Read Like a PRO!
Critical Reading Strategies
Sponsored by The Center for Teaching and Learning at UIS
What is PRO?
♠ Prepare to read (pre-reading)
♠ Read Actively
♠ Organize to Learn
Part 1: Pre-reading Strategies
♠ Concentrate
o When is the best time during the day for you to read and study?
o Where is the best place for you to read and study?
♠ Preview
o Title
o What does each word in the title mean?
o What does the phrase mean as a whole?
o Author information
o Who is the author ?
o When did s/he write the piece?
o Headings, Notes, Pictures, or Side Panels
♠ Use Prior Knowledge
o How do you relate to the piece you’ve previewed?
o Are there any similarities between you and the author or any of the characters?
o Have you read or heard any of the information elsewhere before?
♠ Ask pre-reading questions and make predictions
o What do you want to learn?
o What can you predict the author will discuss?
♠ Choose a reading strategy
o What is the purpose in reading this text?
o What is the level of difficulty?
o How will I actively read the text?
Part 2: Reading Actively
♠ Reading Actively means annotating and making connections between the material and what you already know or have
experienced
♠ Becoming an Active Reader
o Devote time to fully focus on comprehending the text
o Apply strategies that will swiftly engage you with a text and keep your concentration
♠ Be aware of the environmental factors that enhance and hurt concentration
♠ Be realistic about how long reading certain texts will take and set aside time for that reading
♠ Plan to keep a Reading Log for every class with required reading
♠ Keep a Reading Log
♠ Orient yourself to the text
♠ Create a Discussion Web
♠ What Are You Looking For?
o Note the subject matter and author’s purpose
o Recognize the organization of the text, structure and genre
o Determine the context of the text
o Find the connections to the course
o Decide your purpose and goal
♠ Remaining Active
o Interact with the author as you read
o Try to figure out the author’s stance
o Monitor your comprehension and act when your concentration flags
♠ Dealing with Demanding Texts
o Identify the major problem and resolution
o Research the subject matter
Last Edited 6/30/2008
Page 1 of 2
Read Like a PRO!
Critical Reading Strategies
Sponsored by The Center for Teaching and Learning at UIS
o Look up unknown words
o Ask your instructor, peers, family, and friends for help
Part 3: Organizing to Learn
♠ Apply Post-Reading tips
o Decide if you achieved your goals for reading
o Discuss the accuracy of your predictions
o Summarize major ideas
o Research additional information
o Distinguish between relevant and irrelevant ideas
o Paraphrase relevant details
o Reflect and personalize the text
♠ Create a Semantic Map
o Helps the reader to identify important ideas
o Shows how the ideas fit together
o Uses comprehension/concentration skills and evolves in a note taking form
o Represents visually the content of your reading
o Three Components of SM
 Core question or concept
 Strands
 Supports
♠ Form a Discussion Group
o Brings out new ideas you’d previously not considered
o Takes existing ideas or concepts about the reading and expands upon them
o Allows your interpretations to be challenged and will fill in some of your “blind spots” regarding what you just read
♠ Mark Your Text
o Read first and then mark selectively
o Box transitions and number important ideas
o Circle specialized vocabulary
o Jot down main ideas in the margin
o Write questions as you read
o Make brief summaries at the end of each section
♠ Outline what you read
o Place major/general points to the left
o Indent each more specific point to the right
♠ Chart what you read
o Organize categories into columns
o Record information into the appropriate category
o Tracks conversations and dialogues
o Reduces amount of writing
o Provides easy review
♠ Apply Post-Reading Tips
o Decide if you achieved your goals for reading
o Discuss the accuracy of your predictions
o Summarize major ideas
o Research additional information
o Distinguish between relevant and irrelevant ideas
o Paraphrase relevant details
o Reflect and personalize the text
Last Edited 6/30/2008
Page 2 of 2