Reading Faster and Understanding More Book

(Before each chapter begins with a "Vocabulary Preview".)

Preview Your Text.

Preview Your Reading Habits.

A Note to the Instructor.

Pretests.

Vocabulary Pretests.

Comprehension and Rate Pretest.

1. Preparing to Read.

I. How to understand More.

Study Unit: Preparing to Read.

Practice the Preview Method.

Find the Topic

Expand Topics into a Main Idea

Paragraph Practice: Looking Closer at Famous People.

Exercises 1A, 1B, 1C.

II. How to Read Faster.

Rate-Building Tips:

Make Three Changes.

Check Your Reading Rate.

Phrase Practice: Exercise 1D, 1F.

Timed Readings: Looking Closer at Famous People.

Exercise 1F, Who Was Lincoln?, Gerald Parshall and Michael Barone.

Exercise 1G, A Sly and Wry Humor, Hugh Sidey.

Writing and Discussion Activities.

Reviews (Vocabulary and Comprehension).

2. Finding the Main Idea.

I. How to Understand More.

Study Unit: Finding the Main Idea.

Think of an Umbrella.

Look for Topic Sentence in a Paragraph.

Look at Other Locations for Topic Sentence.

Look for Implied Main Idea.

Study Notes.

Paragraph Practice: Feeling Good.

Exercises 2A, 2B, 2C.

II. How to Read Faster.

Rate-Building Tips:

Read in Phrases, Not for Words.

Phrase Practice: Exercise 2D, 2E.

Timed Readings: Feeling Good.

Exercise 2F, That Loving Feeling, Loraine O'Connell.

Exercise 2G, Writing Your Wrongs, James W. Pennebaker, Ph.D.

Writing and Discussion Activities.

Reviews (Vocabulary and Comprehension).

3. Finding the Framework.

I. How to Understand More.

Study Unit: Finding the Framework.

How We Remember Details.

Key Words.

Four Logic Patterns.

Study Notes.

Paragraph Practice: Problems with Progress.

Exercises 3A, 3B, 3C,

II. How to Read Faster.

Rate-Building Tips:

Avoid Margin Reading.

Avoid Regressing.

Phrase Practice: 3D, 3E.

Timed Reading: Problems With Progress.

Exercise 3F, Full Service, Wanda Maureen Miller.

Exercise 3G, My Dead Dog May Already Be a Winner, Lee Coppola.

Writing and Discussion Activities.

Reviews (Vocabulary and Comprehension).

4. Connecting Logic Patterns.

I. How to Understand More.

Study Unit: Connecting Logic Patterns.

Look for Transitions.

Six More Logical Patterns.

Study Notes.

Paragraph Practice: Tracing Our Roots.

Exercises 4A, 4B, 4C.

II. How to Read Faster.

Rate-Building Tips:

Take Another Look at Phrase Reading.

Break Bad Habits.

Phrase Practice: Exercises 4D, 4E.

Timed Readings: Tracing Our Roots.

Exercise 4F, Discovering a Father, David Wilczyinski.

Exercise 4G, from Who's Irish?, Gish Jen.

Writing and Discussion Activities.

Reviews (Vocabulary and Comprehension).

5. Organizing Details.

I. How to Understand More.

Study Unit: Organizing Details.

Why Organize Details?

How to Organize Details.

Three Types of Outlines: Mapping, Topic, Sentence.

Study Notes.

Paragraph Practice: Outlining Paragraphs.

Exercises 5A, 5B, 5C.

II. How to Read Faster.

Rate-Building Tips:

Assess Your Progress.

Set a Goal.

Phrase Practice: Exercises 5D, 5E.

Timed Readings: Outlining Essays.

Exercise 5F, Quest for Total Beauty.

Exercise 5G, Student and Teacher as Partners, William Armstrong.

Writing and Discussion Activities.

Reviews (Vocabulary and Comprehension).

6. PRO and Study-Online.

I. How to Understand More.

Study Unit: PRO and Study-Outlining.

Why PRO?

How to PRO.

Some Short Cuts on PRO

Study Notes.

Paragraph Practice: Study a Science Textbook.

Exercises 6A, 6B, 6C.

II. How to Read Faster.

Rate-Building Tips:

Adjust Your Speed to Fit Purpose.

Consider Your Attitude.

Phrase Practice: Exercises 6D, 6E.

Timed Reading: Apply the PRO Method

Exercise 6F, from Biology: The World of Life by Robert A. Wallace.

Writing and Discussion Activities.

Reviews (Vocabulary and Comprehension).

7. Skimming and Scanning.

I. and II. How Read Much Faster but Understand Less.

Study Unit: Skimming and Scanning.

Skim for an Overview.

Scan for Answers.

Study Outline.

Skimming and Scanning Practice:

Exercises 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, 7E, 7F.

Timed Readings: The Global Village.

Exercise 7G, Soap Operas and Social Change, Gregorio Lasota.

Exercise 7H, from Outlawing the Crime of Child Slavery,Robert A. Senser.

Writing and Discussion Activities.

Reviews (Vocabulary and Comprehension).

8. Reading Critically.

I. How to Understand More.

Study Unit: Reading Critically.

Decide Author's Purpose.

Is it a Fact or Opinion?

Evaluate the Support.

Study Outline.

Paragraph Practice: A More Violent America.

Exercises 8A, 8B, 8C.

II. How to Read Faster.

Rate-Building Tips:

Use a Pacing Device.

Keeping a Pacing Chart.

Phrase Practice: Exercises 8D, 8E.

Timed Readings: A More Violent America.

Exercise 8F, Moral Absolutes, Not More Gun Laws,Tom Clancy.

Exercise 8G, The Unmentioned Victim at Columbine High School, Richard Rodriguez.

Writing and Discussion Activities.

Reviews (Vocabulary and Comprehension).

9. Drawing Inferences.

I. How to Understand More.

Study Unit: Drawing Inferences.

Infer from Actions.

Infer from Words.

Infer Tone.

Infer Irony.

Study Outline.

Paragraph Practice: The Gender Gap.

Exercises 9A, 9B, 9C.

II. How to Read Faster.

Rate-Building Tips:

Practical Suggestions for Reading Faster.

Phrase Practice: Exercises 9D, 9E.

Longer Readings: The Gender Gap.

Exercise 9F, The Unicorn in the Garden, James Thurber.

Exercise 9G, It's Not about Sex, but Power, Ellen Goodman.

Writing and Discussion Activities.

Reviews (Vocabulary and Comprehension).

10. Interpreting Literature.

I. How to Understand More.

Study Unit: Interpreting Literature.

Observe Character Traits.

Identify the Conflict.

Infer the Theme.

Study Outline.

Passage Practice: Conflicts in Literature.

Exercises 10A, 10B, 10C.

II. How to Read Faster.

Rate-building Tips:

Review Your Reading Habits.

Phrase Practice: Exercises 10D, 10E.

Timed Reading: Conflicts in Literature.

Exercise 10F, from Crooked Little Heart, Anne Lamott.

Writing and Discussion Activities.

Reviews (Vocabulary and Comprehension).

Appendix.

Homework Lessons.

HOMEWORK LESSON ONE: How to Use the Dictionary.

HOMEWORK LESSON TWO: How to Build a Vocabulary File.

HOMEWORK LESSON THREE: Word Attack—Roots.

HOMEWORK LESSON FOUR: Word Attack—Roots.

HOMEWORK LESSON FIVE: Word Attack—Roots.

HOMEWORK LESSON SIX: Word Attack—Roots.

HOMEWORK LESSON SEVEN: Word Attack—Prefixes.

HOMEWORK LESSON EIGHT: Word Attack—Prefixes.

HOMEWORK LESSON NINE: Word Attack—Suffixes (nouns).

HOMEWORK LESSON TEN: Word Attack—-Suffixes (verbs, adjectives, adverbs).

Alphabetized Word Lists.

Word Lists.

From "Vocabulary Previews".

By Chapter.

Alphabetized.

From "Homework Lessons".

Roots, Prefixes, Suffixes.

"New Words" from Charts.

Answer Keys.

Progress Charts.

Pretests and posttests.

Chapter Reviews and Unit Tests.

Timed Readings