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PC-SIG Diskette Library (Disk #1630)
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Information about “READFAST!”
Don't believe in "speed reading?" READFAST! is here to prove you
wrong.
READFAST! first explains some of the causes of slow reading and then
shows you how reading and comprehension can be improved. In addition to
theory, READFAST! will measure a user's reading speed and then introduce
exercises that will help improve upon that benchmark.
READFAST! can be used with any book; for some of the exercises, you will
need to mark up the book. Anyone who reads should investigate this
educational bonanza.
FILE1630.TXT
Disk No: 1630
Disk Title: Readfast!
PC-SIG Version: S1
Program Title: ReadFast!
Author Version: 1.4
Author Registration: $12.00 for individual version, $25.00 for professio
Special Requirements: None.
Don't believe in "speed reading"? READFAST! is here to prove you wrong.
READFAST! first explains some of the causes of slow reading and then
shows you how reading and comprehension can be improved. In addition to
theory, READFAST! will measure a user's reading speed and then introduce
exercises that will help improve upon that benchmark.
READFAST! can be used with any book; for some of the exercises, you will
need to mark up the book. Anyone who reads should investigate this
educational bonanza.
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1989 PC-SIG, Inc.
GO.TXT
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ <<<< Disk #1630 READFAST! >>>> ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ To start program, type: GO (press enter) ║
║ ║
║ To print documentation, type: COPY READFAST.DOC PRN ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
READ0.TXT
READFAST!
Computer-Aided Reading Improvement Program
Shareware Version 1.4
(c) Copyright 1989 by Larry O'Rear
Welcome to READFAST! I hope this program will help you to reach
several goals: read faster when you need to or want to; learn and remember
more from your reading; and read with greater enjoyment.
The methods presented here are not magic, but they have proved
successful in teaching many people to become more proficient readers. As
is true for most accomplishments of significance, the mastery of better
reading skills requires some effort. But the rewards are great!
After this introduction finishes, you will see the menu again. You
will probably use choices 2 and 3 just one time each, then choice 4 for
reading at increasing speeds as you progress.
--More--
This program is being distributed under the SHAREWARE concept. If you
find the program useful and have not already registered, send $12 (+ 8% tax
in Texas) to
Larry O'Rear
703 Cielo Drive
Georgetown, TX 78628
to register for personal use. To use this program in any situation where
tuition or any kind of fee is charged, the registration is $25 (+ 8% tax in
Texas) and must be sent before the program is used in such manner. The
instructor may review the program to evaluate it before registering, but
may not use it with the fee-paying group without registering. Such use is
a violation of the Copyright Laws of the United States of America.
The next screen tells what you will receive for your $12 registration
fee.
--More--
When you register, you will receive:
• The latest version of this program, with any updates
or corrections (can skip opening screens).
• VIEW.EXE, a program for reading text files on-screen.
Files will be displayed the way that instructions are
shown in the READFAST program.
• PRC, a program to send printer control commands to your
printer from the DOS prompt.
• Four programs for printing text files.
• A label-printing program.
• More reading programs, if I have developed any more
when you register. Send me your suggestions, please!
--More--
Users employ this software at their own risk. The author will not be
responsible in any way for any consequences of the use or misuse of the
program or of the documentation. Your use of the program constitutes your
acceptance of these conditions.
This software may be copied and distributed freely with these
restrictions:
1. No price may be charged, except that a fee not to exceed $7 may be
applied to cover the costs of copying and distribution.
2. This documentation must be included in its entirety with any copies.
I will appreciate your comments concerning this Reading Improvement
Program, and suggestions concerning features you would like to see in
future versions. Please write to me at the address given earlier.
--More--
Thank you, and I wish you great success in improving your reading
speed and comprehension skills! Now hit the ESC key.
Larry O'Rear
READ1.TXT
INSTRUCTIONS FOR FIRST TIMED READING
The purpose of this program is to increase your reading speed and
comprehension. Before we begin the improvement, let's get an idea of your
present reading rate. This will give you a way to measure your improvement
as you use the program.
Choose a book that you want to read. The printed lines need to begin
near the top of the first page that you will read, and end near the bottom
of the last page. This will give a more accurate word count, since the
number of lines per page is used to find the number of words read.
(Chapters sometimes begin and end on partial pages. When you read longer
selections later, this will not be a problem.)
For this exercise, choose three or four pages to read. The computer
will measure your reading time. When you have finished reading, you will
be asked for the information needed to calculate your reading speed.
Now you are ready to begin! Hit the ESC key.
READ2.TXT
FOLLOW-UP FOR FIRST TIMED READING
You will need a notebook to keep track of your progress. On the first
line, write the date, the name of the book you read, the pages read, and
your reading speed (words per minute). You will record the results of
later reading sessions in the same way.
To check your reading comprehension, write a summary of the main ideas
from your reading, and then compare your summary with the book. See if you
made mistakes in your summary or left out any of the main ideas that you
think you should have included.
The next exercise (number 3 on the menu) will pace you as you read,
to start increasing your speed. Usually, comprehension increases with
speed, after some practice. When you read larger blocks of material at one
reading, you will usually understand it better than when you read little
chunks at a time because of slow reading habits. And when you read faster,
your mind has less tendency to wander...if you have that problem!
Now hit the ESC key.
READ3.TXT
FIRST PACED READING
Most of us can learn to read much faster than we do now, and with
better comprehension. (If you want to compare your reading speed in the
previous exercise with other people's speed: most people read about 100 to
300 words per minute before giving special attention to improving their
reading speed.)
Slow reading is a result of the way we were taught to read--word by
word. We can think, and get information from a printed page, much faster
than we can put those thoughts into words. Reading word by word is almost
as slow as speaking.
To make this clearer, look at a picture for 15 seconds. Then see how
long it takes you to put into words the description that was stored in your
mind as you viewed the picture. This little experiment shows that we can
take ideas into our minds much faster than we can form words, even mental
unspoken words.
--More--
Maybe you move your lips as you read silently. Many people do. Or
maybe the rest of your speaking machinery is trying to form words even if
your lips don't move.
To increase reading speed, we need to stop "thinking" the sounds of
words while reading. Of course, if you are reading poetry or certain other
kinds of literature, you want to think the sounds. But for many kinds of
reading, the aim is to get the most information in the least time.
Here's one way to stop thinking the sounds of words while reading:
force yourself to read faster than you can think the sounds of the words
you read. We will do this by pacing you while you read.
Another cause of inefficient reading is looking at text word by word.
This is obviously related to thinking the sounds word by word. Look at a
word in the middle of a line of text. Without moving your eyes, you should
be able to read one or two words, or more, on each side of the "target"
word. So you can read a whole line of text with just two or three "looks"!
This is important, because it takes time to move your eyes and focus them.
--More--
So you can see from three to seven words, or more, with one "look"
(also called "eye fixation"). Thus it makes no sense to focus on the first
or last word of a line. You would be wasting half of your eye span on blank
paper, reading the margins!
Now we are ready to begin SPEED READING!
Choose a book that has about ten or twelve words per line (maybe a few
more, if there are lots of small words). Then select about five pages to
read. On each page, draw three vertical lines from top to bottom down the
page, as described previously. Now let's see why you mark up your
book this way!
As you read, you will focus your eyes only in the middle of the spaces
between vertical lines--three places on each line. You will see several
words at each eye fixation. Don't look at each word! That's one of the
habits we are trying to break.
--More--
You will hit the space bar in just a moment (you will be told when to
hit it) to begin the timing and pacing of your reading. The computer will
produce clicks to pace you. At each click, move your eyes to the next
focus point, in the middle of a space between vertical lines.
It's okay to get ahead of the clicks, but don't get behind! Have your
finger ready to turn the right-hand page when you get to the bottom, so
that you won't lose time fumbling. You will hit the space bar again the
instant you finish reading.
After you finish reading, write a summary and check it as before.
Remember to record your results in your notebook.
Be sure your book is marked with vertical lines as instructed above,
and get ready for speedy reading! Now hit the ESC key.
READ4.TXT
Be sure to record in your notebook the date, the name of the book you
were reading, the first page and last page you read, and your reading
speed. You may also want to record your evaluation of your summary of the
reading, perhaps as Good, Fair, or Poor.
Remember to write a summary and record the results of your reading
after each exercise. In this way, you will be able to see your progress.
For maximum benefit, you should practice regularly, several times per week.
At first, it will require a conscious effort on your part to keep from
going back to your old "bad" habits of looking at each word and thinking
the sounds of the words. With continued regular practice, good reading
habits will become automatic.
From now on, you will probably use choice 4 from the menu for all your
exercises. It gives you various pacing options.
Keep up the good work! Hit ESC and choose 4 from the menu.
READ5.TXT
MAIN READING PROGRAM
In this part of the program, you will choose the reading rate for
pacing, or you can read without the clicks if you so desire. The computer
will calculate your speed with or without the clicks. You can choose three
clicks per line, as in the previous exercise, or some other number.
Draw vertical lines to match the number of clicks per line, if you
wish to have this aid in pacing. After a few sessions, you won't need the
vertical lines. You will develop the habit of two or three eye fixations
per line, or even just one.
You can also choose just one click per PAGE. In this case, you will
get ahead on pages that are not full, such as the first or last page of a
chapter. Just don't stay on the same page for more than one click, or you
will fall behind.!
Ready -- Set -- READ for SPEED! Hit ESC.
READCISE.TXT
This exercise will
help you to
increase the number
of words that you
can see at each
eye fixation
as you read.
When you read a line
of print, you don't
need to look at each
word on the line.
You can develop the ability
to see half a line, or maybe
even the entire line, with just one "look."
(That last line
was a little long!)
Remember, don't look
at the first word
or the last one
on a line.
If you do,
you are just seeing
empty space with about
half your eye span.
Look at the second
or third word at the
beginning of the line,
and when you get to
the second or third
word from the end,
go to the next line.
Of course, increased eye span
is just one factor
in improving your
reading speed, but
it is a big factor.
If you look at
each word as you read,
you won't be able
to read much more
than about 200
words per minute.
By learning to read
several words at each
eye fixation,
breaking the habit
of looking back
at lines you have
already read, and
moving your eyes
faster as you read,
you can probably
read four or five
times faster than
your beginning rate--
maybe even more!
(One of my students,
after the reading course,
could read a paperback
book of about 120
pages in just
10 or 12 minutes,
with excellent comprehension.)
We know that speed
is not the only important
thing in better reading,
but it is important.
When you read faster,
you will be able
to preview, read, and
review a reading selection
in the same time
it previously took
to read it once.
.
You can create
files like this
for reading practice
with a word processor.
It's especially easy
with a word processor
that centers lines,
as most of them do.
I used Galaxy,
a shareware program,
to do this.
READSOLR.TXT
Our Sun is
a star and is
the center of
the Solar System.
The Solar System
consists of the Sun
and several planets.
Five planets were known
to ancient heaven-gazers;
now we know eight
in addition to Earth.
(This does not
include the "minor
planets," or asteroids.)
In order of
increasing distance
from the Sun,
the planets are
Mercury, Venus, Earth,
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
Pluto is 40 times
as far from the Sun
as Earth is.
Jupiter, the largest
of the planets,
is 40 times larger
than Earth in diameter.
Venus is almost
the same size as Earth.
When viewed through
good binoculars or
a small telescope,
Venus at her
brightest shows a
crescent shape, like
that of the crescent
phase of the moon.
The reddish color
of Mars is well known.
With a small telescope,
it is possible to see
details on the surface.
Some observers have
called these "canals,"
and some have guessed
that they were built
by intelligent beings.
Mars, like Earth and
some other planets,
has moons--two for
the planet Mars.
Jupiter has colored bands
that can be seen
with a small telescope,
and the famous Red Spot.
Jupiter has 11 moons,
of which four can be
observed with binoculars
or a small telescope.
The best-known feature
of Saturn is its
beautiful set of rings.
Both Jupiter and Saturn
rotate around their axes
in about 10 hours--
a short day!
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto,
the most distant planets,
were all discovered
after the invention
of the telescope.
In addition to its
great distance from us,
Pluto's small size--
about one-half the diameter
of the earth--
makes it beyond the range
of small telescopes.
The planets have been
of intense interest
to mankind since
earliest times, and now
the exploration of space
by rocket-launched vehicles
promises more answers
to more questions.
In May of 1989,
the month when this
was written, the Atlantis
spacecraft sent an
exploratory vehicle to
the farthest reaches
of the planetary system.
It will be fascinating
to see what new wonders
will be revealed in
the heavens to which
man has turned his eyes
since earliest times.
READTACH.DOC
READTACH Reading Accelerator
(c) Copyright 1989 by Larry O'Rear
This program helps to develop rapid eye movement and increased eye span by
flashing lines of text on the screen, one at a time. You will be asked to
enter the name of the text file that you want to read. Be sure to enter the
DOS path if the text file is not in the same directory as this program. (The
lines must not be over 79 characters long.)
If you don't have another text file handy, you can use the READFAST.DOC
file that comes with the READFAST program. If you have other shareware
programs, they probably have .DOC or .TXT files that you could use. The Bible
is available on shareware disks--that will provide plenty of reading practice!
One use of READTACH is to do the eye-span exercises READCISE.TXT and
READSOLR.TXT. Enter READTACH NO to start the program if you don't want
automatic speed increase, and choose a speed of about 600 words per minute at
first (the lines are short--you're not really reading that fast!). Look only
at the middle of each line. You might want to use a different speed later.
-More-
The lines will appear on the screen beginning at the top. Each new line
will be on the next line down until you get near the bottom of the screen. Then
you will see a message telling you to look at the top of the screen for the
next line.
If you get blank lines or lines that look weird, your text file probably
has more than 79 characters per line.
The reading rate is approximate, assuming 12 words per line (the eye-span
exercises don't have that many). The aim is not to provide an exact rate, but
to provide exercise in eye movement. Choose a rate a little faster than you can
read comfortably. The speed will increase gradually from screen to screen. If
you don't want this automatic speedup, enter READTACH NO to start the program.
If you want to skip the opening screen, start by typing READTACH Q. You may
use both the NO and the Q, in any order.
Remember that continued and lasting improvement requires continued
practice. Good Luck!
Now hit the ESC key to continue.
REVIEW.TXT
Disk No
Program Title: READFAST!
PC-SIG version: 1.4
Don't believe in "speed reading"? READFAST! is here to prove you wrong.
READFAST! will give reasons for slow reading and then insight into how
reading and comprehension can be improved. In addition to theory,
READFAST! will measure a user's reading speed and then introduce exercises
that will help improve upon that benchmark.
READFAST! can be used with any book; for some of the exercises, you will
need to mark up the book. Anyone who reads should investigate this
educational bonanza.
Usage: Self-improvement.
Special Requirements: None.
How to Start: Type GO (press ENTER).
Suggested Registration: $12 individual, $25 professional.
File Descriptions:
READFAST.EXE The main reading program.
READFAST.DOC Instructions for READFAST.EXE, and reading tips.
READMARK.SHO Instructions for marking a book for use in paced reading.
READTACH.EXE Flashes lines from text files on the screen to force faster
reading.
READTACH.DOC Instructions for READTACH.EXE.
READSYLL.BUS Suggested plan for reading improvement.
READCISE.TXT &
READSOLR.TXT Eye-span exercises to use with READTACH.
PC-SIG
1030D E. Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94806
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1987 PC-SIG Inc.
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #1630
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
DESCRIPT ION 4554 6-16-89 10:03p
FILE1630 TXT 1777 12-01-89 9:34a
FILES LST 1002 6-16-89 9:56p
GO BAT 14 5-15-89 10:10p
GO TXT 540 12-01-89 1:11p
GO1 BAT 38 1-01-80 1:37a
READ0 TXT 3603 5-14-89 12:58p
READ1 TXT 1013 5-07-89 10:54p
READ2 TXT 1065 3-31-89 6:36p
READ3 TXT 3899 5-14-89 2:34p
READ4 TXT 958 3-31-89 6:43p
READ5 TXT 910 4-03-89 9:26p
READCHAN GES 454 6-16-89 9:15p
READCISE TXT 4385 5-07-89 1:48p
READFAST DOC 19818 6-16-89 8:42p
READFAST EXE 24528 5-25-89 12:18a
READMARK SHO 1571 5-12-89 10:54p
READSOLR TXT 5118 5-05-89 10:50p
READSYLL BUS 7874 6-16-89 9:41p
READTACH DOC 2255 5-23-89 11:04p
READTACH EXE 13648 5-23-89 11:52p
REVIEW TXT 1326 10-20-89 11:49a
22 file(s) 100350 bytes
54784 bytes free