Before this class
My earliest memories of reading are from when my mother read green eggs and ham to me as a bedtime story. From that point on I was hooked on reading. Years following that until I could read on my own, I had many books read to me repeatedly. Just like my parents I hope to instill the same love of reading into my children one day, as they did for me. I have been lucky to have read a vast selection of books, from younger kid’s books to comic books, to novels seven to eight hundred pages long. Beside books things like magazines or news articles also offer insight into reading and help to learn new things. Audiobooks also give a sense of wonder as the characters you’ve read about have been given a voice with emotion and feeling.
During school, learning how to visualize your writing helped me flow the words easily. Connecting the words like connecting dots on a page, each one pointed towards the next. On the other hand, while writing I connect all the words, reading, especially for school I tended to skim over the work and read only the important parts. While this isn’t exactly the best reading strategy, reading still helped immensely with school. Since I read ahead in classes, I got a head start on schoolwork and knew more than most, so I could work faster than my peers.
While reading did help in middle and high school, I believe it will be of even greater importance in college. Based on what I have been told by people who have been to and graduated college, many classes require intensive research for papers and projects, and that can’t be done without reading. While my parents did not attend college, I hope to graduate with the skills I learn over the next few years.
After
This class has taught me that in the grand scheme of things, i didn't know much about reading and writing. There are so many different stratigies that each work differently depending on the person. SQ4R was by far the best method for me. SQ4R stands for survey, question, and the 4 Rs meaning read, recite, review, and reflect. Using this anyone can learn, and this has especially helped me to do so.