Reading Speeds

Many times I have noticed my students reading every detail when they should have been skimming for one piece of information or skimming when they should have been reading for pleasure. 

As fluent readers, you know that we read at different speeds, or gears, for different reasons. Sometimes we read very slow- like when we are doing a close read or learning new information. We read even slower when we want to memorize something.  You also know that learning the art skimming and scanning can save you valuable time as you study or look for information.  As a teacher, I skim and scan EVERYDAY - especially using technology!

I have found that my students have not mastered when to use each speed.  In an ever-changing world, where technology is becoming more and more present in our lives, I know that my students really need to know what the speeds of reading are and more importantly WHY we use them.

I will be doing this lesson during the first few weeks of school this year and then I will store one set of sticks in a cute vase close to my desk.That will make it very easy for us to review which speed we should use before we take on new texts.

I have created two versions of this lesson that are for sale in my Teachers Pay Teachers store:

One for K-2: http://bit.ly/1zGU8NY

and

One for Grades 3-6: http://bit.ly/1t0G7WP

I hope this helps your readers choose the right speed for the text they select! 

What is one lesson you teach in the first few weeks of school?