The Truth about Reading;Or, Coincidences Abound

This week, my student, Mel, taught our class a lesson about Power Reading so I asked her if I could publish it here. She said okay. Here it is! She had included a few little drawings but so far I haven't been able to upload those (I'll keep trying). Power reading is something I really haven't thought about that much but will now. How about you? Activity #2 (Slides 12 & 13) is fun to try...Check out Mel's discussion questions on Slide 16. I've already posted this week about reading environment (see "Saturday Reading"). Where do you like to read? Where do you read most efficiently? Is efficiency an issue for you as a reader?

Slide 1
The Truth About Reading

Slide 2
An in class exercise in which we measure our current reading speed

Slide 3
The Reading Process
We are taught to read out loud by sounding out the words
As our confidence and vocabulary increase, we learn to “silent read”
The speed at which we read continues to increase until 5th or 6th grade
From 7th grade on, we focus on interpreting and understanding what we read and our reading speed remains the same

Slide 4
Factors that Decrease Reading Speed
1. Subvocalization
2. Pauses in eye movement
3. Short distance travelled by the eye
4. Regression

Slide 5
Subvocalization
SUBVOCALIZATION: the act of speaking the words you read out loud in your head
The average person speaks at 150 words per minute
Because of subvocalization, people are rarely able to read much faster than 150-200 words per minute

Slide 6
Example:
Read the following words to yourself as they appear on the screen:

CAR
APPLE
MOON
FLOWER

Slide 7
Showed pictures of the car, apple, moon, flower to prove that we don’t subvocalize when we look at pictures.


Slide 8
Eye Pauses
Our eyes are not in constant motion across the page
They move in blocks pausing between movements to take in the words

Slide 9
Distance of Eye Movement
Our eyes move across the page in small movements taking in one word at a time slowing our reading speed
In order to read faster, we must train our eyes to take in more words at one time

Slide 10
Regression
REGRESSION: our eyes backtrack while we read and we inevitably re-read words or phrases

Slide 11
The average student re-reads words or phrases 20 times per page, which drastically slows down ones reading speed

Slide 12
Activity #2:
Do you subvocalize?
As a group, try to say the rhyme “Mary had a little lamb” out loud (repeat it twice) while you read the following short paragraph
For those who forget the rhyme it is as follows:
“Mary had a little lamb who’s fleece was white as snow, and everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go.”

Slide 13
“Frank turned his right ear towards the doors, the better to hear. There came the chink of a bottle being put down upon some hard surface, and then the dull scraping noise of a heavy chair being dragged across the floor. Frank caught a glimpse of a small man, his back to the door, pushing the chair into place.”
-J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, pg. 12.

Slide 14
Tips for Reading Faster
1. Try to force your eyes to move quickly across the page by using a guide (your finger or a pen)
- this increases speed
- it also reduces subvocalization
2. Avoid regression by pushing your eyes forward no matter what

Slide 15
Try to take in multiple words at a time when reading by working on your peripheral vision
- there are various practice exercises on the internet which help you to use your peripheral vision, including:

http://www.ababasoft.com/wider_eye_span/index.html

Slide 16
Discussion Questions
1. What is your ideal environment for reading?
2. How does this relate (positively or negatively) to any of the limiting factors of reading speed?
3. Do you find your reading speed varies with the type of reading you are doing? If so, what type of material slows you down and what type of material can you read quickly?

Slide 17
References
Mikhailov, Serge. Speed Reading is not Magic. http://ababasoft.com/wider_eye_span/index.html, 2005
Paulsen, Dennis. Power Reading for Student-Athletes. Power Reading Inc., 2004
Suggestions for Improving Reading Speed. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/stdyhlp.html.