Pre-reading or previewing the topic helps with trying to understand the chapter or the section of reading will be discussing.
Starting with the title and subtitles, what does this tell you about a paragraph, the section, or the chapter? A good title will clue you in on the topic. When taking notes, write down the titles that you come across. This will also help you organize your notes.
The next step is headings. After the titles and subtitles are headings. These lead you from topic to topic. It is good to skim those and keep them in mind when reading. When taking notes, write down the headings in your own words.
When reading an article, skim the abstract. This will let you know what the article is about before reading. This will let you know if this is an article you would want to use.
When reading an assigned reading, skim the objectives in the textbook. This will give you a preview of what topics you will see in the reading.
When you are reading, you should be doing multiple things to be active reading.
When applying prior knowledge, you are remembering what you have already learned about the subject, prior lessons, or previous reading assignments. What about this reading can you attach to further your understanding of what you already know?
If there is something you do not understand, make sure you write them down to ask for clarification. Does the reading explain this at a later time or do you need to ask your instructor? Don't wait until testing time to try to understand something you don't. Ask your questions when you are in-taking your information.
What are the important things the text is telling you? What are the study questions at the end of the chapter or reading and what are the objectives at the beginning of the chapter or reading?
Learning vocabulary is important when understanding a reading. In what ways is the text using the vocabulary? In what ways does the text or course give you vocabulary? How can you apply this to active learning?
Evaluate your reading. What is the title? What are the headings? Can you answer the questions at the end of each section or at the end of the reading? What evidence or what is the author presenting?
Apply what you have learned. Connect it to what you have already learned and apply it to the next reading that you need to do.
This guide was made by the help of College Success Concise by Amy Baldwin, James Bennett, et al.
Baldwin, Amy; Bennett, James et al. College Success Concise. Openstax. 2023 (link)
"Effective Reading Strategies" (chapter) by Amy Baldwin (link)
"Annotating and Note-Taking" (chapter) by Rebecca Campbell (link)