How To: Actually read that book in English

Speaking as a high school student who rarely ever enjoys books I am forced to read, I have never not read my assigned reading material. Shocking, right? I can attribute this diligence to my reading to several reading strategies I’ve adopted and happy to share with others so everyone can actually finish the book their English teacher will be testing them on in a week.

• Set a certain amount of pages to be read each day.

Pages to read = Page number/days to read. This is a simple equation that can be used to set up dates and deadlines. If you need to read three chapters in 15 days, find out how many pages are in that section and divide it by 15. Reading a large amount can be much easier and doable when separated into miniature deadlines.

• Separate yourself from situations that will keep you from reading.

This may come as a shocker, but attempting to read a book while watching TV is not super good for your work flow. If you sit with your phone on and right next to you while attempting to read, it will never happen. Remembering to separate yourself from distractions is a key way of keeping focused and able to read.

• If you need to write an essay, take notes as you read.

Who would have thought that you may need to remember exactly where that one quote was in the 15th chapter of the book? Oh yeah, me! If you think it’s important, it probably is. So begin to get in the habit of taking notes on what is read in order to make it easier to find later. An easy way is to use a post it. Write the importance of the scene on the note, stick it to the page (possibly close to the actual passage), which will make writing the essay significantly easier. Taking notes will also help keep you from having to read the book a second time, trying to find a specific passage.

• Think about how good it is to read.

It may not be exactly fun in the moment, but, truly, reading will help in the long run. Reading exercises the parts of your brain that listening and or watching just don’t do. Reading a sentence makes it far easier to memorize info. than trying to recall specific details of a movie. Actually reading the book will help on tests, essays, and so much more. If you keep your English grade up, your chances of collegiate opportunities soar. An English class can be used to to compare students in America. When you think about it, every kid in this country has to take English the same year as you, but not every student is taking the same history, math, or science classes. Keeping a great grade in English makes you look much better than another student who didn’t read the book and pulled a low grade in the course.

Next time when stressing  about reading a book for a class remember use the equation (Pages/Days), make simple deadlines, and pass your class! You’re welcome.