Become a
Reading Wizard
Dr. Geoffrey Grimes
The following resource was adapted from the presentation "Tips for Active Reading" by Dr. Geoffrey Grimes at Dallas College. While the original presentation was designed for collegiate level students, the same principles apply to readers of all ages. We have modified some of the original text to reflect the needs of grade school students with the long term goal of a college career. These same core principles are made known to audiences of live productions Magic in the Library.
Here’s a question for you. What is the skill most important for your success in college? Is it reading? Is it writing? Or is it math?
The answer?
Reading! In fact, there is a direct correlation between your ability to read well and your ability to write well.
In school (especially in college classes), the amount of reading can seem enormous. And if every day is just like today, how will you master all of that reading? Here are four stages to assure your success as a reader.
1
Focus Your Reading
How often do you catch yourself day dreaming? That’s called attention drift. (On this slide is a photograph of an African-American student holding a pen up beside her face and looking up and away from a textbook propped up and open again a stack of other books on a library table.)
Do you feel frustrated when that happens? Of course, you do. We have only a limited amount of time to read each day, and we don’t have time to go back over it. So, how can you improve your concentration?
First, make use of your attention span, whatever it is. You can increase your attention span with a strategy.
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Place a small checkmark in the text beside the paragraph where you found yourself beginning to drift. And then, if necessary, do what you need to do: check your messages, run the errand. But when you come back to the reading, come back with a commitment to reading as much as what you read before up to that point where you began to drift. In other words, if you were able to read a page and a half before, when you come back to the reading, start at that point where you stopped and commit yourself to reading another page and a half before you give yourself permission to drift again. This little technique will help you increase your concentration and to expand your attention span, whatever it is.
When you read, you want to concentrate on the paragraphs—the basic unit of meaning in expository writing.
2
Annotate
Read with a pen. Reading with a pen heightens your concentration and increases your self-confidence. Ask yourself, after reading each paragraph, what did I just read and what was this paragraph about?
Turn the question form into a statement and fill in the blank. This paragraph is about _______.
Write the main idea—in only a brief phrase—in the margin.
Develop a strategy for marking the text. Obviously, you can underline information, circle information, bracket information, side bar information. You determine what strategy you wish.
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But the key is to always be consistent. Page by page, always underline the same kind of information, always bracket the same kind of information, always circle the same kind of information, so that when you move from page to page, just by looking at the type of marking, you can tell what kind of information you have marked.
Next, develop a strategy for the use of the margins. Obviously, you top and bottom margins, inside and outside margins. The key is to always be consistent.
3
Develop a Retrieval System
At this point you have prepared yourself for the learning exercise. Stages three and four will help you to learn.
First, transfer each main idea to a note card. Mark the page numbers after the annotation for each reference. When you get ready to study, begin your study with the cards. Try to remember what’s on each page you noted.
4
Organize a Study Group
This is particularly helpful when you are preparing for a big test, project, or major homework assignment.
Study only with active readers. These are students who have marked their texts. Limit the study group to three readers.
Begin by comparing the contents of your note cards. That’s important because one or two of you may have written notes that are more generally expressed rather than specific details. Comparing cards will help to clarify those notes. Turn to the text only when you have to.
If you will master active reading—and you can—you will watch your confidence grow, and watch your grades improve!