| Reading more efficiently can be a product of | | | | expecting to obtain specific information from the |
| knowing what to read, why you are reading it, | | | | book, and using the book's schema to help us, not |
| and previewing it before you read. That tool, | | | | only will the reading go faster, but we will |
| known as looking for schema, is similar to reading | | | | understand more, retain it longer, and be able to |
| the back of a cereal box. When you were a child, | | | | apply the information to our studies. |
| you probably enjoyed holding the box in front of | | | | So where do we find this schema? It can be |
| you while you ate. You were usually looking at the | | | | found in the nouns and verbs, primarily. Those are |
| biggest and brightest pictures to give yourself a | | | | the words that have "weight" and carry the |
| feel for the game or the puzzle on the box, and | | | | meaning in any text, and they provide the anchor |
| then you would take in the smaller details after | | | | for the descriptive texts that are coming. Authors |
| you had decided if you wanted to play that game. | | | | also add schema in larger chunks at several |
| That strategy can be used for reading to increase | | | | specific points in their writing. Topic sentences are |
| our comprehension of the material before us. | | | | a good example of this, as well as the opening |
| Schema, the book's "map" for understanding | | | | and closing chapters of every book. By |
| content, can be found in several places including in | | | | previewing the opening and closing chapters, or |
| each chapter, paragraph, or even each sentence. | | | | the first and last paragraphs of a chapter, or |
| We can use the schema to work through our | | | | even the topic sentences of the paragraphs, we |
| reading more quickly by previewing the "biggest" | | | | can get a pretty good idea of what the author is |
| and "brightest" pieces of information in the text | | | | going to say in that section. If we do this prior to |
| before we read. | | | | reading the material, focusing on the nouns and |
| Doing this will help to overcome some of the | | | | verbs in each area, we will have all of the |
| common roadblocks to reading comprehension. | | | | necessary mental "hangars" in which to add the |
| Our brains like to be in their "comfort zone" and | | | | descriptive information when we finally read the |
| as a result, when we read we will often find that | | | | text, thus increasing our comprehension and |
| we can't remember what we read. It's like we | | | | learning of the material at hand. |
| weren't really reading as our brains relaxed as the | | | | Taking a few short minutes to look for schema in |
| words just waved over us. Or, similarly, we don't | | | | the reading material before you read it will make |
| really engage with the material before we read it | | | | a world of difference in how you process and |
| because we fail to know the purpose or goal of | | | | understand the content of what you are about to |
| the reading. We aren't really sure what we will | | | | read. While it might seem odd to preview the |
| gain from the reading, so we just gloss over the | | | | reading before you read it, it is a tool that every |
| words. But if we apply intentional reading skills | | | | child can tell you has value, purpose, and great |
| such as knowing our purpose for reading, | | | | reward! |