Tips For Reading Textbooks

The first thing to do with a textbook chapter is to access your prior knowledge. To do this, ask yourself, What do I already know about this subject/topic? Then scan the chapter. Look at all the visuals: the pictures, graphs, etc. Think about what they mean and then read the captions. Then ask yourself, What do I want to know about this subject/topic? 

Next read the headings and then turn them into questions. For instance, if the heading reads, The Road to Democracy, you would ask, What was the road to Democracy?  Once you ask the question, then read the section to find the answer to the question. Once you find the answer, you have found the main idea of that section and should write it down somewhere. Continue to read the chapter in this manner. 

When you are finished, and you have made notes, go back and review them. Then ask yourself, What did I learn that I didn't know before?

This system is a combination of reading strategies called K-W-L and SQ3R.

K-W-L stands for:

     1) What do I know?

     2. What do I want to know?

     3. What did I learn?

Here is a graphic organizer to assist you with creating a KWL chart. 

SQ3R stands for:

Scan: look at all the visuals
Question: turn headings into questions
Read: read to find the answer
Recite: write down your answers
Review: review what you read and wrote down

This may seem like a lot to do, but if you follow this plan, you may actually save time. You will understand and remember more than if you just jump in and read the textbook as if you were reading a novel.

Reading Textbooks