Active Reading: 4 Learning Tips

Learning to read, as well as developing strategies to make reading more efficient and enjoyable, is an essential part of a young student’s education. Some students go through the process of learning to read fairly smoothly, but many need a little bit of extra help in order to be successful. Since reading is such a core skill, it’s important for every student to get the help and encouragement they need. Although every learner is different, there are a few tips and tricks that can make reading more active and encourage the student to remember what they have read in more detail and be able to recall that information when needed. 

 Add a visual element

 Some students are very visual and can imagine what’s happening within the story as a moving picture in their imagination. It can be beneficial for students to draw a picture of the setting in one of the chapters of a book they’re reading. If they are unsure what to draw, they can be prompted to look back at that chapter for some keywords or a description of the setting. Alternately, students could choose their favorite character and draw a picture based on a specific description within the book.

 Write a summary sentence

Another thing students can try when advancing their reading skills is to write a summary sentence after each chapter. This will help students remember what happened in each section of the book and help them understand the plot in general. Additionally, if students have homework assignments, they will have summary notes to help them remember what happened when they sit down to complete their studies.

 Highlight and underline

When students are reading for school, especially when they are reading nonfiction texts, it can be really helpful if they highlight and underline portions of the text that are related to assignments they need to complete. Color coding can also be helpful when students are looking back through their chapters later on if they’re studying for an exam or writing a paper, for instance.

Get help with organization

It can also be helpful for students to sit down with a reading tutor and get some help on how to organize their thoughts after reading a particular book or text. The tutor can help students with their individual learning needs and identify what students need to help them enjoy reading and be successful with homework assignments and tests that relate to this essential skill. Working with their tutor regularly will help students maintain structure and give them a good foundation for learning throughout their academic career.