“The learned are the successors of

prophets.” Al-Quran
 Rules of Learning
• The first rule of learning is silence;

• the second, good questioning;

• the third, good listening;

• the fourth, good memorizing;

• and the fifth, propagating the knowledge

acquired among those seeking it.
Speed Reading
• The imperative iqra' means "read" or "recite"
or "proclaim aloud“ and the word is
understood as a message from Allah.
 Unit objectives:
At the completion of this unit students will be able to:
• Read with speed, articles on topics of general/specific
interest
• Practice rapid reading with no loss of comprehension
• Identify and overcome some obstacles to faster reading
• Refrain from some bad reading habits such as finger
pointing and vocalizing
• Skim to get the main idea that sums up the whole
paragraph
• Scan portions of text for specific information
• Enhance general reading speed through over viewing
 Speed Reading

• For what purpose would you “speed read”?

• What are some tips that you know already?

• How can you get faster?

 Speed Reading
• Increasing reading speed makes you both
effective and efficient
• Effective: You comprehend what you read and
learn well
• Efficient: You comprehend and learn at a faster
rate
• Goal: To become effective AND efficient
 Steps to reading faster
• 1. Get your body ready. Sit up straight, edge of
the chair, feet flat on the floor or stand up.
• 2. Set a time limit. Use a clock, digital watch or
stop watch. Set realistic goals. Set a goal to read
two or three sections of a chapter in an hour.
Then, set a goal for fifty minutes. Give yourself a
gentle push to cover the material in less time.
• 3. Relax. It promotes concentration. Remember
—it’s not the same as “zoning out”.
 Steps to reading faster
• 4. Move your eyes faster. Our eyes look at text in fixations
called saccades (A saccade is a rapid, conjugate, eye
movement that shifts the center of gaze from one part of
the visual field to another. Saccades are mainly used for
orienting gaze towards an object of interest).
• Our eyes physically take in groups of words at a time
(usually three), although we experience the illusion of
continually scanning text.
• Our eyes stop at those certain fixations.
• Try to increase the groups of words from three to six at a
time. Use a pencil or an index card as a guide.
• Force your eyes to read faster
 Steps to reading faster
5. Notice and release ineffective habits.
• Notice when you make regressions and try to limit them by
paying attention to the text the first time.
• Just keep going Do not regress (which slows some people
down when they keep going back to re-read words or
phrases.
• Regression will slow you down considerably. It is better to
just keep reading and then, when you are finished, if you
need to, you may go back and reread a passage you think
you did not understand.
• Try not to re-read words or phrases while rapid reading.
• Try to pace yourself to read faster each time
 Steps to reading faster
5. Notice and release ineffective habits.
• Also notice sub-vocalization.
• You can read faster if you don’t mentally “hear”
the words as you read them.
• Try not to “sub-vocalize” ( hearing yourself read
word for word)
 Steps to reading faster
• 6. If you are pressed for time, skim (an act of
reading something quickly or superficially). Read
the headings, subheadings, charts, graphs, and
summary paragraphs.
• 7. Stay flexible. Skillful readers vary their reading
rate according to the nature of the material. Or,
you can use different rates with the same
material, such as skimming a chapter before you
read it carefully..
 Steps to reading faster
• 8. Explore more resources.
• There are speed-reading classes offered,
Internet articles, and books about reading rates.
The first rule of reading fast: Just do it!
http://www.freereadingtest.com/
https://swiftread.com/reading-speed-test
 Practice Increasing Your Reading Rate
Choose high interest material.
• When practicing, use material you are familiar
with and are interested in.
Practice everyday
• At least 10-15 minutes a day.
• Read at slightly faster than comfortable speeds.
You should feel a little uncomfortable, but you
should still be comprehending what you read.
 WARNING TO NOTE:
• Sometimes fast reading results in lowered comprehension
• Be aware that reading rate MUST be adjusted according to
how difficult material is for YOU.
• You may adjust pace as you are reading, reading fast when
you need to skim and scan and slowing down when you
need to stop and think or take notes. This is called an
“internal rate adjustment:”
• Example: If some of the material is a narrative and you do
not need to remember, read fast. Then, slow down with
material that is unfamiliar to you or that you need to
learn.
 Check your comprehension
• Increasing your reading rate while losing
comprehension provides no benefit.
• It is okay to have only 70-80% understanding
during pushed reading.
• Make sure you get all the key ideas in the
passage.
• If you have 100 percent comprehension, you
can probably read even faster!
 Check your comprehension
• Try to read at the same time each day.
Choose a time when you are most alert, and
read at the same time every day for about 15
minutes.
• Don’t give up. This is a slow, but steady
process. Don’t worry about fluctuations in
your reading rate, as long as you are seeing an
overall increase in your reading rate.
 Adjusting the light
• Make sure the lighting is correct for YOU
• Some people need more light
• Some need an almost dark room (scotopic
sensitivity)
 Adjusting the light
• Note: Scotopic sensitivity is a sensitivity to light.
• Some people see distorted images and may not even be
aware of this.
• They may see blurring around the edges or in the middle, the
words may jump or move, or they may see spots while they
are reading.
• This slows down their reading rate and their comprehension.
• They may even get headaches or become nauseated while
they are reading.
• If adjusting the light is not enough, the reader may need a
colored lens or a colored transparency to put over the writing.
• Color needs and preferences are individual, according to
each person’s sensitivity to colors. (Irlen Clinic)
Using the hand to increase eye-movement
and reading rate (A)
• Move the hand quickly across the letters in a
zig-zag motion.
• Try to catch groups of words with your eyes.
• Do not read every word,
Using the hand to increase eye-movement
and reading rate (B)
• Run the finger down the middle and try to
catch key words and phrases quickly.
• Use a rapid curving motion.
• This increases speed and, with practice, trains
your eyes to grasp words and phrases quickly.
 Reading Groups of Words
• Read at least two words at a time.
• Try to increase the number of words you can
grasp (at least to three) as you practice.
• Use your hand to trace or grasp the words
 Increase vocabulary
• Use vocabulary strategies
• Be aware of the role of prefixes, suffixes and roots
• Look for word clues (inside parentheses)
• After or before a dash –
• Definitions of a word after a comma
• Ex: ADHD, an attention deficit disorder
characterized by hyperactivity,
• A synonym apprehensive (fearful)
• A contrasting word (Instead of being confident, she
was diffident)
 Increase vocabulary
• When you do not know the vocabulary, you might not
comprehend.
• However, knowing which strategies to use helps immensely
to speed up your reading and to help you understand.
• One of the ways to understand new words is to be aware of
the role of prefixes, suffixes and roots. (See
Vocabulary/etymons presentation).
• Knowing the meaning of the Latin, Greek and Anglo/Saxon
etymons helps you recognize new words from their parts.
• Example: tele= far telegram, telephone, telepathy, television
• Looking for word clues is important also.
• Instead of feeling panic when you encounter a new word,
try to look for clues.
 Increase vocabulary
• Sometimes a meaning is included in a parenthesis:
• Example : He was diffident (not confident) about
his abilities.
• Sometimes the meaning comes after a dash
instead of in a parenthesis, or after a comma.
• At times a synonym is supplied. A contrast may be
helpful: You understand that diffident must mean
the opposite of confident because of the word
INSTEAD…..
 Understand how sentence structure can
slow down reading rate
• Long complex, compound, or compound-complex
sentences may be confusing.
• Try to separate the ideas and to understand each
clause separately.
• This problem occurs not only while reading a text,
but also in understanding a problem on a test.
• Practice trying to separate the ideas in long
sentences.
• This will help you read faster as you gain confidence
in automatically separating ideas in long sentences.
 Read and re-read
• Skim: Read through fast the first time
• Each time you read a paragraph, try to understand
the “point” or the main idea of each paragraph.
• After you are finished, try to understand the
general idea.
• Scan very quickly to grasp details
• Re-read again more slowly to comprehend the
more difficult ideas.
• Practice often to increase comprehension and
speed
 Review Read with a purpose.
• Skim, scan and read more slowly.
• Pace your reading according to purpose. Visualize as
you read.
• See things as in a movie.
• Speed up on unimportant points; slow down on
important details and ideas..
• Move your hands while reading.
• Follow with your eyes.
• Try to remember what you read.
• Remember your vocabulary strategies.
• Practice often.
 Quick quiz What does being both effective
and efficient mean?
• Discuss “pacing” in reading. When and how do you pace?
• How can you figure out how many words per minute you
read?
• How can you more easily understand unfamiliar words?
• About how many words per minute does an average reader
read?
• Identify at least three ways you can increase reading speed.
• Define “visualizing” in reading. Why is it important?
• What should you do before you read?
• What should you do while you read?
• What should you do after you read?
Interesting note:

Pres. Teddy Roosevelt read a book a

day before breakfast.

Pres. Kennedy could read at 1200

words per minute.
(from Kump, Peter. Breakthrough: Rapid Reading. Paramus,N.J.: Prentice Hall,
1979).