Other Reading Strategies

Read out loud

Reading out loud may help you retain the information from the text. Also consider reading alongside an audio version of the text, so you can obtain the information audibly as well as textually.

Visualize

For both fiction and nonfiction texts, try to picture what is described. Visualizing is especially helpful when you are reading a narrative text, such as a novel or a historical account, or when you read expository text that describes a process, such as how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Pay attention to graphics as well as text

Photographs, diagrams, flow charts, tables, and other graphics can help make abstract ideas more concrete and understandable.

Understand the text in context

Understanding context means thinking about who wrote the text, when and where it was written, the author’s purpose for writing it, and what assumptions or agendas influenced the author’s ideas. For instance, two writers might both address the subject of health care reform, but if one article is an opinion piece and one is a news story, the context is different.

Plan to talk or write about what you read

Jot down a few questions or comments in your notebook so you can bring them up in class. (This also gives you a source of topic ideas for papers and presentations later in the semester.)