
||||||||||||||
60
|
||||||||||||||
55
|
||||||||||||||
50
|
||||||||||||||
45
|
||||||||||||||
40
|
||||||||||||||
35
|
||||||||||||||
30
|
||||||||||||||
25
|
||||||||||||||
20
|
||||||||||||||
15
|
||||||||||||||
10
|
||||||||||||||
5
|
||||||||||||||
Pages Per
Hour
|
supplemental exercises
There
are three supplemental exercises for this chapter. Information about each is
provided on this page and the related material follows on separate pages that
you can print out for use with your students.
Exercise 4-1: Academic Tracking Calendar. (Student material
on page 63)
Have students get into the habit of marking down
important dates (appointments, events, exams, and deadlines) for each month.
This teaches them that it’s important to be aware of time. The more conscious
they are of due dates and other important events, the more they will be in
control of their time, and the more effective they will be in using it. This
calendar is used to flag unusual dates, unlike a semester schedule that doesn’t
vary.
Exercise 4-2: Goal Setting Exercise #1: Goals and
Professional Commitment
Have
students respond to the following four questions in their learning journals:
1. What do you intend to
accomplish by the end of today?
2. What do you intend to accomplish
by the end of the week?
3. What do you intend to
accomplish in twelve months?
4. What do you intend to
accomplish in five years?
Then
ask them to answer questions five.
5. If you won a million dollars tomorrow, how
would you rewrite goals 3 and 4?
(Give students five minutes to rewrite
these goals.)
Explain
to students that if they changed their goals as a result of winning money,
especially #4, they probably don’t have a strong commitment to pursuing them.
If they are planning on becoming a teacher, for example, but would not choose
this career if they became rich, they may not have chosen goals that are
sufficiently meaningful to them.
If
their goals changed dramatically, have them discuss why in class. If they
aren’t really committed to a profession, they may benefit from career
counseling.
Exercise 4-3: Goal Setting Exercise #2: Defining Specific
Goals (student material on page 64)
Have students complete this worksheet which is designed
to help them clarify their goals.
chapter four: exercise 4-1
ACADEMIC
TRACKING CALENDAR
Month _______________
Important Dates (Deadlines, Meetings, Exams, Events)
Sunday
|
Monday
|
Tuesday
|
Wednesday
|
Thursday
|
Friday
|
Saturday
|
chapter four: exercise 4-3
GOAL SETTING WORKSHEET
In order to manage your time effectively, you need to be clear
about your goals. The more clearly defined they are, the more likely it is that
you will achieve them. The purpose of this worksheet is to have you think about
and select a series of goals, and learn how to write clear objectives to help
you attain them.
DAILY GOALS
First: Brainstorm
List five goals – things that you intend to accomplish today.
Second: Prioritize
Number the goals, listing them in order of importance.
Third: Identify
Identify each goal as “M” (mine) or “O” (someone else’s goal for
you).
Fourth: Specify
Detail how you will achieve the goals you have selected.
Be specific – for example, indicate time, place, reason, method, and priority.
Example: Attend reading class on time
Priority
|
Goal
|
Identify
|
Place
|
Reason
|
Method
|
1
|
COLLS 053
|
M
|
MC-115
|
Keep grade up
|
Get up one hour earlier
|
Intermediate Term Goals:
Using the same method as you did for your five daily goals, select
three goals you want to accomplish by this time next week.
Long Term Goals:
Finally, brainstorm two major goals that you want to accomplish by
this date next year. For example, select a major, get your own apartment, apply
to UM Law School. Prioritize your goals, identify them as “M” or “O”; and
specify how you will accomplish each (when, how, where etc.).
supplemental vocabulary quiz
Answers
Chapter FOUR vocabulary QUIZ
Across
1 at fault, blame
5 compassion, feel how someone feels
9 thinking about what you are
reading
12 comprehending text at an appropriate
reading rate
Down
1 struggled
2 reading groups of words
3 using your finger to guide your
reading
4 rest, relief
6 small amount
7 diagnose the reason for own demise
8 deep, wise, insightful
10 reading only some of the words
11 summon, call up