Active reading may seem overwhelming and time consuming. Using these strategies may actually lessen the time you spend reading!
Pre-reading
- Set up your environment. Consider lighting, noise, and location
- Get to know the text. Skim the text’s introduction or summary, headings/subheadings, key terms, graphics, etc.
- Define your purpose. Turn headings into questions. For example, the heading “Internal Receptors” is in a biology chapter about cell communication. You can turn the heading into “Where in the cell are internal receptors?”
- Divide the chapter(s) into manageable sections Take a short break between large headings
Reading
- Paraphrase the text or take notes after each paragraph, stop and summarize what you just read
- Answer embedded questions
- Mark the text with symbols to track your thinking.
Examples of things you might want to mark include:- Confusing concepts (question mark)
- Important (star)
- Key terms (underline or highlight)
- Mastered concept (checkmark)
- Cycle or process (arrows in a circle)
- Record your thoughts in the margins or your notes
Post-reading
- Answer self-created heading questions, book questions, and homework questions
- Outline big ideas and supporting details in your own words
- Make a concept map to illustrate relationships and connections
- Solve example problems Write clear explanations at each step
- Combine and connect reading notes and lecture/class notes