PERSONAL READING IMPROVEMENT
1. The Basic Program 1. Two or three times a day, read something you enjoy for 15 to 20 minutes without stopping. See how much you can read within 30 seconds. 2. Record your reading rate and chart your progress. Recording and charting are essential if you wish to make real progress.
2. Speed – Push yourself gently as you read. If your mind wanders, get it back on track.
3. Vocabulary – Wait until you’ve finished reading to look up unfamiliar words. (If you
stop, you’ll reduce your level of comprehension.)
4. Comprehension – To improve comprehension, recite the chapter after closing the book. See how many specific details you can recall. The more you interact with your text, the more you’ll recall. Recollection and comprehension require a vigorous approach.
5. Practice – Twice a week for an hour, use speed Reader II at the Academic Skills Center. This excellent computer reading program will boost your rate, eventually resulting in skill transfer. Phone us to reserve a time slot.
6. Rate Goals – Set reading rate goals for yourself. A 10% increase in your reading rate over the previous record in a good rule of thumb.
7. Skimming & Scanning – Find an interesting newspaper column or magazine article. Rapidly read the article, sampling just the first sentence or two of each paragraph and a few key words. Jot down all the facts you can remember. Then reread the article slowly, giving yourself a point for every item you can recall.
Calculating Words Per Minute (WPM)
Example Problem
Using the information below, determine your reading speed (WPM) if you read 14 pages and 15 lines in 10 minutes from Sample Book.
Sample Book’s Characteristics
Average number of Words per Page: 237
Total number of Pages: 339
Average number of Lines per Page: 27
Total (approximate) number of Words: 80, 343
237 x 339 = 80, 343
Total (approximate) number of Words per Line: 8.8
Solution
1. Multiply the number of pages by the number of words per page:
14 x 237 = 3,318 words
2. Multiply the number of lines by the number of words per line:
15x8.8=132words
3. Add the products of steps 1 and 2:
3,318 = 132 = 3,450 words
4. Divide the total number of words by the reading time:
3, 450 / 10 = 345 WPM Your reading speed = 345 WPM
The overall VPM value is affected by round-off error. However, the previous method (above) provides a good approximation of one’s reading speed (Words Per Minute).
Academic Skills Center
California Polytechnic State University
http://sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl.html
used by permission
Bibliography
ASC Study Skills Library Kennedy Library 112 ~ 805-756-1256 http://sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl.html
Sydnor, William E. Personal Reading Improvement. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 1983.
