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Why are advanced reading skills important?
To get into college, you usually need to take the SAT or ACT exam, both of which test your literacy skills. This is done in several ways, like reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and writing style. To do well on these exams, you need to develop reading and writing skills in some tough classes in high school, at the "honors" or Advanced Placement level for example. Even if you're not planning on going on to college, some states require you to demonstrate proficiency in reading and writing at a certain level on statewide exams just to graduate from high school. In today's world, just knowing the basics of how to read and write is not enough. You need a high level of literacy in order to succeed in high school, college, and at work.
Read selectively
One very common habit that can be extremely hard to get out of is the habit of reading every word on every page, without skimming, scanning, or skipping passages. Unless you are reading poetry or literature in which every word is critical to understanding, many of the words and sentences in a book or article are not essential. You can get through reading assignments a lot faster, concentrate on retaining the important information, and avoid reading irrelevant sections if you learn to read selectively.
Rather than just diving in to a thick reading assignment on page one, take a minute to look through the entire assignment when you start. Most texts have some clues and markers that will help you determine what they are about without having to read it all first.
Some articles have a short abstract at the beginning that outlines the main argument or conclusions of the article. Most books have an introduction that gives some idea about the scope of the topic and the author's conclusions.
Look for a chapter summary at the beginning or end of each chapter, and for the section headings within chapters that tell you what each section will be about.
Try reading the first and last paragraph of each chapter or section to determine where it will take you. The first and last sentence or two of each paragraph can do this also.
Look for any bold or italicized words that the author is emphasizing or defining.
Once you have taken a couple minutes to look through the assignment in this way, you will have a much better idea of what the text is about. You will also get an idea of where the author is trying to take you. Ask yourself what the author seems to be saying, and whether this is relevant to what you are trying to get out of reading it. Now you will be ready to read the relevant sections of the assignment more carefully; grasping the supporting details of the main ideas you have identified. As you read, continue to identify the main points and pinpoint the author's main arguments and conclusions. Keep in mind the detailed facts or arguments that support them.
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Take notes
Reading at the high school and college levels should almost always involve taking notes. A few gifted individuals can read something once and remember seemingly every word, and never have to re-read or take notes. Most of us aren't that lucky. If you don't take notes, you probably won't be able to remember more than a general picture of what the assignment was about. You won't be able to go back to it and find key passages quickly if you need to (for instance, to use as quotes in a paper). When it comes time to study for that test or write that paper, you will have to spend time searching and re-reading the assignment. Otherwise, you may not remember what it was about or find the key passages you identified the first time you read it. So unless you're one of those certified geniuses with a photographic memory, read on for tips on taking notes.
The purpose of taking notes is to make important information in the text stand out, to help you remember what the text is about, and to make it easier for you to go back and find important passages or information. Develop your own note taking style by trying these methods:
Note taking does not simply mean reading the assignment and highlighting everything you think is important. Highlighting or underlining key passages can be one part of it, but it is not all.
Use stars or exclamation points or some other symbol to draw your attention to important passages. Draw brackets around the section instead of taking the time to underline or highlight whole paragraphs.
Circle key words so they will jump out of the text.
Fold down the corners of important pages that you will want to come back to later (but make sure it's your book!).
Jot down brief words or phrases in the margins of the page (using abbreviations will save space and time).
If the author uses a list (like, "There are three main causes of…") try marking the sentence or paragraph where each part begins with a number, so you don't lose track.
Write down questions that you have in a notebook or in the margins, so you can ask about them later.
After you read something, take a minute to write down a brief summary or a few key words or concepts. You could do this in the book or article, or you may want to use a notebook. It depends on your own preference, and how you will be using the notes (studying for a test versus writing a paper about a book, for example). If you are unlikely to look in the book again, it doesn't make much sense to write your notes in it. You should write in a notebook. If you will be going back to the book for quotes or reference, it's usually easier just to write in the margins at the spot.
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Prep for the SAT
The best way to prepare for the verbal sections of the SAT and similar standardized tests is to read. Read a lot, and don't be afraid to read books that are challenging. If you encounter a word that you don't recognize, try to figure out what it means from the way it was used in the sentence and the impression it gave (the context). The best thing to do is to look it up in the dictionary. Write it down and look it up later if you don't want to stop reading. Remember the word and what it means, and you'll find that you'll often encounter it in other things you read. After seeing it a few times you will become familiar with the word and how it is used. Try using it yourself in your own writing; that's how you know that you've mastered it. If you spend a little time and energy building your vocabulary this way, eventually you will find reading much easier. You will be able to read and enjoy more challenging material. Your own writing will improve a great deal, and you will find the SAT and other tests much easier.
In building the foundation for success in high school, on the SAT, and in college, there is no substitute for reading on your own or for school. The SAT prep services and guides available for you to buy are supplements, not substitutes, for this foundation. They help you understand the test and how it works, and how to get the most out of what you already know. They will raise you score, but they won't make you smarter. Only reading can do that.
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Improve your writing
Just like with reading, the way to improve your writing is to practice. Start keeping a journal; this will give you practice expressing your thoughts clearly. Write letters to friends or family. If you email back and forth, try to use correct spelling and grammar like you would in something more formal. The vocabulary and styles that you absorb when you read will also benefit you when you write. You will be surprised at how much you will improve over time just by doing these things on your own. You can get other kinds of help with your writing from most of the resources listed here, too.
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Avoid plagiarism
"Plagiarism" means using written work or ideas that are not yours and presenting them as your own. It can be as blatant as turning in someone else's whole essay or copying a large chunk of writing from another source without footnoting or citing it. Using an idea, argument, or even a phrase from another writer's work without referencing it as coming from another source is plagiarism too. It can even be unintentional, if you are careless when taking research notes or forget to document something that is not your own words.
Plagiarism is cheating, and if you are caught, the punishments can range from failing the assignment, failing the whole course, to being suspended or expelled from school. More and more students are getting caught plagiarizing papers, because teachers can now use online search programs to crosscheck the material you submit as your own. Even if you don’t get caught, plagiarism cheats yourself, because you are not learning how to develop your own ideas and express them in your own way. The lack of these skills will cost you, because you can't cheat your way through your entire academic career and your entire life.
When you write research papers you are expected to get many of your ideas from the sources you read while you are doing research. There is nothing wrong with doing so. But you have to make clear what are your own original thoughts and words, and what came from someone else's work. Avoiding plagiarism is fairly simple. Any time you include in your own writing an idea, phrase, argument, or a quotation that comes from something else you have read, you need to make it clear where it comes from and who the author was. There are a few accepted systems of endnotes and footnotes, bibliographies, and other kinds of references that are agreed upon in academic writing. These systems are detailed in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, the Chicago Manual of Style, and other guidebooks, as well as online from the academic resources departments of many colleges. Your teachers and the academic support staff at your own school should have guidelines as well.
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Get to know the GED test
The General Educational Development (GED) test is a high school equivalency exam. A passing score on this exam earns you a high school diploma, which makes you almost universally recognized as equivalent to people who earn high school diplomas in the traditional way. The test has three sections that cover reading and writing, and one section each for math, social studies, and science. One out of every seven diplomas issued each year in the US is awarded on the basis of passing the GED test.
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