Outcome Targets

• Locate the right paragraph in 15 to 25 seconds.
• Grab a proof line and its paraphrase in 20 to 30 seconds.
• Hit 85 to 95 percent accuracy on locating information items.

Warm Up: 90 Seconds

1. Read the title and subhead.
2. Underline anchors per paragraph: names, dates, numbers, rare nouns, contrast words like however or yet.
3. Mark 1 to 2 anchors only. Keep the map light.

Circuit A: Anchor Hunt 30

Goal: train your eyes to land fast.

• Timer: 5 minutes total.
• Pick any article. List 30 items to find: years, percentages, place names, capitalized terms, units like km or kg, quotation marks, colon lines, question marks.
• Record average locate time. Target under 2 seconds per item.

Circuit B: Synonym Ladder

Goal: convert question words to search cues.

• Timer: 4 minutes.
• Take 8 question stems. For each key word, add 3 paraphrases.
  • cause → reason, lead to, produce
  • rise → increase, climb, grow
  • benefit → advantage, gain, upside
• Use these ladders when scanning. Match ideas, not exact words.

Circuit C: Proof Line Capture

Goal: confirm meaning, not just location.

• Timer: 4 minutes.
• After landing near a keyword, read 1 to 2 lines above and below. Copy a 6 to 10 word proof phrase.
• Write a one line paraphrase in your words.
• If you cannot paraphrase, the location is weak.

Circuit D: Negation and Quantifiers

Goal: avoid false matches.

• Timer: 2 minutes.
• Circle not, no, few, rarely, lack, only, all, most, many, some, at least, exactly.
• Recheck that your paraphrase preserves these signals.

Stopwatch Benchmarks

• Locate zone: 15 to 25 sec
• Proof capture: 20 to 30 sec
• Max per question before skip: 45 sec

Error Tags to Log

• Wrong zone
• Keyword echo
• Missed negation
• Scope mismatch
• Time drift
• Proof too thin

Scorecard

For 10 items:

• Speed score = items located within 25 sec.
• Proof score = items with a valid proof phrase.
• Accuracy = correct items ÷ 10.
  Aim: 8+ speed, 8+ proof, 9 to 10 accuracy.

Mini Passages: Rapid Drills with Keys

1. Text
In 2018 the council trialed late opening for libraries. After a review, two branches kept hours until 10 pm on weekdays.
Locate: Which year marks the start of the late hours trial.
Fast path: Scan numbers.
Proof: in 2018
Answer: 2018

2. Text
Several studies argue that homework benefits plateau after 90 minutes a night for teens. Longer sessions show diminishing returns.
Locate: Find the point at which gains level off.
Fast path: Look for time or amount.
Proof: plateau after 90 minutes
Answer: 90 minutes

3. Text
The museum replaced text panels with audio notes in three rooms, but the sculpture hall still uses printed guides.
Locate: Where are audio notes not used.
Fast path: Contrast words like but.
Proof: but the sculpture hall still uses printed guides
Answer: the sculpture hall

4. Text
While coastal cities invested in sea walls, inland towns focused on sponge parks that absorb storm water.
Locate: Identify the inland strategy.
Fast path: Geography split coastal vs inland.
Proof: sponge parks that absorb storm water
Answer: sponge parks

5. Text
The trial did not change peak hour traffic, although weekend congestion eased slightly on market days.
Locate: When did congestion ease.
Fast path: Time words and exceptions.
Proof: weekend congestion eased slightly on market days
Answer: weekends on market days

6. Text
Nurses reported that a one page checklist reduced handover errors by 30 percent within two months.
Locate: How much did errors drop.
Fast path: Percent sign.
Proof: reduced handover errors by 30 percent
Answer: 30 percent

7. Text
Researchers observed that most beetle species moved to cooler slopes, except two that adapted by shifting activity to night.
Locate: Which species did not relocate.
Fast path: except signals exceptions.
Proof: except two that adapted by shifting activity to night
Answer: the two night active species

8. Text
The project teaches coding to adults with no prior experience and offers job placement after a 12 week course.
Locate: Who is the course designed for.
Fast path: Audience markers like adults.
Proof: adults with no prior experience
Answer: adults without prior coding experience

Use these as 60 second drills. Read the task, scan, capture proof, write the answer. Stop the clock.

One Page Workflow

1. Read question stem first.
2. Convert 2 to 3 keywords to synonyms.
3. Jump to likely paragraph via anchors.
4. Read two lines around the anchor.
5. Capture proof phrase.
6. Paraphrase.
7. Check negation and scope.
8. Mark the answer or skip at 45 seconds.

15 Minute Daily Plan

• Minute 1: Warm up map on a fresh passage.
• Minutes 2 to 6: Circuit A + B.
• Minutes 7 to 10: Circuit C with three items.
• Minutes 11 to 13: Do two locating information questions under full timing.
• Minutes 14 to 15: Log errors and update synonym ladders.

7 Day Progress Ladder

• Day 1: Baseline. Record average locate time and accuracy.
• Day 2: Anchors focus.
• Day 3: Synonyms focus.
• Day 4: Proof line focus.
• Day 5: Negation and scope focus.
• Day 6: Mixed set of 15 questions.
• Day 7: Review log, rewrite three weak paraphrases.

Tools You Need

• Timer on phone
• Highlighter, limit 3 marks per paragraph
• A4 answer log with columns: Q no, anchor used, proof phrase, decision, error tag

Train speed first with anchors, then lock accuracy with proof lines. When your eyes land fast and your paraphrase matches meaning, locating information becomes a predictable routine.