1. How to read for understanding

2. PASSIVE READER ACTIVE READER 1. Read everything the same way? 2. Read because it was assigned? 3. Read everything at the same speed? 4. Accept whatever you read as truth? Disregard … false? 5. Check the length before reading? 6. Read until the assignment is completed? 7. Simply read? 8. Follow routine, standard methods for reading material? 1. Tailor your reading strategies for the reading? 2. Analyze the purpose of the reading assignment? 3. Adjust reading speed for assignment? 4. Question ideas presented? 5. Scan elements of the text for clues about what the text is about? 6. Ensure understanding throughout the reading? 7. Read with pencil, highlighter, make notes and look up terms? 8. Develop and use strategies that work for you?

3.  A strategy that gets reader involved with material.  Helps reader understand the author’s opinion about the topic of the reading selection.  Helps reader form judgments about material that is read.  Best suited for reading that emphasizes the author’s concepts and opinions based on facts gathered through research and observation.  Short stories  Novels  Magazine articles  Editorials or opinion pieces

4. Process that develops critical thinking skills  Analysis  Synthesis  Evaluation

5. Active readers must answer eight questions. 1. What is the author’s main idea? What is the topic of the piece of writing? What is the author’s opinion on that topic? 2. What main points support the main idea? What reasons or examples does the author give that help to explain his/her opinion about the topic?

6. 3. Is the support adequate and convincing? Does the author give reasons that make sense? Does the author give more than one reason? 4. Is the author expressing facts, opinions or both? Facts are exact details. Facts are specific information. Facts can be proven to be true.

7. 5. What is the author’s purpose? To share? To inform? To entertain? To persuade 6. Who is the author’s intended audience? Is the author writing to the general public? Is the author writing to a special audience?

8. 7. What is the source of the author’s detail? Observation? Personal experience? Research? Reasoning? 8. What is the author’s tone/attitude? Serious? Sarcastic? Preachy? Humorous? Angry? Insulting?

9. Complete four steps to find the answers to the eight active reader questions. * When reading literature, surveying may not be necessary or practical, but always consider scanning for important details before an uninterrupted reading. 1. Surveying 2. Uninterrupted reading 3. Studied reading 4. Review

10.  Remember that surveying is not as necessary with literature, but is still very useful when studying non- fiction articles Survey the title  What information can be gathered from the title?  Who is the author? Is there any information about the author? Survey all the material  Read headings, boldface type, italics, lists

11. Survey first and last paragraphs  What clues are provided about content and writer’s purpose? Survey first sentence of each paragraph  What clues are provided about the content within? Once a survey in complete the reader will have a sense of what to expect when the material is read in detail.

12. Read quickly, yet attentively, through the material without stopping  Mark (?) where you do not understand something and circle words that you will look up Understanding  Attempt to determine the writer’s main point or purpose  Only after that, attempt to answer as many of the active reading questions as possible  Look up unknown words Take a break

13. Underline author’s thesis (main point) if it is stated  Identify sentences that express the author’s opinion about the topic Underline the points that support the thesis  Identify sentences that explain the reason for the author’s opinion Note all your observations  Personal comments, agreement, disagreement Answer the remaining active reading questions

14.  Put the material away and attempt to answer all 8 active reading questions  Answers to these questions form a summary of the material you just read  Alternately, recite the answers to the active reading questions to study partner Following this reading strategy should significantly improve your understanding of academic reading material