Week 3: Strategic Reading
Assignment One – Nine Study Tips
Watch the video https://youtu.be/p60rN9JEapg, take notes, and then take the quiz.
Assignment Two – Active Reading
Read the following essay and then type an outline of the information.
Especially while reading an assignment in which you have no interest? One way to avoid mental minivacations and reduce the number of unscheduled naps during study time (especially after a hard day) is to use active reading strategies. With these strategies, you might actually spend less time on your reading but get more out of it.
Active Reading Phase 1—Before You Read
Active reading is a three-phase technique that includes strategies to use before, while, and after you read. Using these strategies will help you engage with the material more effectively and therefore remember more of what you read.
Step 1: Preview. Before you start reading, preview the entire assignment. You don’t have to memorize what you preview to get value from this step.
- Look over the table of contents and flip through the text page by page, if you are starting a new book. If you’re going to read one chapter, flip through the pages of that chapter.
- Read all chapter headings and subheadings.
- Keep an eye out for summary statements. If the assignment is long or complex, read the summary first.
- Seek out familiar concepts, facts, or ideas when previewing. These items can help increase comprehension by linking new information to previously learned material. Take a few moments to reflect on what you already know about the subject—even if you think you know nothing. This technique prepares your brain to accept new information.
- Look for ideas that spark your imagination or curiosity. Inspect drawings, diagrams, charts, tables, graphs, and photographs.
- Imagine what kinds of questions will show up on a test. Previewing helps to clarify your purpose for reading. Ask yourself what you will do with this material and how it can relate to your long-term goals.
- Keep your preview short. If the entire reading assignment will take less than an hour, your preview might take five minutes. Previewing is also a way to get yourself started when an assignment looks too big to handle. It is an easy way to step into the material.
Step 2: Outline. With complex material, you should take the time to understand the structure of what you are about to read. Outlining actively organizes your thoughts about the assignment and can help make complex information easier to understand.
- Spend some time studying the chapter outline in your textbook, if an outline is provided.
- Sketch a brief outline in the margin of the book or at the beginning of your notes on a separate sheet of paper, if an outline is not provided. Later, as you read and take notes, you can add to your outline. Headings in the text can serve as major and minor entries in your outline. The amount of time you spend on this outlining step will vary. For other assignments (fiction and poetry, f