6.10: Summary
Chapter Takeaways
Reading
- Reading, like learning, involves a cycle of preparing, absorbing, recording, and reviewing.
- In college, you will be expected to do much reading; it is not unusual to do two or more hours of reading for every hour you spend in class. In college, you are also expected to think critically about what you read.
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Active reading involves four steps:
- Prepare for reading by scanning the assignment and developing questions for which you want to discover answers through your reading.
- Read the material and discover the answers to your questions.
- Capture the information by highlighting and annotating the text as well as by taking effective notes.
- Review the reading by studying your notes, by integrating them with your class notes, and by discussing the reading with classmates.
- Before you read, learn as much as you can about the author and his or her reason for writing the text. What is his or her area of expertise? Why did the instructor select this text?
- When scanning a reading, look for clues to what might be important. Read the section titles, study illustrations, and look for keywords and boldface text.
- Do not highlight your text until you have read a section completely to be sure you understand the context. Then go back and highlight and annotate your text during a second read-through.
- Think critically about what you are reading. Do you agree with what the author is saying? How does it relate to the rest of the material in the course? What does this new material mean to you in “real life”?
Special Texts and Situations
- Do all the exercises in math textbooks; apply the formulas to real-world situations.
- Practice “reading” the illustrations. Each type of graphic material has its own strength or purpose.
- Look for statements of hypotheses and experimental design when reading science texts.
- History, economics, and political science texts are heavily influenced by interpretation. Think critically about what you are reading.
- Working with foreign language texts requires more time and more frequent breaks. Don’t rely on word-for-word translations.
- If you need to read with children around, don’t put off your reading until you have a large block of time; learn to read in short periods as available.
- When reading on the Internet, be extra diligent to evaluate the source of the material to decide how reliable that source may be.
- If English is your second language, seek out resources that may be offered on campus. In any case, be patient with the process of mastering college-level English. And always remember this: what feels like a disadvantage in one situation can be a great gift in another situation.
Vocabulary
- Reading and vocabulary development are closely linked. A stronger vocabulary makes reading easier and more fun; the best way to build a vocabulary is to read.
- Look for new words everywhere, not just in class.
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When you encounter a new word, follow these steps:
- Write it down and write down the sentence in which it was used.
- Infer its meaning based on the context and word roots.
- Look it up in a dictionary.
- Write your own sentence using the word.
- Say the word, its definition, and your sentence out loud.
- Find an opportunity to use the word within two days.
Chapter Review
- Describe the four steps of active reading.
- What part of a textbook should you compare with a class syllabus? Why?
- Why is it important to know something about a textbook’s author?
- What time of the day should you plan to do your reading? Why?
- What is the difference between using the Cornell method for taking class notes and using the Cornell method for reading notes?
- Why do you think it is important to pose some questions about the material before you read?
- What should you do if you are getting tired when reading?
- List three requirements for a good reading location.
- Can you multitask while doing a reading assignment? Why or why not?
- Describe the process of evaluating a Web-based reading selection.
Career Connection
Sanvi is a pre-nursing student who is having trouble between all the reading she is expected to complete, her general dislike of reading, and her need to comprehend both her reading assignments and her own notes to be successful in nursing school. She has spoken with several of her instructors and a tutor at the Student Success Center on campus, and their advice centers around Sanvi’s reluctance to read in general. She is working on how to manage her time so she has more dedicated time to read her assignments in between her classes and her work schedule.
| Nurses/doctors | Patient charts, prescription side effects, medical articles |
|---|---|
| Teachers | Student work, lesson plans, educational best practices |
| Architects | Blueprints, construction contracts, permit manuals |
| Accountants | Financial spreadsheets, tax guidelines, invoices, trend diagrams |
| Beauticians | Client hair and facial features, best practices articles, product information |
| Civil engineers | Work site maps, government regulations, financial spreadsheets |
| Auto mechanics | Car engines, auto manuals, government regulations |
Where do you go from here?
Reading is such a part of our everyday lives that we sometimes take it for granted. And even we don’t formally write down our thoughts, we take notes in our heads far more often than we use our note taking skills to make sense of a textbook passage or a graphic. Honing these fundamental skills can only help you succeed in college and beyond. What else about reading and note taking would you like to learn more about? Choose topics form the list below to research more.
- How to maximize e-readers to comprehend texts.
- How professional use reading and note taking in their careers.
- Is speed-reading a myth or a viable strategy?
- Compare reading and note taking strategies from different countries to those you use
Activity: Make an Action List
| Two things I will do to improve | Actions | By when I expect to take the action | How I will know I accomplished the action |
|---|---|---|---|
| My reading comprehension/understanding | 1. | ||
| 2. | |||
| My reading speed | 1. | ||
| 2. | |||
| My vocabulary | 1. | ||
| 2. |