Have you ever made it to the bottom of the page realizing you've fallen asleep and daydreaming? It happens to everyone at one time or another: you have too little time or too little interest to spend another minute with Homer or Shakespeare. Fortunately, learning to read smart and take good notes will make reading a lot easier, faster, and a lot more fun. For more information, see step 1.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Reading Smart
Step 1. Eliminate distractions
Leave the computer alone, turn off the TV and delete the music. It is very difficult to read, especially if you are reading something difficult, when the attention is divided. Reading carefully requires a pleasant, comfortable and distraction-free position.
Advise:
make reading fun by having a snack or a drink and getting comfortable. Burn a pleasant-smelling candle or read in the bathtub to feel comfortable and make reading as enjoyable as possible, especially if it is a topic you are not enthusiastic about.
Step 2. Read quickly first and then reread very carefully
If you're reading something difficult, don't worry too much about ruining the ending this way. If you read a paragraph and need to start over, consider reading the whole story quickly, or flipping through the book a bit to get a sense of the plot, the main characters, and the tone of the reading, so you know what to focus on when you reread more. attention.
Taking a look at a Bignami or Cliff Notes or having news online about the book can be a good way to get a good summary and to be able to read it more easily. Just don't forget to go back and reread more carefully
Step 3. Imagine what you are reading
Think like a movie director would and imagine the action as you read. Assign parts of the film to the actors, if that helps, and really try to portray the events as realistically as possible. This can be a lot more fun, and will help you remember and understand what you are reading much better.
Step 4. Read aloud
Some people find it much easier to stay focused and interested in a reading by reading aloud. Lock yourself up in your room, or hide in the basement and read in a theatrical way as much as you like. This can help slow down if the tendency is to try to scroll too quickly, and can help make reading more interesting if you find it a little boring.
Always try to read a poem aloud. Reading the Odyssey becomes a great experience when you address the muse aloud
Step 5. Look for any unfamiliar words, places or ideas
You can use context to help you figure things out for yourself, but it's always a good idea to take a minute to delve into any references you might have missed the first time around. It will make reading much easier.
At school, checking an unfamiliar word or concept is a credit note. It's a good thing to get used to doing this all the time
Step 6. Take breaks
Make sure you set aside enough time to comfortably complete the reading and take frequent breaks. For every 45 minutes of reading, play video games for a quarter of an hour or do some other work, to rest your mind and focus on other things for a while. When you are ready, resume your reading fresh and rested.
Part 2 of 3: Taking Notes
Step 1. Make marks in the text
Write questions in the margin, highlight interesting things, highlight important concepts or ideas. Don't be afraid to make lots of marks in the text when reading. Some readers think that holding a pencil or highlighter makes them more active, giving them something to "do" while they get on with the work. See if it works for you too.
- Don't underline or highlight too much and definitely don't highlight randomly. It won't help you come back to the topic and study if you've randomly highlighted it, and it will make the text much more difficult to understand.
- Create an organizational map to help you follow what you read and later to study. This is a very effective method for students with visual memory.
Step 2. Write a few summary sentences at the bottom of each page
If you are reading something difficult and think you have to go back often for something you missed, start taking one page at a time. At the end of each page, or even at the end of each paragraph, write a brief summary of the content. This breaks up the reading and allows for a much more careful rereading.
Step 3. Write down the questions you have about what you read
If you find something confusing, or notice something that is giving you trouble, write it down. This might be a good question to ask later in class, or something to think about more as you continue reading.
Step 4. Write your impressions
When you're done reading, immediately start writing down your impressions of the story, book, or chapter of the book you need to read. Write what feels important to you, what you think the purpose of the written text was and how it made you feel as a reader. You don't need to summarize them for an answer, but it may be helpful to summarize them in general if it will help you remember what you have explored the most.
Don't write if you liked the story, or if you thought it was "boring". Instead, focus on how it made you feel. Your first response might be, "I didn't like this story, because Juliet dies in the end," but think about why it makes you feel this way. Why would it have been better if she had lived? Really better? What could Shakespeare have been trying to say? Why did he make her die? These are much more interesting impressions now
Part 3 of 3: Discuss it thoroughly
Step 1. Gather with friends or classmates and discuss the reading
It is not unfair to discuss what you have read before or after class. In fact, most teachers are likely to feel enthusiastic. Consider the impressions of your classmates and compare them with yours. Again, try not to say whether or not it was "boring", but see if anyone has a good explanation on something you may have found difficult or confusing. Put your reading experience at your disposal to help your friends.
Try talking to yourself out loud if you don't have any mates to talk to. Just talking can help you learn
Step 2. Think about open-ended questions to deepen the reading
Write down some questions on the notebook that might be interesting for class discussion. Some teachers assign this as a homework, but it will help you engage in your reading anyway.
Don't ask questions that can be answered with a "yes" or "no". Learning to ask "how" is a useful way to ask questions that open up a big discussion
Step 3. Mark important pages with post-its and notes
If you have a question later, it can help you find the page you want to talk about or ask a question you've already jotted down, rather than wasting ten minutes trying to remember where the paragraph on Polonius was.
Step 4. Put yourself in the shoes of the characters
What would you have done if you were Juliet? Would you have wanted Holden Caulfield if he had been in your class? What would you have felt if you had been Ulysses' wife? Talk to others who have read the same book. How would different people answer the same question? Learning to identify with the reading and interact with the text is a good way to experience and understand it. Think about yourself in the book.
