Guide to effective reading "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." Sir Richard Steele
Why read?
Reading is your most important way of getting access to a foreign language and its culture.   Reading develops your language awareness Reading develops your grammatical thinking Reading improves your vocabulary Reading develops you as a person
What and how much?
The golden rule is this:   The more the better. Read a lot, and see to it that you enjoy your reading! Things to consider: Texts must be at the right level Texts must be challenging Texts must be interesting Texts must be of different kinds, e.g. song texts, poems, on-line newspapers, and don't forget audio books
Basics
You need this:   Motivation Time and effort A variety of texts A good dictionary
General practical advice
Read the first part or chapter carefully, learning new words, using a dictionary and saving them in your glossary Then carry on more quickly, concentrating on the contents. Only look up words that are essential to your understanding. Don’t get stuck if you don’t understand every word, read on. You will understand gradually from the context Work on speeding up your reading. Check your reading speed under |Exercises|. Revise your collected words continually. Answer questions (if available), trying to use your collected words. Retell parts of the text continually, using key words, speaking aloud (even to yourself), in order to activate all your senses. Even better is working with a friend. Write summaries of what you have read. Always try to use new words and phrases from the text. You will soon notice that you expand both your passive and your active vocabulary by reading many texts Assess you progress continually. Use diagnostic tests. It is hard to measure if you have developed your reading proficiency, but you can be convinced that reading many texts always leads to better understanding! Evaluate your reading practices continually
A structured approach
Become a SkaTeR Skim read  >>> Take notes >>> Make a glossary >>> Think and ask >>> Communicate >>> Revise, revise, revise >>>