Reading for Comprehension
Sometimes your textbooks and assigned readings will be a little ... uh ... dense, and not always ... uh, the most riveting material. To help you understand better the material you are reading, try this three step method:
Contents
Survey
Scan the chapter or article for section titles, headings, bold or italic print, and graphics or charts. This will give you sense of the structure of the reading material and the key points. It's like creating an outline in your mind before diving into the details.
Read
As you carefully read through the material, jot down questions or highlight information that you want to come back to.
Review
Don't skip this step. It helps your mind encode information in the brain before you get distracted by the latest Buzz Feed quiz. Ask yourself what the author is trying to say. Do another scan of the headings. Can you summarize each section?
SQ3R Reading Method
This is a similar technique to Survey, Read, Review method.