Preview your text
- Print it out, if you prefer
- Consider how the text fits within the course’s content
- Consider the contents: look at headings, pictures, captions, etc.
- Break down longer readings into smaller “chunks”
- Develop expectations and questions using titles, headings and sub-headings
Interact with your text
- Take notes or annotate: within the text or by using sticky notes, flashcards, etc.
- Analyze and interpret key details and big ideas
- Connect what you’re reading to other texts and topics in the course
- Reflect on how it relates to the course
Take action with the text! Use one (or more) of these options:
- Talk with someone else about the text
- Make up your own questions about the text
- Answer questions: your own questions, chapter questions
- Write a summary: put it into your own words
- Make an organizational chart or Venn diagram
- Review your notes and annotations: clarify and adjust as needed