Maggie Ku's Key Ideas from Speed Reading
by Kam Knight

Chapter One - Purpose

• stating the purpose of reading something helps the mind focus and pick up on details 
• also allows us to be more mindful of what you're reading

Chapter Two - Power of Preview 

• your mind will make predictions, so previewing allows more accurate predictions 
• scan the text and pick up on context clues

Chapter Three - Change Styles 

• adjust reading speed to the type of article and how hard it is to digest the information 
• harder = go slower
• new type of literature = go slower 

think of the acronym "T.H.I.E.V.E.S."

T - title

H - headings

I - introductory statements 

E - everything bold, italics, highlight, etc. 

V - visual aids 

E - end of chapter questions/quizzes/reviews 

S - summary

Chapter Four - Space Reading 

• this . technique . forces . you . to . look . at . the . spaces . between . the . words . to . increase . reading . speed . by . allowing . you . to . focus . on . the . big . picture 

Chapter Five - Chunk Reading 

• this technique \ forces you to break down each sentence \ into smaller chunks \ and absorb information quickly \ about each chunk 

Chapter Six - Removing Subvocalization 

• subvocalization = reading every word (either in your head or out loud) 
• subvocalization makes you read slower - stop doing it!

Space Reading: 

1. start with looking at the spaces between each word 
2. practice only focusing on the spaces between the words 
3. increase the spacing between each word (ie. look at every other space now)

Chunk Reading: 

1. start by breaking up the sentence into small chunks consisting of a maximum of 5 words 
2. make sure all chunks flow (ie. don't cut the chunk off in the middle of an idea) 
3. increase the length of each chunk (ie. chunks can consist of more than 5 words) 

Subvocalization: 

• close your mouth 
• listen to music (without lyrics are best) 
• hum as you read 

Chapter Seven - Fixation 

• fixation = when your eyes pause to focus on something 
• fixation can slow down reading as you are pausing for each word 

Chapter Eight - Regression  

• regression = going back and rereading the text 
• regression can lead to confusion because you are overemphasizing certain parts of the text 

Chapter Nine - Visual Range 

• visual range = how much your eyes can see when you are focused on a particular object/detail/text 
• increased visual range can lead to picking up more information when reading, which leads to faster reading and better comprehension

Fixation 

1. practice space reading or chunk reading 
2. increase the length of each section 
3. increased length = less fixation as there are fewer places the eyes need to pause 

Regression 

1. take a piece of plain, white paper 
2. cover the text after you are done reading as you make your way through an article
3. covering the text will stop you from going back and force you to think about what you just read critically 

Visual Range 

1. Shultz Table 

Chapter Ten - Ideas and Main Points 

• pay attention to the big picture and the ideas being conveyed
• what issues are important? 
• why did the author write this? 
• why am I reading this right now? 

Chapter Eleven - Topic Sentences

• topic sentences state the idea and what the paragraph will be about 
• identifying the topic sentence will help set the tone of what you are reading for 

Chapter Twelve - Vocabulary 

• pay attention to prefixes and suffixes 

Chapter 13 - Remembering What You Read 

• similar to active recall 
• make sure you can recall the information you just read after reading 
• try to test yourself on the material after you read them, then go back and reread the text to see how accurate your recall is 

Chapter 14 - Visualize 

• your mind wandering is one of the main issues people have with reading 
• try to visualize what you are reading to keep yourself engaged in the text 

Chapter 15 - Eye Health 

• make sure to take care of your eyes!!