Reading Habits: Extensive Reading

Methods in this video

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1. 1

   Extensive reading: read a lot, and understand it

   ▶ 0:56

   When to use it: Everyday reading outside class: you keep getting stuck, can't say what a book was about after finishing it, only read one kind of book, or are preparing for Selective but your books have stayed at the same level.

   • Read books that feel easy: a few new words are fine as long as you still understand; if there are too many, switch to an easier book first.
   • Read all three text types (poetry counts as Imaginative); novels alone are not enough.
   • A set time every day works better than one long session at the weekend.
   • After each book, retell it in three sentences: who, what happened, how it ended. Parents ask like a chat, not a quiz.
   • Log one line per book: title, level, three sentences; every month or two, check whether you can move up a level.
   • Common phrases become familiar from reading a lot (that is your feel for language); rare collocations need intensive reading.