Some might think of good readers as those for whom reading seems to come easily—the students who always make good grades in English and high scores on standardized reading tests. What is interesting, though, is even the best readers struggle when reading texts-the difference is good readers know how to struggle successfully. They read actively, think critically, apply various comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading, recognize when they don’t understand what they’re reading, and know strategies for repairing meaning.
In addition, just as practice in sports, for example, improves an athlete’s performance, so does practice in reading. In essence, the key to being a good reader is to practice good reading strategies.
Take a moment to listen to a poetry recitation by Lamont Carey called “I Can’t Read” from HBO’s Def Poetry series:
Learning Objectives
After successfully completing this module, you should be able to:
- Distinguish individual learning styles and interpret learning strategies for success.
- Describe the reading process used by proficient readers to comprehend text.
- Identify topics, main ideas, and supporting details in texts.
- Apply strategies for improving writing responses.