Reading comprehension fails for four common reasons:
1. failure to understand a word,
2. failure to understand a sentence,
3. failure to understand how sentences relate to one another,
4. failure to understand how the information fits together in a meaningful way.
Strategies to increase comprehension:
1. Ignore and read on
2. Suspend judgment
3. Form a tentative hypothesis
4. Reread the current sentence
5. Reread the previous context
6. Go to an expert source
7. Visualize what you are reading
Hints for Success:
1. Reading is a cumulative activity. Comprehension builds through a steady accumulation
of information.
2. Purpose is as important as the text.
3. What you bring to the reading situation aids in comprehension. (You combine new
knowledge with prior knowledge.)
4. Reading for memorization can block comprehension.
5. Working with manageable units (sub-divisions) of a text will aid in understanding.
6. Reading for long stretches of time will be less effective than reading for short
half hour blocks.
7. Summarizing shows comprehension.
8. Re-reading the text a second time will help especially if you reconsider the
important points by reading them out loud.
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