Reading tips and strategies to have an active reading methodology, taking notes and write a discursive essay.

1. Reading Comprehension Tips
Active Reading
Note Taking
Using notes
Mª Ascensión Villalba Varona - avillalba@varonas.com

2. Do you ever feel overwhelmed with the
amount of reading you have?
Do you ever have trouble staying focused
and motivated while reading?
Do you sometimes have difficulty
understanding and remembering what you
read?
ACTIVE READING
When using active reading,
you retain more when you
actively engage and
interact with texts
Active reading engages
your brain in effective
strategies that force your
brain to interact with the
text before

3. Active reading
Try these techniques to make your reading active:
1.- Underline or highlight key words and phrases as you read. Be selective - too much
highlighting won't help.
2.- Make annotations in the margin to summarise points, raise questions, challenge what you've
read, jot down examples and so on. This takes more thought than highlighting, so you'll probably
remember the content better.
3.- Read critically by asking questions of the text. Who wrote it? When? Who is the intended
audience?
4.- Test yourself by reading for half an hour, putting the text away and jotting down the key
points from memory. Go back to the text to fill in gaps.
5.- Look for 'signposts' that help you understand the text - phrases like 'most importantly', 'in
contrast', 'on the other hand’.
6.- Explain what you've read to someone else.
7.- Record yourself reading the module material or your notes, and listen to the recording while
you're travelling or doing household chores.6.-

4. Reading for comprehension
Follow the SQ3R technique:
1. Survey; Skim through the text quickly to get an overall impression.
2. Question; If you are reading it for a particular purpose (for example, to
answer an assignment), ask yourself how it helps. Also ask questions of the
text: Who? What? Where? When? How?
3. Read the text in a focused, and fairly speedy way.
4. Remember; Test your memory - but don't worry if you can't remember much.
5. Review; Read the text in more detail, taking notes. Use your own words.

5. Know your purpose

6. NOTE-TAKING
How to take notes
1.- Taking notes is a skill that you develop with practice.
2.- There is no right or wrong way. You just need to find a
method that suits you, such as using bullet points, mind
maps and diagrams, highlighting, annotating or
underlining significant words.

7. DON’TS TAKING NOTES
What to avoid when taking notes
1.- Don't write everything down, just reflect the main themes. Aim to get the gist of
the topic or the main points.
2.- Don’t worry if you find something you don't understand. Use a question mark
to highlight the point in your notes and come back to it later.
3.- Don't lose track of your purpose in making the notes in the first place - keep
focused.
4.- Don't be concerned about whether anyone else could make sense of your notes,
you are the only person who needs to read them.
5.- Don't try to remember everything you read or heard in a tutorial session.
6.- Don't forget to revisit and organise your notes and get them systematically
arranged so that you can find the information you need when you want it.
7.- 8.- Don't be afraid of trying different ways of taking notes - try lists, colours,
bullet points, underlining, highlighting and mind-mapping.
9.- Don't take notes all the time - spend some time at tutorials engaging with the
tutor and other students or just thinking about what you're doing.

8. 3 BEST NOTE-TAKING METHODS - THE MAP METHOD
The Map Method is ideal for visual
learners and to process a large amount
of information. It suggests writing the
main theme at the top or in the middle
and dividing it into subtopics by using
arrows. You can also use arrows to
make connections between different
subcategories.

9. 3 BEST NOTE-TAKING METHODS: THE BOXING METHOD
2. THE BOXING METHOD
The Boxing Method is an
increasingly popular method of
writing notes, especially advised to
those of you that bring their iPad
or Laptop to class. With this
method, notes that relate to one
specific subject are grouped
together in a box with the title at
the top.

10. 3 BEST NOTE-TAKING METHODS: THE CORNELL METHOD
3. THE CORNELL METHOD
First, the page should be divided into two columns: the
left one taking around 30% of the paper and the right
one taking around 70%.
Second, there should be space at the bottom of the
page for the Summary.
When using this method, write all notes in the right
column. After each lecture, review the notes and write
abbreviations (keywords) and possible questions at the
left side, as well as the summary at the bottom.
NOTE: This method is very efficient but time-
consuming. Therefore, we advise you to use it while
preparing for the exam(s) BUT NOT IN AN EXAM

11. Note-taking to write an essay: Introduction
Note-taking to write an essay
This will help you at all stages of writing of your essay.
Start by taking notes for your Introduction and thesis statement:
1.- look carefully at the question and write down what you think it is asking you to
do.
2.- Look for those key words which will tell you precisely what the essay requires
you to do.
For example, if you are asked to ‘compare and contrast’ in an essay then you
might make notes ‘for and against’ in preparation; this will help you build a
balanced argument.
Or, if you are asked to ‘analyse’ you might make notes that reflect close-reading
of the text and comment on individual words or phrases of importance.

12. Note-taking to write an essay: Body
Make notes for your essay plan
1. This is especially useful, as you will be able to establish your essay
structure and decide on which evidence should go where.
2. Notes for your essay plan should be divided up according to the structure
so you will have notes for your introduction, notes for your main body
and notes for your conclusion.
3. Each body paragraph should represent one main idea.
4. Take notes for the topic sentence (main idea+ controlling idea), the
supporting sentences with examples, and concluding idea of the
paragraph.

13. Note-taking to write an essay: Conclusion
Take notes for your conclusion
1. The conclusion is not just a restatement of the introduction.
2. Give indication of what you feel that you have achieved in the
essay.
3. Give future actions to be taken or predicted.
4. Do not introduce new ideas that have not been analized in the
body.
5. If you make notes for your conclusion at the beginning, then
you will have the direction you are aiming towards in mind as
you progress and aid the structure of your argument.

14. BASIC ESSAY STRUCTURE
Basic Essay Structure- Bethelem College
& Seminary Library
https://bcsmn.libguides.com/c.php?g=88
9348&p=6393249

15. Essay structure video

16. Works consulted
REFERENCES:
Reading Comprehension Tips. The Learning Center- University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill.
https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/reading-comprehension-tips/ Sep. 2021
The Open University – The help centre - https://help.open.ac.uk/active-reading Sep. 2021
What is the SQ3R study method and how to use it? Marbella International University Centre https://miuc.org/sq3r-study-method/ Sep. 2021
3 best note-taking methods – Our Campus - https://www.ourcampus.nl/news/3-best-note-taking-methods Sep. 2021
How to take effective notes - UK Essays – https://www.ukessays.com/guides/effective-notetaking.php Sep. 2021
Basic Essay Structure- Bethelem College & Seminary Library https://bcsmn.libguides.com/c.php?g=889348&p=6393249 Sep. 2021
Essay structure LibGuide video Bethelem College https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcGifxX5lUo Sep. 2021

17. ID de foto de stock: 1562318596- Autor: Faizal Ramli
Mª Ascensión Villalba Varona
Varona’s Institute
avillalba@varonas.com