Four Reading Rates
Texts are written with varying degrees of difficulty and ease that affect comprehension ability. To maximize your comprehension of a text, adjust your reading style, technique, and rate to accommodate the type of text you are reading. The following chart can be used as a guide to determine which reading rate is most suitable for the different types of texts listed.
| RATE | PURPOSE | TYPE OF TEXT |
|---|---|---|
| Skimming |
to locate specific information; |
directory, dictionary, and any material which will yield a specific answer |
| to skim for the main idea or to find out what happened next | easy, simple material, newspaper, magazine, fiction, research. | |
| Speeded Reading (fast) | to read rapidly for certain details or main ideas. | any material on which main ideas and supporting facts are to be picked up newspapers, magazines, stories, easy texts, etc. |
| Study Reading | to read with maximum understanding: Survey Raise Questions Read Recite Review | textbooks, technical articles, any material which you read in detail or organize, present to others, or for which you are held responsible |
| Careful & reflective | to follow directions, for example, how to make a cake or perform a chemistry experiment; to reflect on content; to evaluate; to enjoy; to read aloud to share an aesthetic experience. | directions; any work which contains great thoughts; some reports of current events; editorial pages of newspapers; poetry, drama, etc.; descriptive materials; anything read orally |
Strang, Ruth. Making Better Readers. C. D. Heath & Co.
College Reading Skills Program. Revised 11/99.