It is always important to develop a plan before reading. Think about how you will think while reading the material and briefly flip through the pages. What type of piece are you about to read and how is it organized? You could be reading a novel for fun or a scientific article for homework. Is the text plain or are there pictures with captions or words that are in bold print or italics? Set apart time for small breaks at specific increments during your reading time in order to let your mind recuperate. This helps when the material is particularly long or dense.
While reading, pick out the most important features, key words or other elements in the text and write them down. It is not necessary to remember every "the" or "a," and examples are meant to help you understand the more difficult sections of text but do not necessarily need to be remembered themselves. Through writing you reinforce what you read by stimulating a different sense. Continue to ask yourself questions about the material and identify when you stop understanding what you are reading. Then ask yourself how you are going to overcome the lack of understanding.
Consider the way you most often remember everyday information. Do you visualize it as a still or moving picture? Can you associate items with other things? Can you create mnemonic devices, such as acronyms? As you read, form opinions and hypothesize conclusions as questions arise in your mind. This way, when they are answered, you can compare what you thought the answer would be with what it actually is. In addition, create small, specific cues that can trigger your mind to remember a larger amount of information. For example, using a one dollar bill as a cue may remind you of George Washington, when he was born, where he lived and three of his major accomplishments.
Evaluate yourself and the material once you have finished reading. Ask yourself how well you understood the material and which strategies helped you the most. Determine a reason or purpose for reading the text to give yourself a motive for remembering the information as a whole. Go back and re-read the material, especially the parts that you still do not understand or the parts that were hard to fully grasp the first time. Finally, talk about the material with someone. Even if the conversation is brief, find a friend, family member or teacher that you can share the information with to help yourself remember it.