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Choose a
moderate amount of material or a
chapter
to begin
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Get a grasp of
how the material is organized:
Scan the section
for titles, headings,
sub-headings, and topic sentences
to get its general idea; pay
attention to graphs, charts, and
diagrams
If there is a summary at the end
of a chapter, read it.
Check the beginning and the end for
leading questions and exercises
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Read first for
what you do understand,
and to determine difficulty.
Mark what you do not understand
to review later
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As you read,
practice the "look-away
method:"
Periodically look away from the
text and ask yourself a stimulus
question relating to the text
Phrase the question positively!
Respond, or restate, in your own
words
Make connections and associations,
but don't use this exercise to
memorize--but rather understand
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Look up
words
Look up words whose meanings are
important to your understanding of
the material, but you cannot
discern from the context.
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Read to the
end
Do not get discouraged and stop
reading.
Ideas can become clearer the more
you read. When you finish reading,
review to see what you have
learned, and reread those ideas
that are not clear.
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Organize your
notes by connecting ideas
you choose into an outline or concept
map. Pay attention to
relationships between ideas.
Do not confine yourself to
words!
Use representations, graphics,
pictures, colors, even movement to
visualize and connect ideas.
Use whatever techniques work to
help you understand
At this point, if you do not
understand your reading, do not
panic! Set it aside, and read
it again the next day.
If necessary, repeat. This
allows your brain to process the
material, even while you
sleep. This is referred to as
distributed reading.
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Re-read the
section you have chosen with the
framework (outline
or concept map) you
have constructed in mind
Separate out what you do understand
from what you do not.
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If the reading
is still a challenge,
consult with either your teacher,
academic counselors, or reading
specialists. Good luck!
See also:
College Reading and Study Skills
by Nancy V. Wood, Holt Rinehart and
Winston, Inc. 1991
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The Study Guides and Strategies web site was created and is
maintained by Joe
Landsberger,
academic web site developer at the University
of St. Thomas (UST), St. Paul, Minnesota. It is collaboratively
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September 04, 2002 .
Permission is granted to freely copy, adapt, print,
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