Read To Learn
Reading
Your skills in analysis, interpretation, and critique will help your research. Pay attention to the words you are reading. Interprete their meanings. Recognize the context, the situation that gives rise to those words, and hence, their importance to your research.
Strategies for Understanding What You Read
- Look for clues in a text before you start reading (prereading strategies)
- Title
- Highlighted quotations
- Author
- Past experience
- Section headings
- Date of publication
- Bold type, illustrations, and captions
- Use clues provided by author
- Signal/transition words—"and," "but," "for example," "therefore"
- Topic sentences—the key sentence in a paragraph, the sentence that states the main idea of the paragraph
- Signal phrases—"one of the most frequent causes . . ."
- Repeated key words
- Take notes while reading
- Annotate and underline for later recall
- Annotate to stimulate response
- Write reading responses in a journal
- Reread
But reread only what you have marked and annotated as the important, or main ideas.
Adapted from Chapter 2—"Strategies for Reading." Veit, Richard, Christopher Gould, and John Clifford. Writing, Reading, and Research. New York: Macmillan, 1994.
Reading for the Main Idea
Good readers always ask the question, "What is the main idea of this text?" Writers plant clues and signals in their writing, readers respond to them in predictably and relatively uniform ways to create meaning from their reading. In reading for the main idea, watch for
- Arrangement of Ideas
- Deductive ---> General to specific
Writer states main idea in a general way, then demonstrates it with specific examples - Inductive ---> Specific to general
Writer creates sequence of discovery with main idea coming as a conclusion reached after the specific evidence has been presented
- Deductive ---> General to specific
- Thesis Statement
A one sentence statement of the main idea of a longer piece of writing - Topic Sentence
A statement of the main idea of an individual paragraph - Implied Main Idea
The main idea of either a longer piece of writing or a paragraph may not be clearly stated. It may be implied. The writer may leave it up to the reader to determine the main idea, think, and draw own conclusion. Main idea may have to be inferred from the context, or the signal words. By inferring meaning, readers become partners with the writer in making meaning.
Adapted from Chapter 4—"Reading for the Main Idea." Veit, Richard, Christopher Gould, and John Clifford. Writing, Reading, and Research. New York: Macmillan, 1994.
Analyzing Writing through Reading
Consider these features of writing when reading
- Purpose --> what the writer is attempting to accomplish
Every piece of writing has a purpose. Purpose may be self-evident. Or, you may have to read between the lines to find the real purpose. You may have to use previous reading experience and background knowledge. - Audience --> who the writer is writing for, or to
Every piece of writing is directed to an audience. Writers should adjust their writing to fit the needs and interests of their intended audience. Readers, when analyzing writing, should consider the audience the writing was intended for. - Main Idea --> what the writing is about (Thesis statement)
Every piece of effective writing has a main idea. The thesis statement is a sentence that clearly defines what the writing is about. But, it may not always be clear, or at the beginning of a text. Analytical reading will help you find the thesis statement. - Development or Support for the Main Idea --> support from concrete evidence
Every piece of effective writing provides development or support for the main idea. Writers should include details that explain, expand, and support their ideas. Sometimes facts or logic are called for, sometimes narration of events, and sometimes examples, illustrations, or reasons. The way a writer develops his/her idea depends on the writing's purpose and intended audience. - Organization and Coherence --> consideration for readers
Every piece of effective writing is organized and coherent. Writers have a duty to organize their writing, to present their ideas clearly, to make their point early and stick to it, to provide a logical route through their writing for their readers, and to help readers see the connections between ideas, sentences, paragraphs.
Adapted from Chapter 7—Analytical Reading and Writing." Veit, Richard, Christopher Gould, and John Clifford. Writing, Reading, and Research. New York: Macmillan, 1994.