Annotating and Note Taking Assignment

6.1 A PLAN FOR ACTIVE READING

Active reading  involves participating in reading by using strategies, such as highlighting and note taking, that help you stay focused. Active reading is different from reading novels or magazines for pleasure, which doesn’t require you to do anything while you are reading. Active reading will increase your focus and concentration, help you understand what you read, and prepare you to study for tests and exams. These are the four steps in active reading designed to help you read college textbooks:

1. Previewing

2. Marking what you read

3. Staying focused

4. Reviewing

YOUR TURN > WORK TOGETHER 

With a group of your classmates, spend a few minutes discussing which of these four active reading steps you always, sometimes, or never take. Have one member of the group keep a tally and report the results back to the rest of the class. Which steps, if any, do your classmates think are necessary, and why?

Step 1: Previewing

Previewing  is the first step in active reading. When you preview, you develop a purpose for reading and take an initial look at a reading before you really tackle the content. Think of previewing like arriving on campus for the first time and getting an overview of your new environment. You locate the primary offices you’ll need to visit, pinpoint your classrooms, and find the closest restrooms. Then you get a feel for where to find the library, computer labs, study areas, and bookstore, and get a sense of where these things are in relation to each other. By getting oriented early on, you’ll be able to focus on your studies instead of wandering aimlessly around campus when you need to go somewhere new.

Previewing a section or chapter in your textbook or other assigned reading is similar: the purpose is to get the big picture—to understand the main ideas in the reading and how those ideas connect with what you already know and to the material the instructor covers in class, all before you start reading in detail. Previewing will require some time up front, but it will save you time later.

Getting to Know Your Textbook

When you begin reading a textbook for the first time, be sure to learn more about it and its author(s) by reading sections at the beginning of the book, such as the preface, introduction, and biographical sketches about each author.

· The  preface , a brief overview usually at the beginning of a book, is typically prepared by the author (or authors) to tell you why they wrote the book and what material the book covers; it also explains the book’s organization and gives insight into the author’s viewpoint—all of which will likely help you see the relationships among the facts presented and comprehend the ideas included throughout the book. (Make sure you read this book’s preface as an example.) Reading the preface can come in handy if you are feeling a little lost at different points in the term, since it often lays out the tools available in each chapter to guide you through the content.

· Some books have an additional  introduction  that reviews the book’s overall organization and its contents, often chapter by chapter.

· Authors’  biographical sketches  will give you interesting information about the authors, including their background, work history, and educational experience.

Taking a Quick Chapter Tour

Once you’re familiar with the textbook itself, you can get to know more about the chapter you’ve been assigned to read. Although each textbook may be different, chapters are likely to have common features. Introduce yourself to the chapter by following these steps:

1. First, read the title of the chapter. Ask yourself, “Why am I reading this? What do I already know about this subject? What do I want to know?”

2. Next, quickly read through the learning objectives (if the chapter includes them; these are usually stated as the chapter begins) or the introductory paragraphs.  Learning objectives  are the main ideas or skills students are expected to learn from reading the chapter.

3. Then turn to the end of the chapter and read the summary, if there is one. A  summary  provides the most important ideas in the chapter.

4. Finally, take a few minutes to skim the chapter to learn more about the ideas presented. Look at the headings, subheadings, key terms, and tables and figures. See if there are  study questions  at the end of each chapter—take time to read over these questions, whether or not your instructor requires you to do so.

If you are accessing digital content instead of a print textbook, you can still find effective ways to preview the material. For example, chapters in digital textbooks are often “scrollable” by learning objective and section. In addition, quizzes and interactive exercises allow you to test your understanding of the material and to practice concepts. And if your courses require you to access other types of online resources in addition to your textbooks, you can use a similar preview process. Visit each resource and get a general lay of the land before diving in to your reading.

Planning Time for Your Reading

As part of your preview, make a rough estimate of how much time it will take you to complete each reading assignment. Keep in mind that different types of textbooks can require more or less time to read. For example, depending on your interests and previous knowledge, you might be able to read a psychology text more quickly than a biology text that includes many unfamiliar scientific words. To make a plan, create a simple four-column table with horizontal lines for all your reading assignments over the next week. Following the example provided (see  Table 6.1 ), take the following steps:

1. Use the first column to list each reading assignment.

2. In the second column, rate each assignment on a scale of 1 to 5 according to how easy (1) or difficult (5) you think the reading will be.

3. In the third column, estimate how many hours each assignment will take. (Remember that a difficult reading will take longer than an easier reading.)

4. Use the fourth column to keep track of how much time you actually spend reading.

TABLE 6.1 > Planning Time for Your Reading
Estimated reading time this week:
Assignment	Difficulty (1–5)	Estimated time	Actual time
History (Ch. 1)	4	1.5 hr	2.0 hr
Psychology (Chs. 2 & 3)	4	1.5 hr	4.0 hr
Math (Ch. 3)	5	2.0 hr	2.5 hr
Speech (Ch. 2)	2	1.0 hr	1.25 hr
College Success (Ch. 5)	2	1.0 hr	1.0 hr
Total estimated reading time: 7 hrs
Total actual reading time: 10.75 hrs
Thoughts:  I used all four steps of active reading. My reading took me a bit longer, but I can tell that I learned much more. I also felt like I knew how to use my textbooks better after reading this chapter from my college success textbook.

6.2 STRATEGIES FOR READING DIFFERENT KINDS OF TEXTBOOKS

It’s important to know how to get the most out of your textbook, whether it’s printed or digital. Textbooks in the major  disciplines —areas of academic study—are different in terms of their organization and style of writing. Because of this variation in how textbooks are organized and written, you will need to learn and use different reading strategies depending on what material you’re reading. In this section, we will look at how to approach the reading you complete in different disciplines, including math, science, social science, and the humanities.

In addition, to get the most out of your textbooks, you’ll want to consider how your particular instructors use textbooks in their classes. Some instructors might use the textbook only to supplement lectures. Other instructors will expect you to read the textbook carefully. If your instructor hasn’t made it clear how the text will be used, ask for clarification. Ask your instructor what parts of the text will be covered on tests and what types of questions will be used. It is also very important to ask if the tests will be cumulative, meaning going all the way back to the beginning of the course, or cover only the material since the previous test.

Finally, keep in mind that even within the same discipline, not all textbooks are put together the same way. Some are better designed and written than others. If your textbook seems disorganized or hard to understand, let your instructor know your opinion; other students in your class may feel the same way. You could be helping future students by encouraging the instructor to change books! Your instructor might also spend some class time explaining the text, its structure, and how it will be used in the course, and can meet with you during office hours to help you with the material.

Math Texts

Mathematics textbooks usually have lots of symbols and few words, which means that they present some special challenges. Each statement and every line in the solution of a problem needs to be considered and processed slowly. Typically, the author presents the material through definitions, theorems, and sample problems. As you read, pay special attention to definitions. Learning all the terms that relate to a new topic is the first step toward understanding.

Math texts usually include derivations of formulas and proofs of theorems. You must understand and be able to apply the formulas and theorems, but unless your course has a particularly theoretical emphasis, you are less likely to be responsible for all the proofs. Therefore, if you get lost in the proof of a theorem, go on to the next item in the section. When you come to a sample problem, it’s time to get busy. Pick up pencil and paper, and work through the problem in the book. Then cover the solution and think through the problem on your own.

Of course, the exercises in each section are the most important part of any math textbook. A large portion of the time you devote to the course will be spent completing assigned exercises. It is absolutely necessary to do this homework before the next class, whether or not your instructor collects it, and you may even be able to complete your work on online learning platforms that deliver quick feedback. Success in mathematics requires regular practice, and students who keep up with math homework, either alone or in groups, perform better than students who don’t, particularly when they include students in their study groups who are more advanced in math.

After you complete an assignment, skim through the other exercises in the problem set. Reading the unassigned problems will help you understand more about the topic. Finally, talk the material through to yourself, and be sure your focus is on understanding the problem and its solution, not on memorization. Memorizing something might help you remember how to work through one problem, but it won’t help you learn the steps involved so that you can use them to solve other similar problems.

Getting the Most Out of Your Textbooks

Math and science texts are filled with graphs and figures that you will need to understand in order to learn the content and follow classroom presentations. If you have trouble reading and understanding any of your textbooks, get help from your instructor or your classmates.

Science Texts

Your approach to your science textbook will depend somewhat on whether you are studying a math-based science, such as physics, or a text-based science, such as biology. In either case, you need to become familiar with the overall format of the book. Review the table of contents and the glossary, and check the material in the  appendixes  (supplemental materials at the end of the book). There you will find lists of physical constants, unit conversions, and various charts and tables. Many physics and chemistry books also include a mini review of the math you will need for these courses.

Notice the organization of each chapter, and pay special attention to graphs, charts, and boxes. If the amount of technical detail seems overwhelming, remember that most textbook authors take great care in presenting material in a logical format, and they include tools to guide you. Learning objectives and summaries can be useful to study both before and after reading the chapter. You will usually find answers to selected problems in the back of the book, and some texts may even show you step-by-step solutions for working out a problem within the chapter (see  Figure 6.5 ). Use the answer key, the student solutions manual, or the worked problems to increase your understanding of the chapters.

6.3 IMPROVING YOUR READING

Reading for college courses can be challenging, but with effort, you can improve and become a more confident reader. Remember to be flexible and to adjust how you read depending on what you are reading. If you feel that you do not understand what you are reading because you are thinking about something else, you need to stop, focus on the task at hand, and read actively by marking up the text and taking notes. Here are a few suggestions:

· As mentioned earlier, evaluate the importance and difficulty of the assigned readings, and adjust your reading style and the time you set aside to do the reading. Also remember that reading in different disciplines requires different strategies. For example, when reading your math textbook, you should have a notebook at the ready to record your solutions to the problems. When you read your psychology textbook, you should be highlighting the important ideas or making margin notes.

· Connect one important idea to another by asking yourself, “Why am I reading this? Where does this fit in?” Writing summaries and preparing notes and outlines can help you connect ideas across chapters.

· When the textbook material is exactly the same as the lecture material, you can save time by concentrating mainly on one or the other.

It takes a planned approach to read and understand textbook materials and other assigned readings in addition to remembering what you have read. But the most important outcome of reading is understanding what you have read well enough that you could explain it to someone else.

Monitoring Your Reading

You can monitor your comprehension while reading textbooks by asking yourself, “Do I understand this?” If the answer is no, stop and reread the material. Look up words that are not clear. Try to clarify the main points and how they relate to one another.

Another way to check that you understand what you are reading is to try to recite the material aloud, either to yourself or to your study partner(s). Using a study group to monitor your comprehension gives you immediate feedback and is highly motivating.

After you have completed each section of the chapter you are reading—and before you move on to the next section—ask yourself again, “What are the key ideas? What will I see on the test?”

Ask Questions for Comprehension

Asking yourself questions while you read—for example, “Do I understand the main point of this section?”—can help you monitor what you’re learning and stay focused on important material.

Developing Your Vocabulary

Textbooks are full of new words and terms. A  vocabulary  is a set of words in a particular language or field of knowledge. As you become familiar with the vocabulary of an academic field, reading the texts related to that field becomes easier.

If words are such a basic and essential component of our knowledge, what is the best way to learn them? The following are some basic vocabulary-building strategies:

· Notice and write down unfamiliar terms during your preview of a text. Consider making a flash card for each term or making a list of terms.

· Think about the context when you come across challenging words. See whether you can guess the meaning of an unfamiliar term by using the words around it.

· Consider a word’s parts. If context by itself is not enough to help you guess the meaning of an unfamiliar word, try analyzing the term to discover its  root  (or base part) and any  prefixes  (parts that come before the root) or  suffixes  (parts that follow the root). For example, transport has the root port, which means “carry,” and the prefix trans, which means “across.” Together, the word means “carry across” or “carry from one place to another.” Knowing the meaning of prefixes and suffixes can be very helpful.

· Use the glossary of the text or a dictionary. Many textbook publishers carefully compile glossaries to help students learn the vocabulary of a given discipline. Typically, the glossary is found in the back of the text (like in this textbook). If the text has no glossary, have a dictionary on hand or do a quick online search for an unfamiliar word’s meaning. If a given word has more than one definition, search for the meaning that fits your text.

· Use new words in your writing and speaking. If you use a new word a few times, you’ll soon know it.

YOUR TURN > STAY MOTIVATED 

Choose a chapter in this or another textbook. As you read it, list the words that are new to you or that you’re not sure you understand. Look up a few of these words in a dictionary. Choose to add at least one new word a week to your personal vocabulary. After a short time, this will become easy.

What to Do When You Fall Behind on Your Reading

From time to time, life might get in the way of doing your assigned readings on time. But while there are valid reasons for getting behind, some students procrastinate for no particular reason and think they can catch up without a problem. That is a myth. The less you read, the harder you will have to work to make up for the lost time.

If you try to follow the schedule for your assigned readings but fall behind, don’t panic. Here are some suggestions for getting back on track with your reading:

· Add one or two hours a day to your study time in order to go back and read the parts that you missed. In particular, take advantage of every spare moment to read; for example, read during your lunch hour at work or while you are waiting for public transportation or at the doctor’s office.

· Join a study group. After everyone reads the entire chapter, individual group members can be responsible for providing their understanding about a particular section. They can share their notes or outlines and lead a discussion to help everyone develop a deeper understanding of the material.

· Ask for help. Visit your college’s learning center to work with a tutor who can help you with difficult concepts in the textbook.

· Talk to your instructor. Ask for extra time to make up your assignments if you have fallen behind for a valid reason, such as sickness or dealing with a personal problem. Most instructors are willing to make a one-time exception to help students catch up.

· Don’t give up. You may have to work harder for a short period of time, but with effort and motivation, you will soon catch up.

A Marathon, Not a Sprint

If you fall behind in your reading, you’re not alone—many students do. Remember that your studies are more like a marathon than a sprint; you should take time to catch up, but do so at a steady pace. Do your assigned readings, study with others, get help, and don’t give up!