Speed Reading Tips

• Once you start reading, don't stop! Read the text straight through. If you have any question after you have completed reading the material, go back and reread the relevant sections. 
• Reread the marked sections of the text (the items you indicated that you didn’t quite understand). 
• Write a small summary at the beginning of the chapter – consisting about 3-4 sentences. If you ever need to return to the text, the information is much more easily found with summary markings.
• Read once. You can't read everything all at once (and wouldn't want to). If it's important, read it now. If it's not, let it wait. 
• Read the title and the first paragraph more carefully than the other parts of the section.
• If there is a summary at the end of a chapter, read it. 
• Get a grasp of how the material is organized.
• If you need more background, seek another source. 
• A paper and a pen at hand while reading is helpful. Make sure to have both beside you before beginning to read.
• Use the cursor on computer as a pointer when you read text on the screen. The cursor will then act as a finger, and your eyes will most likely follow for moving object. 
• Use a guide (pencil, finger, ruler, etc.) to stop regression.
• Train yourself to bypass your automatic response to mentally speak each word. Instead, read words and phrases at a time, using only the peripheral vision. 
• When you are reading it is often useful to highlight, underline and annotate the text as you go on. This emphasizes information in the mind, and helps you to recall important details after reading the material.
• Underline relevant information in a section as if you were preparing brief notes from which you could study. 
• Underline all definitions of terminology. 
• Mark or label examples that represent main ideas.
• Circle and box special vocabulary words and transitional words and phrases. 
• Number important or sequential ideas. 
• Jot down paraphrases, questions, and summaries in available spaces within the text. 

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