1. Learning and Teaching the SQ3R Method
Mrs. Lynn E. Mora, B.Ed., M.A.T.
Aims Community College
Fall 2014

2. Pre-session Thinking Activity
Please see the questions on the first page of your packet. You will be given a few moments to answer the two questions.
1. When you assign a reading passage for students to do independently, what do you hope they will gain from that passage?
2. What specific skills do you hope your students will have when reading texts for your class?

3. “Read Chapter 2 Tonight”
When we assign a reading passage for students, what do we expect from them?

4. “Read Chapter 2 Tonight”
Maybe they are actually doing this? Or…?

5. “Now, we’ll have a quiz over Chapter 2, to make sure you read your assignment.”

6. Textbooks “Read the chapter,” they probably have
The truth is that even if students have
“Read the chapter,” they probably have
not understood much of it,
and likely have
not remembered key points,
much less important details.
WHY IS THIS?

7. Textbooks
There are two main reasons:
Textbooks are not written like “regular books” (novels, short pieces, articles, etc.)
Students approach textbooks as if they are “regular books” trying to read them from the first page of the assignment to the last page of the assignment.

8. Textbooks Are Not Like Novels
Densely Packed with Information
Information can be dry, compared to novels.
Text is often difficult, with unfamiliar words.
Students often are unsure how to process the graphics in textbooks.
Students try to read the chapter by simply starting at the front and stopping at the end.
Very little is actually learned and remembered using that method.

9. Francis Pleasant Robinson
ENTER SQ3R
This method was first developed by
Francis Pleasant Robinson
In 1946
In his book Effective Study

10. What Does SQ3R Stand For?
SURVEY
QUESTION
READ
RECITE
REVIEW

11. SURVEY
In order to “Survey” the text, The reader reads the title, any bold print headings, picture captions, any summary or questions at the beginning or end of the reading passage, and anything else that jumps out at the reader.

12. QUESTION Next, students formulate questions for the title, each bold heading, (or each paragraph) of the passage.

13. WHY QUESTION?
Brain research shows that when we read to answer a question, especially one we have formulated, we pay better attention to the text. We also remember it more.

14. Why Question? (cont.)
Think —When we look up something on that we want to know the answer for, we will read more carefully, pay better attention, and remember what we read more effectively.

15. Questioning
Asking questions is like putting boxes in our brains. These boxes are just waiting for information to be placed into them.

16. Practicing Surveying/Scanning
Turn to the your practice packet.
Tear the first page off to have it side by side.
Now look at the first textbook page:
“Farmers and the Populist Movement”
Let’s practice the Survey/Scan step:
First, we would read the title. Then we would read the “Learn About…” and “To Understand…”

17. Practicing Surveying and Questioning
Go through all the other bold headings, picture captions, and definitions in the passage and read them aloud.
One option is to combine the first two steps. To do this, we would read the title and ask a question about it. Then we would read each bold item and ask a question about it.
Otherwise, we would ask the questions after we have completed the Survey step.

18. READ
Now the student reads the chapter or passage, looking for answers to put into the “boxes” formed by her questions.
As she reads each smaller section, the passage seems more manageable.

19. “Chunking” and “Annotating.”
Combining Methods
The “READ” step of SQ3R can be combined beautifully with other Active Reading comprehension strategies.
One example of an Active Reading Strategy is called:
“Chunking” and “Annotating.”
This strategy is presented by Stewart Erlich in the Student Lingo video entitled “Reading Comprehension Strategies.”

20. “Chunking” and “Annotating”
Read Step, Part One: “Chunking”
The students read a “Chunk” of the passage of the text.
They write out to the side of it, giving that “Chunk” a label according to its main point.
chunk
chunk

21. “Chunking” and “Annotating”
Read Step, Part Two— “Annotating”
After giving names to the “Chunks,” readers read them for details.
Students write notes, “Annotating” on the other side, listing the details of each “chunk.”
chunk
annota
tion
chunk

22. Writing in Textbooks
Some students are hesitant to write in their textbooks because they want to sell them back after the semester is over. For those students, I recommend writing the names for the “chunks” and the “annotations” on sticky notes and sticking them right in the book by the text.

23. What About Highlighting?
I often have students ask if they can highlight the text instead of writing a label for each chunk and then writing details.
I advise them two ways:
1. Research shows that highlighting is far less effective than annotating the text in helping a student to learn and remember the text.
2. If they do highlight something, write a note out to the side as to the reason they highlighted it. If it is just a different color, that doesn’t tell me anything about it.

24. Practicing Active Reading
Now look back at your practice packet and let’s practice this type of Active Reading.
Begin reading the personal story and find where the first “chunk” is. Write the main point either on the text or on a sticky note.
One way is to write the “chunk” at the top of the little note and leave room for the “annotations” underneath it.

25. Practicing Active Reading
In the same way, read the next portion or “chunk” and write the main idea of it.
Continue to label “chunks” on the first page.
Now, go back and find the details for each chunk and write only the most important details.
This would be the
Label I would give
This “chunk.” These would be the
details I would write
for this “chunk.”
Farmers had money problems:
*Prices low
*Banks mortgages
*Railroads charged too much

26. Multisensory Input
Using more than one sense to gain information is called “multisensory” input.
As we know, multisensory input is far more effective than input from a single sense.
As we use Active Reading strategies, we are using the visual and small motor tactile/kinesthetic modalities.
There is another sense that we can use for inputting information from text.

27. This helps with providing another sense/modality of input.
RECITE
After actively reading the passage, we recite aloud what we can remember about
the main points and
pertinent details
of the reading passage.
This helps with providing another sense/modality of input.

28. RECITE
Also, this step mimics teaching the material aloud. We all learn something more effectively when we teach it.

29. Practice Reciting
Without looking, try to recite some of what you read in the passage.
You may recite to a partner or to yourself.

30. REVIEW

31. REVIEW
Reviewing takes place some time after reciting the main points of the passage.
We can review right after the previous step, an hour later, the next day, or when it is time for a test or quiz.

32. HOW TO REVIEW
Readers use their notes from Actively Reading the passage to review.
They read those notes and recall the “chunks.”

33. REVIEW
We also use the questions we asked and the answers we found to those questions.
Reviewing is much less painful when the work of actually learning the material has already happened in the previous steps.

34. Practice Reviewing Look at your notes by the text.
Picture yourself the next day, or in a week.
Would you understand and remember the material from your notes?

35. BENEFITS OF SQ3R LEARNING THE CONTENT IMPROVING READING SKILLS
IMPROVING SUMMARIZING SKILLS
IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS

36. THINKING BACK How can this help me help my students? THINKING FORWARD
How will I teach this to my students?

37. Teaching the SQ3R Method
1. MODEL EACH STEP
AS WITH ALL SKILLS WE WANT OUR STUDENTS TO LEARN, WE ALWAYS START WITH MODELING.
Demonstrate each step
Use the course text

38. Teaching the SQ3R Method
2. GUIDED PRACTICE
There are worksheets and other materials designed to help teach SQ3R.
See the Additional Resources section at the end of your packet for more information.
Practice together in class so that you know each student understands and can confidently perform the steps.

39. Teaching the SQ3R Method
4. ASSESSMENT
Natural assessment through learning the content
Quiz over the steps of the method itself

40. Teaching the SQ3R Method
3. INDEPENDENT PRACTICE
Use a technique to help students practice the steps of SQ3R.
Formulate an accountability piece to ensure the students are all actively learning and practicing this method.

41. Other Applications of SQ3R

42. Additional Resources
Study Guides and Strategies –
Worksheet for teaching the SQ3R Method— eadingworksheet.pdf
Reading Educator Help— htm
Questioning Strategies—
ion/reading_comprehension/teacher_tools/teachin g_after_reading_self_questioning_strategies

43. Works Cited
Erlich, Stewart. “Reading Comprehension Strategies.” Student Lingo. n.d. Web. 15 Aug Robinson, Francis. Effective Study, Rev. (1946). New York: Harper and Brothers. Digitized 11 Feb Web. 15 Aug