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I don't know. Hey, everyone.
Welcome back to Podcast and Chill. I'm Gwen.
And I'm Leo. So, Leo, how was your week?
Pretty good. I hung out with my friend Thomas yesterday.
Oh, your friend who's learning English? Did you have fun?
Not really. He was quite sad and upset. What happened?
Do you ever read something in English, but feel like it takes forever to finish just one page?
Well, he's been trying to read this English book for three weeks now, and he's still only on page 12.
Oh wow, that's tough. What kind of book is it?
Just a regular novel. But there is one problem.
What's that? He says he knows all the words, but when he puts them together, he gets confused.
You know what I mean? Like, each word makes sense, but the whole sentence doesn't.
That happens to a lot of people, especially when they read in a foreign language.
Yeah, and now he thinks he's just bad at English.
That's why he was so upset. Well, he won't feel that way for long. because today we're going to talk about how to get better at reading English.
Are you going to tell people they need to read for like three hours every day?
No way. We're talking about just 10 minutes a day.
Seriously? Only 10 minutes? Yep. Today, we'll share how just 10 minutes a day can boost your reading speed comprehension, and confidence in English. without making you feel bored or overwhelmed.
We know reading can feel pretty boring sometimes.
But don't worry, we're not going to give you complicated advice.
Just simple tips that really work if you use them every day.
Cool. Please spill everything now. Thank you.
You know, Thomas' story reminds me of our friend Paula.
Really? What happened to her? She tried to read an article from the New York Times about climate change, It took her 20 minutes to read just four sentences.
Wow, what took so long? She kept stopping to look up words.
Like, every four words she read, there was a new word she didn't know.
Oh man, if I were here, I would go crazy.
Right? So by the time she figured out what sustainability meant, She had already forgotten what the first sentence was about.
That's exactly what happened to Thomas. I know, right?
But here's what I don't get. Both Thomas and Paula aren't beginners.
They've been studying English for a while.
Why are they still having trouble? Good question.
I think it's because they picked the wrong things to read.
What do you mean? I get that the novel might be too hard for Thomas.
But what about Paula's article? Climate change isn't that hard, right?
The topic might be popular, but that article was written for advanced readers.
It had a lot of difficult vocabulary. But Paula didn't know that, did she?
Nope. She thought she could handle it. And when she couldn't...
She felt bad about her English. That's like trying to fight without the right equipment.
She shouldn't blame herself. Exactly. But what about people who do pick the right level but still struggle?
What do you think the problem is? I think it's focus.
People can't concentrate. I mean, their eyes are looking at the words, but their mind is somewhere else.
That's so true. Sometimes people just can't pay attention to what they're reading.
And that makes reading hard, whether it's in English or their native language.
So if we can focus better, we can read better, right?
Well, that helps, but there's more to it.
Picking the right material and focusing better are just part of it.
We also need to learn how to read correctly.
I don't understand what you mean. There are two ways to read.
What's the difference? Passive reading is when you just look at the words without thinking much.
It's like listening to background music.
You hear it. but you don't really remember it.
You read just to finish the book and active reading.
Active reading is when you read with a purpose.
You ask questions and think about what you're reading.
You read to learn and remember things. So if we read actively, we'll remember more.
Exactly. Most people forget what they read quickly because they read passively.
The trick is to read actively, like you're talking with the text.
Interesting. But how do you read actively?
It's actually pretty easy. I'm not sure we have the same definition of easy.
Hey, I already told you. Just 10 minutes of reading a day can make your fear of reading go away.
Okay, but here's what I don't get. Can reading for just 10 minutes really make a difference?
That sounds too good to be true. It absolutely can, but only if you read the right way.
The problem isn't time. It's your goals and how you approach reading.
What do you mean by goals and approach? Well, let's say you make a reading plan and decide to read one whole chapter every day.
Oh, I've tried that. I fell asleep after four sentences.
No surprise there. But what if you chose to read just one part of that chapter? or just a short and simple article.
Since it's not very long, And if you pick the right level, It won't be too hard either.
You'd be much more likely to finish it. And after a month, instead of four weeks of falling asleep you'd actually improve your reading skills.
So you mean quality over quantity? Bingo!
Think about it. Ten minutes of focused reading is better than...
An hour of just staring at words without understanding anything. or falling asleep.
Plus, 10 minutes sounds doable. It's like one-fifth of a Netflix That's another good thing about this method.
When your brain knows I only need to focus for 10 minutes.
You feel less pressure and it's easier to build the habit.
That makes sense. You know what's funny?
In my French class, We had to read for a whole hour, and I spent most of it yawning and looking at the clock.
Reading lessons can be like sleeping pills, huh?
Totally. But here's what's weird. When I bought this mystery novel in French and told myself, one chapter.
I ended up reading for 30 minutes without even noticing.
That's perfect. Your brain was actually interested because you weren't forcing it.
So, what's the secret? How do we make these 10 minutes actually work? instead of just being 10 minutes of confusion.
Now that you know what kind of material to pick and how long to practice, Let's follow this simple three-step plan to make the most of those 10 minutes.
Three steps? Can't we just read? Nope. Reading isn't like diving. you can't just jump right into the water.
Okay, so what do we do first? The first thing is skimming.
Skimming. You mean reading everything really fast to get the main ideas.
Exactly. Spend the first three minutes on this.
Look at the title. The first and last sentences of each paragraph to guess what the text is about.
What about pictures? Pictures are great clues too, so definitely look at those if there are any.
Hmm, okay, this sounds like watching a movie trailer before seeing the whole film. perfect comparison.
Just like watching a trailer gives you the general idea of the movie, Skimming gives you the main idea of the text. but it's basically just a guess, right?
A guess with evidence is preparation. Let's say you see a title that says, Why sleep is the new superpower.
What do you think the main idea is? Um, like the benefits of sleeping.
You got it. Of course, it could have been about a new superhero whose power is sleeping.
Hey, that could be me. Sure, but you know what I mean.
Once you get the main idea, it's easier to move forward.
Okay, so after skimming for the main idea, what's next?
Step two is reading each paragraph carefully and finding the key words.
This should take about four minutes. How do I know which words are key words?
Keywords are usually repeated throughout the paragraph or text.
If you see the same word or similar words used several times, That's a strong sign it's important to the topic.
So, if I see mental health mentioned three times in one paragraph, that's probably not an accident.
Right. The author definitely wants to talk about mental health.
Ha! It's like I'm a detective looking for clues.
This is fun! Easy there, detective. You still have the last step, which takes three minutes.
Wait, if I already read all the paragraphs, what's the last step for? celebrating that I read everything.
Nope. Step three is when you make what you read your own.
Ugh, how do I do that? It's simple. You summarize or explain what you just read using your own words.
Should I say it out loud or write it down?
Whatever works better for you. How does this help improve my reading?
Well, explaining what you read gives you a chance to practice the vocabulary and grammar from the text.
Yeah, that makes sense. Plus, when you explain something you have to use your thinking skills. to pick out the important ideas from the less important ones.
This helps move information from your short-term memory to your long-term memory.
I see. So after reading that paragraph about sleep, I might say...
This article says that not getting enough sleep hurts both your mental and physical health.
Perfect example. Another great thing about this step is that When you can explain something in your own words, It proves you actually understand it. not just memorize it.
This really is like being a detective. First, you check out the crime scene, then you look for clues, and finally you solve the case.
Paula would love this approach. She's always watching detective shows.
Thomas too. He loves true crime. But hey, what if those short articles get boring?
I mean, I can read them once or twice, but every day?
That sounds like my personal nightmare. I know.
That's why I suggest mixing up your reading materials.
This keeps your brain interested and helps you practice different skills.
What kind of materials are we talking about? anything.
As long as it's the right level for you and takes under 10 minutes to read, Like comic strips?
Why not? Comic strips have both words and pictures. which are great for skimming and guessing.
You're right. You can even read product reviews on shopping websites like Amazon, or captions from YouTube or TikTok videos.
They're all great sources of short content that doesn't feel overwhelming.
Wait, using TikTok for 10 minutes a day can help my reading?
That's like killing two birds with one stone.
Exactly. And here's the amazing part. When you do this for 10 minutes every day, your brain starts forming habits for understanding English.
Is it like muscle memory, but for your brain? kind of.
When you repeat the same activity daily, Your brain gets used to English sentence structures and word patterns.
Oh, so I'll start recognizing how the language works without having to think about it.
Yes, isn't that great? If Thomas or Paula tries this, I bet after about two weeks of reading every day, they'll start recognizing familiar patterns like in conclusion or The reason is without needing to translate them.
You know what? It's like your brain becomes a word detective. that gets better at solving mysteries over time.
Yeah, guys, becoming Sherlock Holmes has never been easier.
You know what? I need to tell Thomas about this right away.
Poor guy has been torturing himself trying to read an entire novel. when he could just pick some comic strips and actually enjoy them.
That's exactly the point. You don't need to read 50 pages a day to improve.
Just 10 minutes done the right way, every day makes all the difference.
So the magic formula is pick something short, skim for the main idea, highlight the important stuff, Then summarize it.
Yes. And then repeat it daily. Very simple.
Guys, remember, this isn't Formula One racing.
To win this race, you have to go slow and steady instead.
Right? The key is building that daily habit, not trying to be perfect from day one.
Alright, challenge time for our listeners.
If you only had 10 minutes to read in English today…
What would you choose? A news article, a short story, or our podcast transcript?
That's actually not a bad idea. Reading transcripts can be great practice.
What are you going to read first? Tell us in the comment section.
Thanks for hanging with us today on Podcast and Chill.
I'm Gwen. And I'm Leo. Catch you in our next episode.
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