© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers. Chapter 8: Keeping Track of Information Essential Reading Skills Third Edition Kathleen McWhorter

© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers. Five Ways to Keep Track of Information Highlighting Marking Outlining Mapping Summarizing

© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers. Highlighting Effectively 1.Read a paragraph or section first. 2.Highlight important portions of any topic sentence. 3.Be accurate. 4.Highlight the right amount. (No more than 20 to 30 percent of the material.)

© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers. Marking 1.Circle the words you do not know. 2.Mark definitions with “def.” 3.Make notes to yourself. (“example,” “test question,” “reread,” “ask instructor”) 4.Put question marks next to confusing words or passages.

© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers. Outlining I. Major topic A. First major idea 1. First key supporting detail 2. Second key supporting detail B. Second major idea 1. First Key supporting detail a. Minor detail or example b. Minor detail or example 2. Second key supporting detail II. Second major topic A. First major idea

© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers. Outline of an Essay: “Your Brother’s Vacation in Texas” I. Cities Robbie liked best A. San Antonio—beautiful, interesting history 1. Alamo 2. Riverwalk B. Houston—friendly people 1. Seeing Houston Astros play 2. Excitement of game 3. Getting lost after leaving Astrodome

© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers. Suggestions for Outlining 1.Don’t worry about following the outline format exactly. 2.Use words and phrases or complete sentences. 3.Use your own words, and don’t write too much. 4.Pay attention to headings.

© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers. Mapping 1.Identify the overall topic or subject. 2.Identify major ideas that relate to the topic. 3.As you discover supporting details that further explain an idea already mapped, connect those details with new lines. See images 8.1 to 8.4 in your book for examples of maps.

© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers. Example of Mapping Process: How to Assemble a Birdhouse Read directions Lay out materials and tools. Paint Attach sides to bottom Add roof

© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers. Example of Mapping Suggestions for Overcoming Procrastination Clear Your Desk Give yourself 5 minutes to start Divide task Into manageable parts Start somewhere Recognize when you need more information

© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers. Summarizing 1.Underline each major idea in the material. 2.Write one sentence that states the writer’s most important idea. 3.Use your own words. 4.Focus on the author’s major ideas, not on supporting details. 5.Keep your summary ideas in the same order as they appeared in the original material.

© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers. Test-Taking Tip #8: Using Highlighting and Summarizing As you read a passage on a test, quickly mark important ideas. (Make sure you can write in the test booklet.) If asked to choose a statement that best summarizes the passage, choose the statement that is the best restatement of the passage’s main idea. If you are having trouble finding the main idea, look away from it and try to summarize it in your own words. Then check the choices to see which one comes closest to your summary.

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