10 Proven Techniques For Accelerated Reading

Reading plays a crucial role in children’s cognitive development, which is somewhat losing ground because of increasing impact of technology. Although it is still considered that we gain more knowledge and experience through reading. We naturally learn to verbalize words in large chunks, which enhances reading speed too. Research tells,

“Children who read for pleasure are likely to do more in Math and English than those who rarely read in their free time.”

What is Accelerated Reading?

Accelerated Reading (AR) is a computerized program that helps students grow their reading skills and become a better reader. The program allows students to practice reading at a certain level, and take an independent test on the computer.

To become a successful reader, it is essential to follow these 10 techniques to achieve success in accelerated reading.

Find Your Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) suggests the readability level of a student. Finding your ZPD is necessary for the optimal growth in reading without frustration. The best strategy is to select books of your need and interest. Also, ask help from teachers who can estimate your performance-based level and refer some reading material accordingly. The success of an accelerated reader depends on his interests and prior knowledge of the book that he is about to read.

Schedule Time for Reading Practice

Plan an independent reading schedule. The schedule must assure that you are spending 20 to 35 minutes every day on reading practice to accelerate the reading growth. Plus, you must have access to your computer systems within scheduled reading time to take quizzes. The subject won’t bother if you are attending classes regularly.

Reduce the Skip-backs

Because of skip-backs, your reading speed naturally slows down. Re-reading words and sentences has developed a habit that is not easy to eliminate. However, when you don’t verbalize words aloud, you don’t utilize skip-backs to right the mispronounced words unconsciously. The method accelerates your reading speed to a great extent effectively.

Understand the Software You’re Using

Whether Accelerated Reader™ (AR™), STAR Reading™, or STAR Early Literacy™, you must know how to use the software that you have. Also, you need to understand various AR quizzes (Reading Practice, Vocabulary Practice, Recorded Voice, and Literacy Skills), relatable key concepts to points, book level, and interest level. Make sure to know what and how each program displays.

Use the Student Reading Log in Classroom

Keeping a record of your reading practice is very important. Reading logs do it for you. When you sit for the daily reading practice, log in to the Renaissance Place in the AR Resources Section. Teachers also monitor these logs closely during your reading time and estimate each student’s level individually.

Check the result of Your AR Quiz Immediately

After each quiz, make sure to check the result and get immediate feedback from your teacher. It ensures their close monitoring of your performance. Plus, you must consider printing and take the result home for showing your progress to parents. It motivates you to aim for an average target of 85% and achieve success in AR.

Read by Moving Your Eyes Only

It is a fact that moving your head while reading slows down the reading speed ultimately. So, it is suggested to move eyes only. Since eye muscles don’t make eyeballs move continuously, they move intermediately with a little pause in between and help in absorbing every word which goes through your sight.

In addition, you can incorporate your peripheral vision that allows to see a page in one glance and accelerate the reading speed. This practice has made many proficient readers capture the words and phrases that even lie off-center.

Sweep Hands across the Page While Reading

Relating to the heading above, it is crucial to guide your eyes to the point across the page and form a rhythm. The best way to lead your eyes down the page is to make your hand work as a guiding pointer. Keep it in the practice and establish a rhythm as it is important for you to grow and increase the reading speed over time.

Create Visual Mind Maps While Reading

To hone in the areas of comprehension, you must form visual images of each sentence, paragraph, and the topic that you read. Specifically, when working on the comprehension of reading content’s information, it allows you to grow and progress throughout the reading process. You may incorporate as many strategies and methods as possible for comprehension.

Book Talk

It is a kind of strategy that assists in the better understanding of the reading material (book). If the reader is new, the teacher creates a buzz through book talk. An effective and convincing book talk makes the listeners read a specific book. So, it is essential to find a “good read” by attending some positive book talk programs where readers speak about books’ positive influence and the way they get impacted. It is the best way to get familiar with different books.

Conclusion

The Accelerated Reading Program is basically designed to improve your memory and integrate the concepts into your daily life. When you keep these aforementioned techniques forefront, you’ll definitely achieve success in upcoming days. Dedication, setting targets, and getting motivation are a couple of things that prevail a sense of accomplishment. However you are achieving different targets every day, consider reading and taking interest in different literature for your pleasure; it reinforces the comprehension strategy.

David Jeffrey writes about various educational topics. He has a passion for writing. He has also worked at Los Angeles and California for many magazines.

Regardless, he has worked with a lot of authors including Amazon best-sellers to promote their books. For his phenomenal services in the field of education, he has been awarded an online life experience degree.

When he is not working, you’ll find him walking his dog down the street, or in a coffee shop in Seattle.