HOW TO

READ MORE
EFFECTIVELY
Tips straight from the techyteachermentor

compiled by Asheka Tenzin

Introduction
Being good at reading directly affects how well you do in
school. Research shows that students who read more than
their classmates usually get higher grades, participate more
in class discussions, and get better at understanding what
they read and writing. So, by learning and using good reading
techniques, you can get better at reading and do well in your
studies.

Here are some helpful tricks to make your reading better

and faster. This guide will give you:
1. Important tips before you start reading.
2. Four ways to read more effectively.
3. Skills and strategies to understand what you are
reading.

Important tips before you start reading.

Here are 4 important tips -
1. Understand why you are reading
Before you start reading, think about why you are doing it.
For instance, are you reading to:
Get a general idea about the topic?
Find certain information?
Grasp tricky concepts?
Review for exams?
Finish a particular assignment?
When you know why you are reading, it helps you figure out
how to read (which reading strategies to use – we will talk
more about that later!).
2. Choose what to read carefully and stay on task
After figuring out why you are reading (your purpose),
you can decide what is crucial to read and what can wait.
Think about what you need to discover.
Find:
Important words or phrases about the topic
Questions you need to answer
Then, actively search for answers and proof to back up
those answers.
Tip: Keep your assignment question handy while you read.
This way, you won't waste time on things that don't matter
to your task.

3. Take reading one step at a time

Make reading easier by splitting it into smaller parts, like
pages, articles, or chapters. Figure out how much time you
have and set a goal to read a specific number of pages or
for a certain amount of time.

4. Remember what you have read

Write down where you got your information and ideas. It
will be useful when you need to mention the text.
Remember to keep track of:
Who wrote it
The title
Where it was published
When it was published
Page numbers
Four ways to read more effectively
There are different strategies you can apply to your
reading, depending on your goal.
1. Previewing:
What it is: Look over the text quickly before you
start reading. Check out headings, subheadings, and
any bold or italicized words.
Why it helps: Gives you an idea of what the text is
about, making it easier to understand when you
read it more thoroughly.
2. Skimming:
What it is: Read through the text quickly, focusing
on the main ideas and important points.
Why it helps: Helps you grasp the overall meaning
without getting into all the details.
3. Scanning:
What it is: Search for specific information by quickly
looking through the text.
Why it helps: Efficient for finding particular details
without reading everything.
4. Detailed Reading:
What it is: Read the text thoroughly, paying close
attention to every detail.
Why it helps: Gives you an in-depth understanding,
suitable for complex information or when you need
to analyze the content closely.
Choose the strategy that fits your goal for each reading
task.
Skills and strategies to understand what you are
reading.
Understanding what you read is important, and it depends on
reading words accurately and fluently. If you are not good
at reading accurately and fluently, it can be tough to
understand what you are reading.
Good reading means not just recognizing words but also
understanding their meaning. To do this, you need to: figure
out what the words mean, connect what you are reading to
what you already know, and think deeply about what you
read. Let's explore these aspects of reading comprehension
more closely.

Comprehension Skills: Understanding what you read needs

some important skills. These skills help you get the meaning
from the text.

Decoding:
Decoding is an important part of reading. It's like connecting
the letters and words to what they actually mean.
To understand what you are reading, it's crucial to decode
words accurately. This is especially important when you are
learning something new, like a new subject with its own
special words. If you come across a word you don't know,
you might need to go back to your textbook or check it in a
dictionary or encyclopedia to get its meaning.
Fluency:
Fluency is about reading smoothly and quickly, so you
can understand what you are reading faster. It comes
from recognizing words without having to sound them out
each time.
Good readers read smoothly at a nice speed. They group
words together to help understand, and they pick up on the
writer's style – like their attitude or personality. Being
fluent is super important for understanding what you read
well.
To get good at fluency, the best thing is to practice reading a
lot. Most people need to see a word 4 to 14 times before
they can recognize it easily, like a word that just pops into
their head without having to think too much.

Vocabulary:
Vocabulary is about knowing the words in what you are
reading. If you know most of the words, it's easier to
understand. Having a good vocabulary is super important for
understanding what you read.
When you are learning about specific things, you pick up
special words related to that topic. The more of these
words you know, the better you get at reading.
To grow your vocabulary, write down words you don't know
or understand, find their meanings in a dictionary, and
practice until you remember them easily. Start with a few
words each week, maybe 2-5, and keep practicing. Even if it's
just a couple of new words every week, by the end of the
year, you'll know a bunch of new words!
Sentence structure and cohesion:
Understanding how sentences work (sentence structure)
and how ideas connect within and between sentences
(cohesion) might sound like skills for writing. But, they are
also really important for reading. Knowing how ideas fit
together in sentences helps us figure out what a passage or
a whole text means. It also makes sure everything in the
writing fits well together, which is called coherence.
If you find it hard to put sentences together when you
write, it might affect how well you understand what you
read. So, it's good to learn how sentences work and use that
knowledge when you read. It not only helps with reading but
also makes your writing better.

Reasoning and background knowledge

Thinking about what you already know while you read is
super important. If you know something about a topic, it
makes understanding what you are reading much easier. It's
like having a head start.
It's also good to learn how to figure out the hidden
meanings in the text, not just what it says directly. This is
crucial because when you read critically (thinking carefully
about what you read), you are not just taking in new
information. You are also comparing it with what you
already know to form a strong opinion.
Let's say you are reading about #MeToo, a movement
against sexual abuse. If you already know about it from
the news, it helps you understand better. This background
knowledge helps you make sense of the article, apply its
ideas, and come up with your own thoughts.
To be really good at reading, expose yourself to a lot
of information in your field, and think about what you have
learned from real-life experiences. This way, you can connect
new information with what you already know and become a
great reader!

Attention and Working memory

Paying attention and using your memory are really important
when you are reading. It doesn't matter if you can read
smoothly if you can't stay focused and remember what you
read. When you read, paying attention helps you take in
information. Using your memory helps you remember it and
understand what it means.
It's also important to check if you understand what you are
reading. If you don't, here's what you can do:
1. Stop
2. Go back
3. Read again to clear up any confusion.
To stay focused, think about how what you are reading
connects to what you already know or what you are
studying. If you still don't get it, you can go back to the
basics or ask for help from your teacher.
To stay more focused, find reading material that you find
interesting. And if something is unclear, don't hesitate to
read it again. Librarians can help you find more material
that relates to what you are studying.
Active strategies to understand your reading
1. Activating and using background knowledge - Smart
readers always link what they already know with new
stuff they find in a text. Background knowledge is what
you know from your experiences and what you've read
before. It also includes how you understand written
words, like knowing what words mean and how the text
is put together.
2. Generating and asking questions- Thinking up and asking
yourself questions as you read is a handy trick to
understand better and read more easily. It's super
helpful for figuring out the main ideas in what you're
reading and putting together information. When you ask
the right questions, you can pay attention to the most
important stuff in the text and realize if there's
anything you're not understanding well.
3. Making inferences and predicting- Smart readers use
two cool tricks called "making inferences" and "predicting"
to understand and guess what's happening in a story.
When you make inferences, you figure things out from
the clues the author gives, even if it's not directly said.
It's like reading between the lines. Predicting is like
guessing what might happen next by using what you
already know. Good readers might use the author's
name or the title to make a smart guess about what
the story is about. These tricks help readers
understand and enjoy the story even more because
they're always checking if their guesses match what's
really going on.
4. Summarizing and visualizing- Summarizing is
like telling the important parts of a story or
information in your own words, making it shorter and
clear. If you can summarize well, it means you really
understand what you read. It helps you remember
things better and see what's crucial. Visualizing is about
making pictures in your mind while you read. It's like
creating a movie in your head to understand what's
going on. If you're good at visualizing, it shows you
really get what you're reading. This is super helpful,
especially in stories, because it helps you see the
characters and scenes. But you can also use it to
picture steps in a process or how an argument develops.
It's like adding pictures to what you read to make it
easier to understand and remember.
5. Monitoring understanding- Monitoring understanding
means knowing when you understand what you read and
when you don't. Good readers pay attention to their
thoughts while reading and know if they're getting
distracted. On the other hand, readers who struggle may
not engage with the text deeply.
Smart readers use "fix-up" strategies to make things
clearer if they're not understanding. This might mean
reading a part again, looking ahead, checking a dictionary,
or asking for help. Good readers are like captains
steering their own ship; they decide which strategy
works best for them because they're in control of their
reading process.
 Templates
Decoding Template:

Word to Decode: [Write down the unfamiliar word]

Decoding Steps:
☐ Break down the word into syllables (if applicable).
☐ Look for prefixes, suffixes, or root words.
☐ Pronounce each part of the word separately.
☐ Combine the parts to say the whole word.

Understanding the Meaning:

☐ Check the context: Look at the sentences around the word
for clues.
☐ Look for familiar parts: Identify any prefixes, suffixes, or root
words.
☐ Use resources: Refer to your textbook, a dictionary, or an
encyclopedia to find the word's meaning.

Reflect and Review:

☐ Did you figure out the meaning successfully?
☐ If not, what strategies could you try next time?
 Example of Decoding
Word to Decode: Pneumonia

Decoding Steps:
1. ☐ Break down the word into syllables (if applicable).
Pneu-mo-nia
2. ☐ Look for prefixes, suffixes, or root words.
Root word: "pneum," meaning lung
Suffix: "ia," denoting a condition
3. ☐ Pronounce each part of the word separately.
Pneu-mo-nia
4. ☐ Combine the parts to say the whole word.
Pneumonia

Understanding the Meaning:

1. ☐ Check the context: The doctor diagnosed the patient with
pneumonia after a thorough examination of the lungs.
Context suggests a medical condition related to the lungs.
2. ☐ Look for familiar parts: You remember that "pneum" relates
to the lungs.
Root word familiarity helps connect the term to the
respiratory system.
3. ☐ Use resources: Consult a medical dictionary.
Discover that pneumonia refers to an inflammatory
condition affecting the lungs, often caused by infection.

Reflect and Review:

1. ☐ Did you figure out the meaning successfully?
Yes.
2. ☐ If not, what strategies could you try next time?
Practice breaking down more complex words and utilize
resources like dictionaries.
 Fluency Practice Template

Word to Practice: [Write down a challenging word or phrase]

Fluency Exercise:
1. ☐ Read the word or phrase aloud slowly to understand its
pronunciation.
2. ☐ Practice saying it at a moderate speed, focusing on
smoothness.
3. ☐ Increase the speed gradually, aiming for a comfortable
yet faster pace.
4. ☐ Read a sentence or short paragraph containing the
word or phrase, maintaining fluency.
5. ☐ Repeat the exercise until the word or phrase is spoken
effortlessly.

Reflect and Review:

1. ☐ Did you notice an improvement in your speed and
smoothness?
2. ☐ Were you able to maintain understanding while reading
quickly?
Example of Word to Practice Fluency: Doppelgänger

Fluency Exercise:
1. ☐ Read the word aloud slowly to understand its
pronunciation.
Dop-pel-gan-ger
2. ☐ Practice saying it at a moderate speed, focusing on
smoothness.
Doppelgänger
3. ☐ Increase the speed gradually, aiming for a comfortable
yet faster pace.
Doppelgänger
4. ☐ Read a sentence or short paragraph containing the
word, maintaining fluency.
In the eerie tale, John encountered his doppelgänger
in the dimly lit alley.
5. ☐ Repeat the exercise until the word is spoken
effortlessly.
Doppelgänger

Reflect and Review:

1. ☐ Did you notice an improvement in your speed and
smoothness?
Yes, the word became easier to say smoothly with
practice.
2. ☐ Were you able to maintain understanding while reading
quickly?
Yes, understanding the word in context improved as
fluency increased.
 Vocabulary Building Template

Word to Learn: [Write down a new or challenging word]

Steps to Expand Vocabulary:

1. ☐ Write down the word you want to learn.
2. ☐ Look up the meaning in a dictionary or online resource.
3. ☐ Write the definition in your own words.
4. ☐ Create a sentence using the word to understand its
context.
5. ☐ Practice saying the word aloud to reinforce
pronunciation.
6. ☐ Use the word in conversations or written assignments.
7. ☐ Review the word periodically to ensure retention.

Reflect and Review:

1. ☐ Can you recall the meaning of the word without
checking?
2. ☐ Were you able to incorporate the word into your
communication?
 Vocabulary Building Example

Word to Learn: Curious

Steps to Learn the Word:

1. ☐ Write down the word you want to learn.
Curious
2. ☐ Look up the meaning in a dictionary or online resource.
Wanting to know or learn something.
3. ☐ Write the definition in your own words.
When you feel eager to find out or understand something.
4. ☐ Create a sentence using the word to understand its context.
She was curious about the mysterious noise outside.
5. ☐ Practice saying the word aloud to reinforce pronunciation.
Curious
6. ☐ Use the word in conversations or written assignments.
I am curious to know more about space exploration.
7. ☐ Review the word periodically to ensure retention.
Remind yourself about the meaning of "curious" every now
and then.

Reflect and Review:

1. ☐ Can you recall the meaning of the word without checking?
Yes, it means wanting to know something.
2. ☐ Were you able to incorporate the word into your
communication?
Yes, I used it when talking about being interested in space
exploration.
 Bibliography
"Develop Strategies for Reading and Note-Making." Monash University,
Student Academic Success, URL: https://www.monash.edu/student-
academic-success/study-better/develop-strategies-for-reading-and-
note-making/read-more-effectively.

ChatGPT, OpenAI, URL: https://chat.openai.com/.