Reading Comprehension
How to Take in Written Information More Effectively
Watch this video as an alternative to reading the page.
Reading comprehension is about your ability to pay attention to written information. This can sometimes be a difficult process for dyslexic people. Below is a method that will help you take in the information one piece at a time. This will aid your retention and understanding of text.
1. Be aware of the clauses in sentences:
A sentence is generally made up of two or three clauses, for example:
“The man is going to the shops to buy some apples.”
In this example you have a sentence that is made up of two clauses.
Clause 1
The man is going to the shops
Clause 2
To buy some apples.
Each clause is a unit of information and you need to take them in one at a time. If you were reading the example sentence you would first imagine a man walking to the shops, and then picture him buying some apples. By doing this your brain is taking in one unit of information at a time.
2. Think about the point being made in each sentence:
Full stops are there for a reason. Always pause for a second at the end of each sentence. This will help your brain to digest each piece of information.
When you pause at a full stop just take a split second to think about the point of that sentence. If we apply this to the example sentence from above:
“The man is going to the shops to buy some apples”.
The point being made in our example sentence is simply about 'a man buying apples'. By doing this your reading comprehension should improve. If you ignore the full stops the information will simply wash-over you.
3. Sum up the main idea from each paragraph:
When you get to the end of a paragraph you should sum up the overall meaning or message. All you have to do is think 'what was the main point of that paragraph?' This will give you a bird’s eye view of what you have just read.
4. Sum up the main ideas from the whole piece of writing:
Again when you get to the end of a piece of writing you want to think about the main ideas that were covered. Just think about the general overview don’t worry about all the details, no one can remember everything. If you are reading a book you can also sum up the ideas at the end of every page, chapter and at the end of the book itself.
Conclusion:
At the end of the day every piece of writing is simply made up of units of information. All you need to do is take them in one at a time. This should improve your reading comprehension and stop the information from simply washing over you.