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To best plan your time for reading homework each night, it helps to know how fast you read.
METHOD ONE
Open a book to a full page of text.
Estimate the number of words on a page by counting the number of words in two lines and then dividing by two. So if there are 37 words in two lines, the words per line count is 18.5.
Count the number of lines on a page. Multiply that number by the words per line. So if there are 50 lines on a page, then 50 x 18.5 = 925 words on a page.
Read a page at a normal speed. This is not a race! You are reading for comprehension, taking notes as you normally do. Count how long it takes in seconds.
Divide the words per page by the number of seconds, then multiple by 60. So let’s say it takes you 4:30 to read the page. That’s 270 seconds. So 925/270 x 60 = 205.5 WPM (words per minute).
Measure your speed periodically. Ideally, use the same book. It can be one you’ve already read. Keeping the book the same will ensure you’re not reading faster because the book is easier.
METHOD TWO
Open a book to a full page of text.
Set a timer for five minutes.
Start reading at the top of the page at a normal speed. Remember to take notes.
When the buzzer goes off, stop reading.
Divide 5 by the number of pages you read to give you the number of minutes it takes you to read a page. Then multiply the total number of pages assigned by the time it takes to read each page.
In five minutes I read a total of _______ pages.
5 minutes ÷ _________ pages = _______ minutes per page.
That number (_____) times the number of pages assigned that night (_____) = ___________ minutes to read the assignment.
For example, if you read 2.5 pages in 5 minutes, your speed is 1 page in 2 minutes. If you had 20 pages to read, multiply by 2, and you would know to plan 40 minutes to read 20 pages.
5 minutes ÷ 2.5 pages = 2 minutes per page.
20 pages x 2 minutes per page = 40 minutes total to read your assignment