I'm in 8th grade and going onto 9th grade within 6 month. I don't wan to get C's and maintain B's (85%) in all my clases. I take History, Spanish, Physical Science, English, and Algebra. Pretty soon my grades will matter...What can I do to improve my reading? Is it just reading and reading, but then how many years would it take to improve it? How can I improve my vocabulary? How can I improve my writing skills and how do I improve my critical thinking?
2007-01-06 15:59:49 · 5 answers · asked by lizarose2007 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Other - Education
Hello, I'm a speech-language pathologist.
The question that I have is...how exactly would you describe your reading difficulty? Do you not recognize words due to poor vocabulary skills or because of visual pattern matching problems....do you have problems associating phonemes or sounds with the written letter...etc? You may have difficulty with some of these concepts due to....either visual processing or auditory processing...or both. This may be why you have always had difficulty with reading, as well as critical thinking and obviously vocabulary. Do you remember things better that you hear...or that you see? We all learn through one channel or another channel better. Figure out which is better for yourself and use it to your advantage. You may want to find activities that encourage visual pattern matching....especially those activities that incorporate written words with their meanings and sounds....try to combine as many "channels" together as possible. Another thing about reading, writing and vocabulary is understanding how in English our words are all derived from latin or another language...but you build vocabulary by recognizing that the root of words, prefixes, suffixes are used over and over. If you focus on learning what these prefixes mean...or where certain root words are derived, you will find that you can begin to understand the meaning of very complex words without ever seeing them before. And yes, reading, reading, reading certainly can improve...especially when you choose subject matter that you are interested in.
2007-01-06 16:33:33 · answer #1 · answered by Kevin 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE ... There is a saying you can't teach an old dog new trick... YES YOU CAN! I am 25 with kids and I just got a GED, and am in College. Your vocabulary, reading, and all the other skills will develope with time. Just stay in school, and ask the teachers or get extra help if you don't understand something. Colleges will be looking at your grades from the beginning of highschool to the end. The last couple years of highschool matter the most, but they do look at the freshmen and sophmore years as well.I learn something new everyday! You will too!
Hope this helped you!
2007-01-07 00:11:27 · answer #2 · answered by ♥xvioletx1882♥ 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's never too late!
To improve your reading and your vocabulary you just have to read a little bit more. Look for something that you care about and read it. Is recommended to read at least one or two pages a day. I can't help you with the English, but I can help you for sure with the Spanish. I'm Cuban.
2007-01-07 00:06:52 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Just do every day reading. Maybe read anewspaper at breakfast and lookup any foreign words in your dictionary, sooner than you think you'll know alot of words and your reading will improve as well. Good luck kid--oh and books of course!
2007-01-07 00:08:24 · answer #4 · answered by A Gabbi 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, it's not too late; it only means that you cannot go out much. Just keep on reading, writing and learning.
You also need to hang out with someone who can help you. If any of your friends is great in algebra, english or any subject that you need help with, ask him/her. Good luck!
2007-01-07 00:16:04 · answer #5 · answered by childofGod 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋