The document provides tips for effective college-level reading, including establishing a purpose for reading, using strategies like SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review), taking notes, using visual organizers, and adjusting your reading rate. It emphasizes the importance of active reading strategies like annotating, summarizing, and using resources like dictionaries to look up unfamiliar words to improve comprehension.

1. Read with Success: Tips for College Level Reading Presented by Marvia Davidson Academic Advisor Colleges’ Freshmen Advising Center

2. Do you? ___Read without purpose ___Read, read, and re-read and still not understand ___Read and get distracted ___Read and become confused ___Read and get frustrated ___Read and immediately forget what you read ___Read and not do well in discussions, on tests, or quizzes ___Cram Read right before major tests ___Not read before classes Mark a yes or no for each statement. Results: ___ Yes ___ No

3. Why We Read… There are fundamental purposes for reading. 2 Here are a few reasons we read: To grasp a certain message To find important detail To answer a specific question To evaluate what you are reading To apply what you are reading To be entertained

4. Why is this important? Allows you to make the appropriate adjustments in how you read and what strategies you will utilize. In college, you read to get, analyze, evaluate, and apply information. You must become skilled in reading for the other purposes.

5. Basic Tips for Getting Ready to Read Don’t get behind in reading. Use a planner or other organizer. Use ear plugs to block out noise, and you’ll avoid distraction. Find a quiet place or some where not prone to distraction. Prepare yourself for reading. Read in daylight hours for efficiency and retention. 2

6. Optimal Reading Environments Dorm or Bed Room Quiet Spot Outdoors— On or Off Campus Library, University Center Study Area Coffee Shop— Just take ear plugs to block out noise. Study Cubicle— Various locations on Campus. Couch or lounge area

7. More tips… Take breaks. Try not to read for more than an hour at a time. Read a variety of materials daily. Adjust your reading rate.

8. Getting Down to the Act of Reading Reading is vital to gaining understanding of new ideas and concepts. Reading purposes vary by subject. Use a good strategy.

9. Success Tips for Reading Science, Art, History, Politics, & Social Sciences Establish a purpose for reading. Break reading into chunks. Use a strategy to increase comprehension and critical thinking: SQ3R Highlight Visual Organizers K-W-L Flash Cards Take Notes Annotate Use a dictionary Summarize/paraphrase

10. SQ3R 5 This is one of the most widely used reading strategies. SQ3R means… Survey Question Read Recite Review Let’s look at each in detail. Landsberger, Joe. “Survey! Question! Read! Recite! Review!“ Study Guides and Strategies: The SQ3R Reading Method. February 9, 2009. http://www.studygs.net/texred2.htm

11. S-Survey 5 Before you read, survey the chapter/section. The title, headings, and subheadings Captions under pictures, charts, graphs or maps Review questions or instructor-made study guides Introductory and concluding paragraphs Summary

12. Q-Question 5 Question while you are surveying. Turn the title, headings, and/or subheadings into questions; Read questions at the end of the chapters or after each subheading; Ask yourself, "What did my instructor say about this chapter or subject when it was assigned?" Ask yourself, "What do I already know about this subject?" Note: If it is helpful to you, write out these questions for consideration. This variation is called SQW3R.

13. R-Read 5 When you begin to read… Look for answers to the questions you first raised; Answer questions at the beginning or end of chapters or study guides. Reread captions under pictures, graphs, etc. Note all the underlined, italicized, bold printed words or phrases. Study graphic aids . Reduce your reading speed for difficult passages. Stop and reread parts which are not clear. Read only a section at a time and recite after each section.

14. R-Recite 5 Recite after you’ve read a section. Orally ask yourself questions about what you have just read or summarize, in your own words, what you read Take notes from the text, but write the information in your own words Underline or highlight important points you've just read Use the method of recitation which best suits your particular learning style but remember, the more senses you use the more likely you are to remember what you read - i.e., TRIPLE STRENGTH LEARNING: Seeing, saying, hearing- QUADRUPLE STRENGTH LEARNING: Seeing , saying , hearing, writing!!!

15. R-Review 5 Reviewing is an ongoing process. Day One After you have read and recited the entire chapter, write questions in the margins for those points you have highlighted or underlined. If you took notes while reciting, write questions for the notes you have taken in the left hand margins of your notebook. Day Two Page through the text and/or your notebook to re-acquaint yourself with the important points. Cover the right hand column of your text/note-book and orally ask yourself the questions in the left hand margins. Orally recite or write the answers from memory. Make "flash cards" for those questions which give you difficulty. Develop mnemonic devices for material which need to be memorized.

16. R-Review 5 continued Days Three, Four and Five Alternate between your flash cards and notes and test yourself (orally or in writing) on the questions you formulated. Make additional flash cards if necessary. Weekend Using the text and notebook, make a Table of Contents - list all the topics and sub-topics you need to know from the chapter. From the Table of Contents, make a Study Sheet/ Spatial Map. Recite the information orally and in your own words as you put the Study Sheet/Map together. Now that you have consolidated all the information you need for that chapter, periodically review the Sheet/Map so that at test time you will not have to cram.

17. Visual Organizers Use to help you learn, understand, & analyze information and the relationship of ideas. Many types of organizers to help grasp complex texts/information Mapping Timeline Webs Chart Chain Sketch Venn Diagram

18. Visual Organizers in Detail Source: Keeley, Meg. “Reading College Texts”. March 1, 1999. The Basics of Effective Learning . Bucks County Community College. February 9, 2009. < http:// www.bucks.edu/~specpop/reading.htm >. From: &quot;Learning across the curriculum with creative graphing&quot;, by Linda Lee Johnson, The Reading Teacher , International Reading Association, 1990. The structure of the epidermis and dermis, the two layers of skin Description of complex apparatus for studying eye movements in reading Description of the Elizabethan state set in a drama Physical structures Description of Places Space relations Concrete Objects Visual images Sketch (for visualizing a description) Process of cell division Stages of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development Plot sequence of a novel Process Sequence Cause/Effect Chronology Chain (for changes over time) Comparison of planets of the solar system Comparison of Viet Nam war to the 1988 war in the Persian Gulf Comparison of imagery in poems by Anne Sexton Compare Contrast Attributes Chart (for similar concepts) Classes of isotopes in chemistry Organization of the White House Staff Family tree of Tudor Monarchy in England Classification Analysis Structure Attributes Examples Tree (for hierarchies) Attributes of sun spots in astronomy Attributes of the demand curve in economics Characteristics of cubism in art Definitions Attributes Examples Web (for a concept) Physical/Life Science Social Science EXAMPLES: Humanities Relationship of ideas appropriate to this type of graphic Graphic Type

19. Mapping 2 Use to preview/outline text or chapter in a text. Take lecture notes Provide study overview for tests/quizzes Mapping shows main ideas/concepts and major details. Source: Keeley, Meg. “Reading College Texts”. March 1, 1999. The Basics of Effective Learning . Bucks County Community College. February 9, 2009. < http:// www.bucks.edu/~specpop/reading.htm >.

20. Mapping Sample 1 2 Source: Keeley, Meg. “Reading College Texts”. March 1, 1999. The Basics of Effective Learning . Bucks County Community College. February 9, 2009. < http:// www.bucks.edu/~specpop/reading.htm >.

21. Mapping Sample 2 2 Source: Keeley, Meg. “Reading College Texts”. March 1, 1999. The Basics of Effective Learning . Bucks County Community College. February 9, 2009. < http:// www.bucks.edu/~specpop/reading.htm >.

22. What does an organizer look like? Timeline of major events that led up to the Revolutionary War, you might choose a time line . Web Source: Keeley, Meg. “Reading College Texts”. March 1, 1999. The Basics of Effective Learning . Bucks County Community College. February 9, 2009. < http:// www.bucks.edu/~specpop/reading.htm >.

23. Tree Diagrams Tree Diagrams are a type of graphic organizer that shows how items are related to one another. The tree's trunk represents the main topic, and the branches represent relevant facts, factors, influences, traits, people, or outcomes. Uses of Tree Diagrams: Tree diagrams can be used to sort items or classify them. A family tree is an example of a tree diagram. Other examples of trees are cladistic trees (used in biological classification) and dichotomous keys (used to determine what group a specimen belongs to in biology). Tree diagrams are also used as visual in statistics to document the outcomes of probabilistic events (like tossing a coin).

24. Sample Tree Diagrams From “Tree Graphic. Enchanted Learning. Accessed March 20, 2009. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/tree/

25. Venn Diagrams Beneficial for times when you have to compare/contrast, note differences or similarities. Double Venn diagram Triple Venn diagram Similarities Differences/Contrasts Differences/Contrasts Differences/Contrasts Differences/Contrasts Differences/Contrasts Similarities of all 3 Similarities of 2 Similarities of 2 Similarities of 2 “ Venn Diagram.” Education Society. March 20 ,2009. < http://www.2learn.ca/construct/graphicorg/venn/vennindex.html# > and <http://www.learnnc.org/reference/Venn+diagram>

26. Examples of Venn Diagrams bright, wet skins divide their time between land and water big strong, back legs for jumping teeth only in upper jaws amphibians have four legs no tail bulging eyes hatch from eggs far-sighted absorb water through their skin breathe through their skin very good hearing have a long sticky tongue FROG dark, dry skins with bumps and warts spend more time on land back legs are not big and strong have no teeth swallow food in one piece TOAD Double Triple mconn.doe.state.la.us/getFile.php?lesson_id=6799&dlfilename= Sample + Venn + Diagram .doc -

27. More Sample Organizers Chart Sketch Chain Source: Keeley, Meg. “Reading College Texts”. March 1, 1999. The Basics of Effective Learning . Bucks County Community College. February 9, 2009. < http:// www.bucks.edu/~specpop/reading.htm >.

28. K-W-L Chart It’s a reading inventory and learning tool. Landsberger, Joe. “Survey! Question! Read! Recite! Review!“ Study Guides and Strategies: The SQ3R Reading Method. February 9, 2009. http://www.studygs.net/texred2.htm List what you learn as you read. Use or make symbols to indicate main ideas, questions, or ideas don’t understand. Preview the text’s table of contents, headings, pictures, charts etc. Use them as guide posts during reading. List some thoughts on what you want, or expect to learn. Think in terms of what you will learn, or what you want to learn about the topic. Turn all sentences into questions before writing them down. They will help you focus your attention during reading. Before reading, think of keywords, terms, or Phrases about the topic. Record as many as you Can think of. L- What you Learned W-Will Learn K-Know

29. Flash Cards Use index cards. On one side write phrase, question, or term. On the other side write the answer. Use for reviewing information or preparing for exams or quizzes. Mitosis Result of division of cells from single parent cell

30. Take Notes Use the Cornell system of note taking to help you remember difficult material. Use Cornell system to take notes during reading/lectures. Subject: _____________________ Date: _____________ Source: Keeley, Meg. “Reading College Texts”. March 1, 1999. The Basics of Effective Learning . Bucks County Community College. February 9, 2009. < http:// www.bucks.edu/~specpop/reading.htm >. Details Main Ideas Summary

31. Sample of Cornell Notes Subject: Note taking Date: 11/20/98 Source: Keeley, Meg. “Reading College Texts”. March 1, 1999. The Basics of Effective Learning . Bucks County Community College. February 9, 2009. < http:// www.bucks.edu/~specpop/reading.htm >. Can be used to provide an outline of the course, chapter, or lecture. Organized by main ideas and details. Can be as detailed as necessary. Sequential-- take notes as they are given by instructor or text in an orderly fashion. After class, write a summary of what you learned to clarify and reinforce learning and to assist retention. Can be used as study tool : Define terms or explain concepts listed on the left side. Identify the concept or term based on its definition on the right side. Can be used to provide a &quot;big picture&quot; of the course, chapter, or lecture. Organized by main ideas and sub-topics. Limited in how much detail you can represent. Simultaneous - you can use this method for instructors who jump around from topic to topic. After class, you will probably need to &quot;translate&quot; notes into a Cornell format. Can be used as a study tool -- to get a quick overview and to determine whether you need more information or need to concentrate your study on specific topics. Cornell Notes Semantic map or web Details Main Ideas Summary : You can take notes in a variety of ways. The Cornell method is best when info is given in a sequential, orderly fashion and allows for more detail. The semantic web/map method works best for instructors who skip around from topic to topic, and provides a &quot;big picture&quot; when you're previewing materials or getting ready to study for a test.

32. Highlighting 6 Read first before you highlight. Do not highlight whole sentences. Highlight key phrases or words. Highlight only what is important. Review your highlighted text within 24. Quiz yourself to see how much you retain. Don’t get “highlighter happy.”

33. Annotate Involves active reading. You take notes as you read and write them in the text. Unlike highlighting, annotating focuses your attention and engages you in the reading process. The process allows you to monitor to your reading and comprehension. Source: Keeley, Meg. “Reading College Texts”. March 1, 1999. The Basics of Effective Learning . Bucks County Community College. February 9, 2009. < http:// www.bucks.edu/~specpop/reading.htm >.

34. Techniques for Annotating a Text Underline terms/phrases of importance or significance. Circle definitions/meanings. Write key words and definitions in text—margins. Create symbols/key words in margin to signal where to find important info. Write brief summary in margins at the end of a unit, section, part, or chapter. Write questions in margins where answers are found. Write questions in margins to ask in class when you don’t understand. Show steps in a process using numbers, letters, or arrows, in the margin. Respond to the author/text with your thoughts, ideas, analysis (Bishop 2000). Make connections to the text (Bishop 2000). Reread when you don’t understand the first time, making note where comprehension falters (Bishop 2000). Source: Keeley, Meg. “Reading College Texts”. March 1, 1999. The Basics of Effective Learning . Bucks County Community College. February 9, 2009. < http:// www.bucks.edu/~specpop/reading.htm >.

35. Summarize/Paraphrase After reading a section, part, unit, or chapter, write what you have learned. Put your learning in your own words to clarify new ideas. Use these as notes for review or to take to class for discussion.

36. Use a Dictionary Adjust the rate at which you are reading. Don’t skim over words you do not know as though words may be an integral part of what you are reading. Look for context clues to aid learning new words. Synonyms Antonyms Explanations Examples Use a dictionary to ensure the you have the best definition as it relates to what you are reading. “ Reading Skills: Context Clues. eMints National Center. University of Missouri. February 13, 2009. <http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001821.shtml>

37. Read for Speed Tips 4 Get your eyes checked. Don’t sound out words when you read. Avoid rereading. Develop a wider eye span. Vary the rate according to your reading purpose. Preview the text. Skim for main idea. “ Suggestions for Improving Reading Speed.” Michigan Reach Out . February 9, 2009. <http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/learn/suggest.html>.

38. Resources If you think you need more assistance, take advantage of the various university resources available to you. Tomas Rivera Center (TRC) Qualitative Skills Tutoring Lab (QLAB )Tutoring Supplemental Instruction (SI) Academic Coaching (One on One help) Time Management Note-taking Test prep Study Skills Workshops on test prep, study skills Contact UC 1.01.02 Phone 210-458-4694 Counseling Services RWC 1.810 Phone 210-458-4140 Meet with your professors During their office hours When concerned about your grades or class performance.

39. Works Cited Bishop, Wendy, ed. The Subject Is Reading: Essays by Teachers and Students . Portsmouth: Boynton/Cook, 2000. 1. “Critical Reading Strategies.” Saint Joseph College Connecticut: Academic Resources . February 9, 2009. <http://ww2.sjc.edu/archandouts/CriticalReadingStrategies.pdf>. 2. Keeley, Meg. “Reading College Texts”. March 1, 1999. The Basics of Effective Learning . Bucks County Community College. February 9, 2009. < http:// www.bucks.edu/~specpop/reading.htm >. 3. Mikhailov, Serge. “Some More Speed Reading Tips.” Speed Reading Software, Articles, and Tips . February 9, 2009. < http://www.ababasoft.com/speedreading/tips001.html >. 4. “Suggestions for Improving Reading Speed.” Michigan Reach Out . February 9, 2009. <http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/learn/suggest.html>. 5. Landsberger, Joe. “Survey! Question! Read! Recite! Review!“ Study Guides and Strategies: The SQ3R Reading Method. February 9, 2009. < http://www.studygs.net/texred2.htm > 6. “Textbook Marking.” Counseling and Career Center Learning Strategies . Bringham Young University. January 29, 2009. <http://ccc.byu.edu/learing/txt-mkg.php> 7. “Reading Skills: Context Clues. eMints National Center. University of Missouri. February 13, 2009. < http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001821.shtml > 8. “Venn Diagram.” Education Society. March 20 ,2009 < http://www.2learn.ca/construct/graphicorg/venn/vennindex.html# > and http://www.learnnc.org/reference/Venn+diagram 9. “Tree Graphic.” Enchanted Learning. Accessed March 20, 2009. <http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/tree> 10. “Sample Venn Diagrams.” Louisiana Department of Education. March 20, 2009. mconn.doe.state.la.us/getFile.php?lesson_id=6799&dlfilename= Sample + Venn + Diagram .doc