Reading Strategies
How do we navigate through reading? This tab includes strategies for becoming more engaged readers with better comprehension of texts we read, view, and/or listen to. Practice worksheets guiding readers through steps of reading/viewing/listening for a variety of purposes, handouts, and links are provided as well.
Strategy: Review the Project Guidelines / Speak with the Instructor
We review any project guidelines provided by our Instructor to identify the purpose for reading (e.g., to retain information, to gather evidence, to analyze).
If we are seeking an additional explanation of the project and/or the context for a text to be read, we speak with our Instructor. We want to make sure expectations are clear before going into the reading.
Strategy: Visit the Writing Center
We visit the Writing Center to discuss the project guidelines going into the reading and/or to learn about reading strategies for getting through a text (assigned by our Instructor or from outside research).
Strategy: Find the Reading Setting
Before we start reading, we will want to find a setting suitable for our reading needs. The setting should allow us to read comfortably with little to no distractions.
Strategy: Think Aloud / Ask Questions
We ask questions to build our interest for reading and to help us form an initial response to the text.
Questions to ask:
We think aloud as we write out our responses.
We might discuss our initial responses with the Instructor and/or the Writing Center staff.
Strategy: Preview the Text
We preview the text to become familiar with its vocabulary, sentence structure, and organization. We can also learn how to put the text into our own terms (e.g., break it down into parts or concepts).
Strategy: Make a Plan / Set Stopping Points
We make a plan for notetaking and maintaining our comprehension, which means we set stopping points. Stopping points can come from elements within the text (e.g., headings, subheadings, major concepts, graphics) or from a reading schedule we create.
Strategy: Take Breaks, Take Notes
At each of our stopping points, we give ourselves time to rest and take notes on elements within the reading.
When taking notes, we circle, underline, highlight, annotate off to the side, or do all of these things.
Notes can be in a PDF, a Word document, or a notebook. (Below are links to different methods of notetaking while reading.)
Strategy: Pause to Maintain Comprehension and Motivation for Reading
When we pause from reading, we can maintain our comprehension and/or our motivation:
Strategy: Revisit Guidelines and Notes / Assess Comprehension of the Text
After reading, we revisit the project guidelines and our notes (annotations, outlines, and/or concept maps). This is to assess our comprehension of the text and make a note of any areas we still have questions about.
Strategy: Reflect / Ask Questions
We reflect on our experience with the text (e.g., compose a summary, evaluate the rhetorical situation, write a personal response).
We continue to ask questions about the text:
Strategy: Visit the Writing Center
We visit the Writing Center for assistance in refining a response, integrating evidence, and/or developing our analysis for a writing project.
Strategy: Consult with the Instructor
We consult with the Instructor about details of the project and/or the assigned text still unclear to us.
Annotating in Word
Amy Whitson gives instructions for annotating a text in Word, which is a strategy we can use to put the text into our own terms or make note of information we want to come back to at a later time.
Concept Mapping
Cornell University explains concept mapping, which is a note-taking technique that can be used to retain information from a reading (e.g., terms or definitions from a textbook, lecture slides).
Textbook Reading Systems
Cornell University also has a handout on reading systems that we can use when reading from a textbook.
