Topic: Boredom and Difficulty in Reading (1)

10-second review: RayS.’s ideas for helping students deal with boredom and difficulty in reading books and other reading materials.

Previews will stimulate interest and reduce the difficulty of material.

Nonfiction Preview: First, read the first and last paragraph of each chapter. The first paragraph introduces the topic, the last chapter summarizes it.

Second, read the first sentence of each intermediate paragraph. If you’re “caught,” keep reading. If you become bored, go back to reading the first sentence of each paragraph. The majority of first sentences of paragraphs are usually topic sentences, so you will be gaining the main ideas and supporting details. And you will almost certainly be “caught” and want to continue reading at some point in the chapter.

When chapters seem particularly important, you will need to read the entire chapter, but the first and last paragraphs and the first sentence of each intermediate paragraph will ease the difficulty.

To be continued: Professional Materials and Magazines.