My friend's daughter has to read a novel over the summer for school, and she just wants to skim through it and know the basic information in each chapter to write summaries over it. Any tips?
2006-07-01 12:08:48 · 6 answers · asked by *~*Carnival*~*Ride*~* 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
She says it's an awful, awful, boring book.
2006-07-01 12:14:40 · update #1
Since childhood, reading quickly has been a struggle for me. Since I aspired to write myself, however, and enjoyed reading a great deal (even though it took so long), I forced myself to read quickly. The method that I learned, and which has turned me into a very quick reader, is this:
First, try to focus on one line at a time instead of one word at a time. Slow reading is almost always caused by reading one word at a time instead of looking at the broader picture. If you allow your sight to focus on each word, you'll get caught up and choked as you try to read quickly.
Second, if you are reading fiction, divert your mind's efforts to imagining and not focusing on the text. If you are reading nonfiction, try to create images in your head from what you're reading. For example, if you're reading about nucleotides, imagine them, don't just stare blankly at the words on the page.
Third, isolate yourself and avoid distractions. I am usually distracted by the slightest noise or disruption around me. This is easily avoided by isolating myself in a closed room or on an empty beach, but since such a scenario is not possible, I have trained myself to focus on my reading and not my surroundings. This is best accomplished by using Step 2 and picturing what I'm reading in my mind rather than staring at the text.
As far as your friend's daughter's situation is concerned, I do believe skimming can be an effective way of reading. As an author myself, I know that we spend a great deal of our reader's time with things that don't need to be written. I recently "read" Jane Fonda's autobiography by flipping through it. I feel very acquainted with her life even though I skimmed through the entirety and read only the first several sentences of most paragraphs (or the last--those are the most important). I also recall writing a book report in highschool on a novel which I had only skimmed (Les Misérables, a huge, very good book, but with a lot of wasted paper). My report turned out well.
My website is bcchase.com. You can find a link to my book, Paradeisia, there.
Hope this helps!
B.C.CHASE
2006-07-08 09:04:56 · answer #1 · answered by B.C.CHASE 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
What a waste! Why not ENJOY the novel by reading it, even if just a chapter at a time, to receive the story? Who does not like to be told stories? Reading them is just as much fun. THEN the summaries are easy to write.
2006-07-01 12:13:29 · answer #2 · answered by Lil 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tell her to put the book under her pillow for a few nights in a row. She will absorb the story through a process known as nocturnal probibliotransmorphicotastifigoration.
2006-07-01 15:48:48 · answer #3 · answered by rsb332002 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It helps in case you could song out outside noises-then you definately'd be somewhat concentrated on what your analyzing. % readers have a tendency to skim over sentences and take in concepts somewhat straight away...is the concepts going to stay on your mind a lengthy time period, doubt it.
2016-10-14 01:08:40 · answer #4 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Put your finger under the words and move it along but stare at the same time... Or you can go to sparknotes.com and just get the gist of it.
2006-07-01 12:12:57 · answer #5 · answered by Gorgeous 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
read like you are brushing over the words. It is kinda fast, and the story still comes to you
2006-07-01 13:29:18 · answer #6 · answered by Grace Y 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
use this site .. you will get results
http://english.glendale.cc.ca.us/methods.html
2006-07-01 13:24:26 · answer #7 · answered by ♥♫♥ÇHÅTHÜ®ÏKÃ♥♫♥ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋