Chris Knox
Professor R. Dollieslager
English 111
20 November 2016
Reading Literacy Narrative
My experience as a reader doesn’t consist of much. When I was young I remember my parents reading to me pretty often. They would read to me at bed time to help me fall asleep and from what I remember It was a nightly event. The Hobbit was a favorite of mine and I still enjoy it today. I do not have any children of my own nor do I ever plan on having them but if I did I would read to them like my mother and father did because those were some of my fondest memories growing up. I do not read books very often but I do enjoy listening to audio books. I like to listen to audio books because it lets me work on other things while I’m listening. Long car rides are great for listening to an audio book and making the time fly.
My academic reading experiences are slim to none. I have never been taught any reading or comprehension strategies or at least none that I can remember. When required to read for work or school I tend to skim through the text until I find what I am looking for. I do not remember what or if I read in high school since I wasn’t there 90% of the time but I would assume it would be an important part to those who graduated. I do recognize that reading is important in college and the professional world and I am trying to become a better reader because of this.
I realized the importance of being a good reader after my first semester of college. There are very few classes that don’t require reading from a text book or writing a paper. Unfortunately, reading does not come easy for me. Typically, when I read my mind will wander to other things. Because of this, I find myself re-reading the same page over and over until I can eventually understand it. Sometimes it can be so frustrating that I will have to take a break. Both of my parents attended college but I decided to go straight to work after high school but have since learned if I want to earn a livable wage I must get a degree.
During the course of this semester, I learned some good reading techniques. Scanning ahead before you read I found very important. Scanning ahead lets the reader get a preview of what you're about to read. During the scanning process, it is important to pay attention the headings of the sections and anything in bold or placed aside from the main text. While scanning the text, develop questions to keep in mind while reading. This will help keep the reader stay interested and can also help with the comprehension. Another tool that can be quite helpful is to keep access to a dictionary close by, whether it be a smartphone app or a physical copy. Doing this is going to make sure you're getting the complete information from the reading.
It can feel overwhelming when reading academic texts, especially when the content may not be a particular interest for you. To combat this, many strategies have been developed to help comprehension and help manage this task. The first technique listed in most strategies is to pre-read the texts. Pre-reading will allow you to get a basic understanding of what you are about to read, thus allowing you to develop questions to answer while reading (Landsburger,). It is also important to divide your reading into manageable chunks, don’t try and read too much at one time this can cause you to lose focus (“Some Tips for Reading”). When you come across a word that you don’t know, use your context clues to try and figure it out. If you can’t figure it out look it up in a dictionary and write down the definition that is most related to how it is used in the text (Landsburger,). When you have completed reading a section it is a good idea to review what you just read. Reviewing will help confirm that all your questions have been answered and you have fully understood what you were reading. The last technique that I found very useful is to put the reading away for a while if you’re not understanding it. Sometimes it can be helpful to step away and give your brain a break. Then come back when your refreshed and give it another shot (“Some Tips for Reading”). Using these strategies will help you be a better, more comprehensive reader.
Apart from the reading strategies that I learned this semester, I have improved my writing skills dramatically. I can now properly document my papers, which has always been a mystery to me. I learned a better more efficient way to summarize my readings in order to use them in a research paper. Commas are no longer improperly placed or missing and I now know how to comply with the MLA format. These tools I learned this semester are going to be key in helping me through my college career.
Works Cited
"Media Studies.ca." Some Tips for Reading Difficult or Challenging Material.” Media-studies.ca N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2016. < http://media-studies.ca/articles/difficult_reading.htm>.
"Study Guides and Strategies." Reading Difficult Material”. Study Guides and Strategies. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2016. <http://www.studygs.net/texred1.htm>. (Landsburger)