Activity: Use interactive web page to increase the efficiency of student reading.

Time: 20 minutes

Pre-Activity: General introduction on the usefulness of reading, as one of the three R's of learning.

Do Now: Write a paragraph about why reading is important in life.

Major Assignment: Student will be given the opportunity to learn about their mind by challenging themselves to read faster using the Speedreader tool.

Assessment: Students determine their base level speed, and try to read at faster rates, until their personal maximum is determined.  Multiple sessions over time should result in raising the base rate, thereby providing the student with a sense of control over their reading speed, retention, and eventual recognition of the benefit of reading to build personal power.

Processes, Skills, and Goals: To read faster.  Learn that reading is a skill like any other, which can be rapidly improved through practice and exercise.

Content: Web page at http://globalscience.home.att.net/TRF/Reading.html.

Materials: Computer connected to the internet with a browser with the ability to run Java script.

Guiding Questions: 

What are the three important components of education?

How is reading related to your personal power?

What is personal power?

How can you change how fast that you read?

How quickly can you make that change?

Instructions:

Students need to read in order to perform in school.  Too many of them do not understand the basic of how to improve their skill at reading.  By using a tool with interactive control, a student can judge their own pace, then use the tool to increase that pace.  Once they get the feeling of speed in their reading, they can use this skill to improve their overall school performance.  In one example of a classroom instruction, students read along with the tool as it was increased, until they could not say the words fast enough.  Then, without saying the words, the speed was increased.  It could be explained that since the brain is an electronic device, and light speed is very fast, the eyes and brain can think faster than the words can be stated audibly.  As a result, the mind can learn faster when the mouth is removed from the process of reading.