English 209
Reading and Writing Concept Handout: The Reading Process
Approach Reading Strategically
The Reading Process
In text-based academic discourse, discussion and writing are typically
conducted in engagement with texts. In other words, whether in an English,
history, business, or science course, students are asked to read texts and
then demonstrate, in class discussions and in essays, their understanding of
and critical thinking about the ideas in those texts. The quality of your
discussion and writing skills, then, will be based on the quality of your
reading.
Remember that a text can be anything that communicates a message. We
know that books, articles, essays and journals are texts because as readers
and students, those are the ones we traditionally work with. However, a text
can also be any of the following: instructions, films, live performances, art or
visual images, music lyrics, etc.
Effective readers are strategic readers- those who approach the reading of
such texts as a series of steps and strategies to be taken BEFORE, DURING,
AND AFTER reading. These steps work especially well with the type of writing
you will work with most often as a college student: non-fiction, expository
writing (writing that makes an argument or explains a concept).
BEFORE YOU READ: Strategic readers prepare
Determine your purpose for reading: Think about all of the texts that you
have read in the last few days. A “text” can be words or images and can
come in many different forms (e.g., course green sheets, computer,
products/packaging, books, newspapers, even advertising). For each of these
types of texts, you likely read for a particular purpose, for example to find
important details, to apply what you learned, to answer a specific questions,
to evaluate an idea, or simply to be entertained. Understanding your purpose
before you read will determine how you read.
For example, if you are searching for an answer to a specific question, you
can skim until you find it. If you are reading for entertainment, you can read
casually. But if you are reading to understand an important concept, for your
biology exam for example, you will likely read more carefully.
Preview the text: Readers can preview any type of text, whether a full book
or a single article. To preview, look at the title, the source, information about
the author, table of contents, subheadings, and any words in bold, italics, or
underlined. In addition, look at any graphics and pictures.
Pre-read the text: This strategy is most effective article or shorter text. To
pre-read, read the first paragraph, the last paragraph, and the first sentence
of every paragraph in-between. This helps give you a sense of the overall
article before you read.
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English 209
Reading and Writing Concept Handout: The Reading Process
Approach Reading Strategically
Turn the title into a question: After previewing and pre-reading the text,
clarify any unknown words or phrases in the title. Then turn the title into a
question that you can try to answer as you read. Try to integrate all or part
of the title into the question. This question can provide you a focus, and it
can also help you make predictions as you read.
For example, if the title of the text is: “Killer Illiteracy” (by Ishmael Reed),
then a question you might ask is:
- How can illiteracy kill? OR
- In what ways is illiteracy dangerous?
As you can see these types of questions can clearly provide you with a
“jump-off” point where you can predict what the author might say. And
because these questions are open-ended (meaning they cannot be answered
with a simple “yes” or “no”), they can allow you to think about your own
experiences and observations to predict the answer to your own question.
Make predictions about the text: A good preview and pre-read of a text can
help you predict the topic and main points the author will make. To make a
prediction, ask yourself, what will be the author’s thesis or central focus?
How do I know?
Think about your prior knowledge of the topic: One big mistake student
readers can make is to assume that they know nothing about a topic and
therefore must trust everything that an author says. In reality, everyone has
some knowledge, or at least assumptions, about most topics, even remotely.
For example, you may not know much about the formal dress of Islamic
women, but you likely have some knowledge about clothing and the ways in
which it can affect how you are perceived. Thinking about your prior
knowledge on a topic before you read can help you relate to the information
in the text. By relating to a text, even just a little, you can help yourself stay
more focused on this new topic.
DURING READING: Strategic readers stay active
Find a good reading environment: You may be able to read a magazine at
the beach or in bed, but if your purpose for reading is academic, these
environments may not work so well. Instead, find a quiet place without
distractions, with good lighting, and a good chair/desk for you to sit upright.
Hold a pencil: Writing helps make reading more active. Always have a pencil
ready to take notes and annotate.
Annotate/Code the text! Some students will highlight as they read, but often
times this simply leads to a page in your book that is now all yellow instead
of white. A more effective approach is to devise a strategy for marking your
text.
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English 209
Reading and Writing Concept Handout: The Reading Process
Approach Reading Strategically
For example, you can underline main ideas, circle important vocabulary,
mark sections/transitions, write questions in the margins, and even write
your responses to the author in the margins. You can also use a separate
sheet of note paper to keep track of your questions and responses to the
author’s ideas if they are in-depth and/or too lengthy for margin notes.
AFTER READING: Strategic readers follow through
Effective readers both comprehend and reflect on texts. These are two very
distinct skills, yet you cannot have one without the other. Comprehension
refers to your accurate understanding of what the author says. Reflection
refers to your own critical thinking on and evaluation of the author’s ideas.
Check Comprehension:
 Clarify any confusion by checking vocabulary, asking questions (of
your classmates and your instructors), and re-reading any areas where
you felt lost or confused. To help you make sense of your confusion,
you can do any of the following:
o If vocabulary is the problem: Use context clues or the dictionary
to look up unfamiliar words that seem to be central to the
author’s main ideas
o If long passages or wordy sentences are the problem: do a
closer reading of the section or sections that are most
confusing. Break down long sentence by looking at all its parts.
o If a particular concept is confusing: write down 1-2 questions
about this concept or idea and use this question to ask others
for clarification.
 Identify main ideas and relevant support: what is the author’s thesis
or central argument? What major support does the author use to
support this thesis?
 Organize information by writing out an outline or using graphic
organizers
 Write a summary or explain the author’s ideas to someone else
Reflect:
 Relate the author’s ideas to your own experience
 Ask questions to the author, to yourself, and to your peers
 Discuss the text with others to gain different interpretations
 Write a response that allows you to explore the ideas of the writer in
more depth and detail
If you are using these strategies for the first time, it can seem as though the
process takes too much time. But remember, with practice and consistency
these strategies will start to become more natural and less time consuming.
Ultimately, these strategies will help you develop a deeper understanding of
what you read, and using them can lead you towards a smooth transition into
participating actively in discussion and writing.
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