Among the abundance of information your children are taught in middle and high school that they will most likely never use within real life circumstances, reading comprehension is one skill that they will carry throughout their lives. From college, to their careers, to retirement, an ability to retain and interpret text will continue to benefit your children, whereas lack thereof will limit them in virtually all aspects of life. Not only will solid reading skills allow your kids to excel in school and raise their score in the standardized tests that they will have to take upon applying to universities, but it will also equip them with the skills to better understand the world around them and be more connected to society as a whole. Below are the most important reading skills to focus on, which can be mastered with the help of the private tutor Manhattan company, Big Apple Tutoring, which will give your children the skills to conquer the world.
- Taking notes: It’s easy for the mind to wander, especially in the age of Facebook. You can sit in the quietest of rooms, comfy at your desk with the TV off, but that doesn’t mean your mind’s not going to ponder the things that happened earlier that day. Not to mention the buzzing of the phone. A great way to stay focused is by writing in the margins. As soon as you notice those white spaces in the margins getting longer you should take note that your mind is probably elsewhere.
- Ask questions: This is a great way to stay focused both in class and for reading assignments. Look at the title and think critically about what it could mean. Then look for the answer, which is embedded in the next. As you go, continue asking yourself questions, which should motivate you to want to find the answers. This will keep you interested, engaged, and better equipped to retain and analyze the information that you are consuming.
- Read in sections: The last thing you want to do is read 50 pages, only to realize that you haven’t really been retaining any of it for the past the past 25. You’d be better off reading in smaller sections and then writing a brief synopsis after each. This not only will allow you to test how well you understand the material before continuing, but it will also give you a reference to refer back to when you need to write a paper or study for a test.
- Read summaries before and after: Academic reading is different from pleasure reading. You need not deprive yourself of a clarifying explanation to narrow your focus for the sake of pursuing the element of surprise. Those summaries are there for a reason and they work really well. Use them, and the rest of the reading will fly by with ease.
- Read out loud: You don’t need to read every word every day as though there’s an audience in front you. But if you feel yourself fading, reading a few sentences aloud will bring you back to life.
- Look at the pictures: If the creators of a textbook or the author of a novel inserted a visual aid, they probably had good reason to do so. Reading requires a lot of visualization, which, mixed with an abundance of detail, can be exhausting. With an actual image, putting that language into perspective becomes a lot easier.
- Limit your reading time: Ignore those grad school students who complain about doing five hours of work a night. You don’t have to read for hours at a time. In fact, you’ll be only hurting yourself if you do, because at a certain point, your brain will need a break. And besides, you owe as much to yourself.
Reading is not only useful in everyday life, for navigating, communicating, etc. It’s also good for your brain. And with these skills, it won’t feel like such an exhausting chore. You may even grow to like it. And you can make that all the more probable with the help of a private tutor. Manhattan tutoring company, Big Apple Tutoring is here to help. Contact us today at 212-479-0830 for information on how to register.
