Reading Journal

      We have learnt three strategies to improve our reading rate last week.They are a preview, skim, and cluster.These tips are useful despite the fact that we have to give up getting some details from the paragraph by using them.However, I am successful in comprehending the main events and increasing my reading rate.With consideration, I think even though these techniques speed up my reading rate, I cannot read more precisely.So I think the latter strategy " cluster" is most useful, because I can get more information about the paragraph and find the good sentences to learn from.I think after practicing. These skills will become more workable to me and help me to read articles quickly.

reading skills(blog 2)

This is my second blog.

Actually,I do not want to talk about this,because I am definitely not a good English learner,no matter in reading, writing,listening or speaking.

But this is our task,our assignment.I have to do this------this kind of thought is one main reason that leads me to disappointing results in study.To do is far from enough.We should love.Only by loving can we improve our reading skills,because without love and passion we cannot persevere in the reading exercise.All the good methods are just waste to us if we do  not apply it to practical reading.Therefore,the first thing we should do is to love,to be crazy about,to be passionate about English learning.Then the love will certainly give us the strength and perseverance that will help us continue the exercise.

To be diligent and self-disciplined  is the insurance that we will not give up when the fire of enthusiasm goes out as the time passes.But these words are not as simple as typing them or saying them.Always we will find it easier to say than to do.Unfortunately,I have not done this.That is one of the reasons that I fail again and again.I know it ,but I just cannot overcome it,conquer it!!!

Reading is a continuous process, which is never achieved in one try.So the problem comes up----the persistence is so simple but so difficult that almost everyone can reach this but barely a few succeed in this.I am not a good guy with perseverance, which is definitely true without any doubt.However, I want to be someone from my deep heart----to accomplish it, the priority now is surely to improve English, in which reading is the basis. Though I have been continuing vocabulary work, my reading plan is totally abandoned with an excuse acting as a temporary and irrational reason!

Well,maybe it is time for me to end the pointless self-distrust and get started from the very beginning. Hopefully I will not desert this new reading plan.And wish that every one will be the opposite of me.

Blog2. Reading Journal

Reading Journal (blog 3)

             I found these three strateges not so effective as they are used in Chinese reading ,especially the second one "skimming",which means reading only keywords per line.
             When we read Chinese articles,we use these three strateges adeptly and naturally without thinking them on purpose or painstakingly .And of course,skimming helps to build up speed ,for we can  infer the main idea from some key words rather than cover the whole article.
            However in English ,I can not find out the key words  accurately and rapidly when I glance over the paragraphs,let alone sums up the main contents.Perhaps it is because that we are not so familiar to English as to Chinese,and many simple words when was put together will creat a new meaning .Take phrases for example,just keep the verb unchanged and use different prepositions to combine with it,then it will creat many different meanings.It is not like Chinese, one word has one meaning,easy to distinguish.
            Anyhow, to a certain degree,these strateges do help me in reading comprehension.And I will try my best to get used to them.After all ,practice makes perfect.

Reading Journal

My reading journal

After reading, I still have no idea of the main events and just got some fragments of the event. I do not think these techniques affected my reading ability, and I did not see much help. As for reading rate increase, it is not much. Actually, in my personal view, little change will be generated after just two passages’ training which is less sufficient. Personally speaking, the best technique for reading varies from essays to essays, depending on its type. Take narrative for example, there is no need or use to adopt the uniform method that we should read the first and last paragraph and then look at the first sentence of each body paragraph. Because reading a story is like reading a picture, if we just look at the top and bottom and then some thin space in the middle, with majority part of the picture unknown, we still have no idea what the picture is about. However, for most comparison essays or argument essays, this method will be of great help for us to gain a main idea of the whole essay in a short time. All in all, every road leads to Rome. I believe there are also various ways for different essays and each type of essay has its unique rather than uniform way to be adopted.

Blog2:Reading Journal

  This Tuesday I learned three methods to build up my reading speed. The three tips for reading fast are previewing skimming and clustering and I tried these one by one in a story which is divided into three parts.
  When I read the title “Survival at Sea”, I guessed it was a story which told us some serious accidents must take to the author so that s/he must fight for living. In fact, I was right.
  After I finished the first paragraph by previewing, I found that I could get the main idea. And my reading speed is amazing with almost 180 words per minute. Then I continued and finished the rest parts in two different ways. Finally I found that I was quite used to the third tips, clustering, which means reading by three or four words together. Using that method I came to realize that my reading speed could be improved and I would use this technique to build up my reading ability.   

Reading Journal

Last week we learnt three tips of reading techniques, which I believe it is useful. Here are these techniques: preview, skim, and cluster.

To begin with, part one of the essay is aimed to train the preview technique. After previewing, I got the main idea, like I know it is about the writer and her father going through an air crash. However, as for more details, such as the writer’s age and characteristic, I can’t describe them specifically. Next, I used the skimming strategy in part two, and my reading rate was 264 words per minute. Surprisingly, the rate increased to 290 words per minute by using the third tip. Moreover, I found it easier to answer the following questions, because I memorized more details.

To summarize, the preview stage works best on condition that I need to read fast, however, there are many details that cannot be captured. Maybe, the combination of the first tip and the third one will be more efficient. In another words, first preview to grasp the grim, and then read clusters of words to cover details. Also, I applied them to reading my novel. Sometimes are great if I can cover many pages an hour but sometimes goes wrong when I have to reread some parts again owing to misunderstanding the plot.

 To simplify, reading techniques are helpful. I believe that practice makes perfect, hence I am supposed to practice more and more if I want to get improvement.