Read Well

Read – How to Read text Effectively

This method of absorbing material in three passes is useful for many students. It is a way of tackling each section of the text in a specific and analytical way, with ways to test knowledge and assist a student in retaining new knowledge.

The First Pass: “Skim” the text

Have your notebook, highlighter, pen and pencil handy for notes. It is probably best to have a separate notebook for each subject.

First, skim over the text you plan to read in this study session. As you skim the text, write down, in your notebook, the main headings or subheadings of each section. Leave about a half page of blank space under each note you make. Headings and subheadings, or other important text, is often made noticeable through use of bold, underlined or italicized text. Try to notice the main ideas in this first pass through the text.

Second Pass: Focused Reading

This time, read more intently. Go back to the start of the text. As you read the text under each heading or subheading, make notes of the main ideas. Try to list the main idea at the top, then list the more detailed points in the text that support the main idea. Bullet lists of these supporting points will usually work well.

Don’t forget to pay attention to pictures, bar graphs, tables or other illustrative methods used to support the author’s point(s).

Third Pass: Testing your reading

On a separate piece of paper, make a list of the questions at the end of each section which the textbook authors have written for you to test your knowledge. Go back to the start of each section, and just read through each section, one at a time. See if you are now able to answer the questions for each section after you read it all the way through. Don’t try to do this with more than one section at a time, especially with very difficult text.

If the text does not provide you with questions, you can formulate your own using the wording in the headings and subheadings. You can see if you are able to define what each heading is talking about after you have completed your third pass.

Explaining what you have learned to someone else helps you remember it.

One good way to review is to use flashcards. You can create your own to act as a study guide on simple, ruled index cards. You already have the perfect set of information to use on flash cards from your notes from the text. Your bulleted lists and your main headings can be used to create questions or “fill-in-the-blank” notes or definitions of relevant vocabulary terms, with the answers written on one side and the question on the other. You can also use the questions in the textbook as flashcards, with the answers written on the back.