Reading Your Texts Efficiently Do you read slowly? Do you have trouble focusing when reading? Is it hard to remember what you read? This workshop will introduce you to strategies to use before, during & after reading to help you learn how to best focus & how to select important information from a text. It will also show you ways to improve your abilities to retain & analyze what you have read.

1. Reading
Efficiency:
Getting the
Most Out of
What You Read

2. Workshop Description
Do you read slowly?
Do you have trouble remembering what you have
read?
Being able to read more efficiently and effectively
will help you be more successful with your
studies at Empire State College.
This workshop is designed to give you strategies
for getting the best value from your reading
and is designed to introduce you to a variety of
reading strategies to use before, during and
after reading to engage your thought
processes and improve your abilities to retain
and analyze what you have read.
The skills and strategies in this workshop will
assist you in learning how to best focus when
you read and how to select important
information from a text in order to recall it for
class discussions and assignments.

3. • Reading & Decoding
• Textbook Reading & Comprehension
Agenda
• SQ3R/SQ5R
• Skimming & Scanning
• Reading & Notetaking
• Says/Does
• Mindmapping
• Critical Reading
• PTR2

4. The Efficient Reader… The Slow Reader…
Adjusts Speed to Need Reads Everything Same
Uses a Pacer Lets Eyes Wander
Practices Speed Reading Rarely (if ever) Practices
Keeps Reading Re-reads Sentences
Reads with a Purpose Reads “to the end”
Marks Text for Memory Leaves Pages Clean
Reads Multi-Word Reads One Word at a
Phrases Time
Reads Ideas Reads Words

5. Reading & Decoding
College reading entails having not only to read and
comprehend a subject, but it also entails reading
for a specific purpose, being able to analyze the
material you read, and to read between the
lines.
Let’s look at 3 levels of reading and decoding:
• Decoding for meaning – using context clues
• Reading for meaning – not word for word
• Reading with a purpose – knowing what you are
reading about and why you are reading it

6. Decoding for Meaning – Using context clues

7. Decoding for Meaning – Using context clues
Raining Cats and Dogs Belly Button

9. Sunny Side Up Talent Show

10. Reading for Meaning – not word for word
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde
Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr
the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt
tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the
rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and
you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is
bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed
ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a
wlohe.

11. Reading for Meaning – not word for word
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde
Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr
the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt
tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the
rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and
you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is
bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed
ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a
wlohe.
According to a researcher at Cambridge University, it doesn't matter in what order the
letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letter be at the
right place. The rest can be a total mess and you can still read it without problem.
This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself but the word as a
whole.
http://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/~mattd/Cmabrigde/

12. Reading with a Purpose
What is this about?
A newspaper is better than a magazine. A seashore is
a better place than the street. At first it is better to run
than to walk. You may have to try several times. It
takes some skill but it’s easy to learn. Even young
children can enjoy it. Once you are successful,
complications are minimal. Birds seldom get too
close. Rain, however, soaks in very fast. Too many
people doing the same thing can also cause problems.
One needs lots of room. If there are no complications,
it can be very peaceful. A rock will serve as an
anchor. If things break loose from it, however, you
will not get a second chance.

13. Reading with a Purpose
Flying a Kite
A newspaper is better than a magazine. A seashore is
a better place than the street. At first it is better to run
than to walk. You may have to try several times. It
takes some skill but it’s easy to learn. Even young
children can enjoy it. Once you are successful,
complications are minimal. Birds seldom get too
close. Rain, however, soaks in very fast. Too many
people doing the same thing can also cause problems.
One needs lots of room. If there are no complications,
it can be very peaceful. A rock will serve as an
anchor. If things break loose from it, however, you
will not get a second chance.

14. Comprehension

15. Comprehension Tips
CREATE INTEREST
• Set Goals:
• “What is my purpose for doing this reading?”
• “What do I want to learn?”
• Look about how to best take notes
Think at lesson objectives
• Learn new vocabulary
• Preview the reading
• Review introductory information
USE WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW
• Activate prior knowledge (schema):
“What do I know about the topic?”

16. *CREATE A POSITIVE READING ENVIRONMENT*
• Relatively free of interruptions (phone, email, TV, friends)
friends/family)
• Free of distractions (noise, people watching, windows)
• Study in the same place & time (routine)
• Not too comfortable (easily fall asleep)
• Choose a time when you are mentally alert
**INCREASE YOUR ATTENTION SPAN**
• Set specific and manageable study goals
• Read with a purpose
• Read actively (create study aids)
• Keep a distractions list
• Vary your reading
• Take breaks
• Approach assignment with a positive attitude

17. *CREATE A POSITIVE READING ENVIRONMENT*
• Relatively free of interruptions (phone, email, TV, friends)
• Free of distractions (noise, people watching, windows)
• Study in the same place & time (routine)
• Not too comfortable (easily fall asleep)
• Choose a time when you are mentally alert
**INCREASE YOUR ATTENTION SPAN**
• Set specific and manageable study goals
• Read with a purpose
• Read actively (create study aids)
• Keep a distractions list
• Vary your reading
• Take breaks
• Approach assignment with a positive attitude

18. Identifying Your Purpose For Reading Using
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Appraise, assess, or
EVALUATION critique on a basis of
Specific standards &
criteria.
Accomplish a personal task
SYNTHESIS after devising plan of action.
Identify the elements (assumptions,
ANALYSIS hypotheses, evidence) and structure
of a situation.
Remember knowledge or principles in
APPLICATION order to solve a problem and apply rules.
Demonstrate understanding, interpret, &
COMPREHENSION extrapolate from a certain body of knowledge,
facts and ideas.
Recall words, facts, dates, convention, classification,
KNOWLEDGE principles, theories, etc. in the approximate form in
which they were learned.

19. What is the following about???
This is an easy thing to do. If possible, you will do it at
home, but you can always go somewhere else if it is necessary.
Beware of doing too much at once. This is a major
mistake and may cost you quite a bit of money. It is far better
to do too little than attempt to do too much. Make sure
everything is grouped properly. Put everything into its
appropriate place.
Now you are ready to proceed. The next step is to put
things into another convenient arrangement. Once done,
you’ll probably have to start again really soon. Most likely,
you’ll be doing this for the rest of your life---- perhaps not.
Who knows?

20. Doing Laundry
This is an easy thing to do. If possible, you will do it at
home, but you can always go somewhere else if it is
necessary.
Beware of doing too much at once. This is a major
mistake and may cost you quite a bit of money. It is far
better to do too little than attempt to do too much. Make
sure everything is grouped properly. Put everything into
its appropriate place.
Now you are ready to proceed. The next step is to
put things into another convenient arrangement. Once
done, you’ll probably have to start again really soon.
Most likely, you’ll be doing this for the rest of your life-
--- perhaps not. Who knows?

21. Schema
A schema in general is a specific,
well-documented, and consistent
plan. The related word, scheme
means a loosely described plan.
A schema (pl. schemata), in
psychology and cognitive
science, is a mental structure
(prior knowledge) that
represents some aspect of the
world. People use schemata to
organize current knowledge
and provide a framework for
future understanding.

22. Reading Efficiency &
Comprehension Strategies
• SQ3R
• Says/Does
• PTR2
• Mindmapping

23. Textbook Study System
SQ3R
5 step method that was designed to help people become more active in their
reading and retain information more easily.
Survey- Read intro, summary; skim headings, boldface,
pictures, charts, graphs, etc.
Question- set purpose for reading
Read- break into sections
Recite-key information in your own words
Review -scan material; talk about it with classmate if
possible; identify themes and relationships between
concepts
SQ3R system was developed during WWII to help military personnel
enrolled in special programs ready faster and study better.
Research shows students who learn system and use it conscientiously
- read 22% faster
- comprehend 10% more
- retain 80% of material.

24. SQ5R Study Method
 URVEY-Read intro, summary; skim headings,
boldface, pictures, charts, graphs, etc.
 UESTION-set purpose for reading
 EAD-break into sections
 ESPOND-think about what you read
 ECORD-highlight, take notes
 ECITE-key information in your own words
 EVIEW-scan material; talk about it with
classmate if possible; identify themes and
relationships between concepts

25. Survey
Objective: To get a solid overview of what you are going to be
reading.
What it does…
Prepares your mental processing system.
Why do it ?
• Better able to concentrate with a frame of reference.
• Be able to identify location of important information.
Endstate…
Better understanding/comprehension/retention of material

26. Survey Applied to Your Studies
• Begin by looking at the learning contract and
assignments
• Take note of assigned terms and problems
• Skim any handouts
• Read the introduction
• Skim (rapidly) through the chapter, notice
main headings and visuals
• Read the summary/intro overview of the
chapter

27. Skimming
Goal: Read parts of text that contain the most important
information and skip what is least important.
How
• All of the steps for scanning AND
• Read first sentence of each paragraph
• Note last sentences of paragraph for summary
• Pick out and identify key words
• (vocabulary, formulas/ equations, names, numbers, dates…)
• Maps, charts, graphs, timelines or diagrams =
summary of key idea, event or relationship
• General Rule = Skip more than you read

28. Thinking about: Organization of Texts
EXTERNAL
1. Preface, table of contents, appendices,
bibliography, index, title page, list of tables
and illustrations, glossary
2. Introduction/summary statements,
headings, graphs, charts, illustrations,
guide questions

29. Restatement:
Reading What a Text Says
Description:
Describing What a Text Does
Interpretation:
Analyzing What a Text Means

30. EXAMPLES of Ways to Read and Discuss Text
From: www.criticalreading.com/ways_to_read.htm
Consider the following nursery rhyme...
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow,
and everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go.
What A Text Says talks about the topic of the original text, Mary and the lamb.
Mary had a lamb that followed her everywhere.
What A Text Does talks about the story.
The nursery rhyme describes a pet that followed its mistress everywhere.
What a Text Means talks about meaning within the story, here the idea of innocent
devotion.
An image of innocent devotion is conveyed by the story of a lamb's
close connection to its mistress. The devotion is emphasized by
repetition that emphasizes the constancy of the lamb's actions
("everywhere"…"sure to go.") The notion of innocence is conveyed by
the image of a young lamb, "white as snow." By making it seem that this
connection between pet and mistress is natural and good, the nursery
rhyme asserts innocent devotion as a positive relationship.

31. SAYS/DOES EXAMPLE
Copyright New York Times Company Aug 9, 2005
CONGRESS has an amazing new scheme to cut crime,
automobile fatalities and energy consumption. There is one
hitch. We have to stay in bed until sunrise during the first week
Congress of November -- lights out, televisions and radios off and please Intro to
attempts stay away from that coffee maker. topic with
to humorous
influence Of course, doing so might interfere with breakfast, school
attendance, morning workouts and jobs. That's because during linkages to
social daily
problems that week, the sun won't rise until 7:30 a.m. at the earliest. If
impact of
with you live on the western edge of your time zone, expect darkness
change in
change in until 8:30 a.m. Sorry, Boise. Good night, Grand Rapids. DLS.
time
Congress has extended daylight saving time by four weeks: In
2007, our clocks will spring forward on the second Sunday of
March and fall back on the first Sunday of November. And
Change in frankly, there may be another hitch or two in the plan. First, Provides
DLS is the trick of shifting unused morning light to evening was current
extended intended to exploit long summer days, when sunrise occurs state of
4 weeks between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. Standard Time -- hours of daylight affairs
and points that do not exist during the short days of March and November. with &
out Second, after nearly 100 years, daylight saving has yet to save critique of
problems the change
us anything. The idea of falsifying clocks was proposed by the
with in DLS.
British architect William Willett in 1907, but the Germans were
original
intent &
the first to try it in 1916, hoping that it would help them
current
conserve fuel during the First World War. Then Britain and
change
America gave their clocks a whirl.

32. Strategies for Reading Texts
Class warfare
Time; New York; Mar 4, 2002; Ron Stodghill
Abstract:
Not everyone is as receptive to jRoTc's soft nudge into the rank and
file. "I enjoyed [JROTC] , but I never wanted to pursue a career in the
military," says the Rev. [Edward Cook], 27, a former JROTC cadet and
a 1993 graduate of Jackson's Forest Hill High School. Still, as a
seminary student and director of the day-care center at Greater New
Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church in Jackson, Cook says those old
experiences in JROTC are proving relevant in his work today.]

33. SAYS
SAYS DOES
DOES
Shunta WHO'S GOING TO ARGUE WITH this outcome? Back in 1992 Shunta Belle was on the
Bell’s life fast track to nowhere, "hanging around thugs and drug dealers and trying to prove myself
experience
to them." Then, as a freshman at Provine High School in Jackson, Miss., she signed up for Provides
& getting on
the spit-and-shine, no-nonsense world of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. For
Case Study
the first year, Belle held on to a few of her underachieving civilian comrades. But over the
track when next three years, she picked up new friends, a better attitude and a fresh set of goals to Example of
started match. "I got serious about things," she says, "and I wanted to be around people who + impact of
JROTC. wanted something out of life." Today Belle, 23, is a fire fighter in her hometown department. JROTC
It is stories like Belle's that have helped fuel the growth of JROTC. Started in 1916, JROTC
established a beachhead at the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy in
Norwich, Vt. Currently the program can be found in some 3,000 public schools across the
JROTC started nation, and its Pentagon funding is expected to rise more than 50%, from $215 million last Background
in 1916, in about year to $326 million by 2004. JROTC has its best-known booster in Colin Powell, who was info on the
3,000 public a ROTC cadet as a student at City College of New York. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of history,
schools in US,
$$ up to $326
Staff, he decided that JROTC offered the best prescription for saving lost inner-city youths. development
mil from $215
"Yes, I'll admit, the armed forces might get a youngster more inclined to enlist as a result of
and costs of
mil for 2004.
Collin Powell- Junior ROTC. But society got a far greater payoff," Powell later wrote in his 1995 JROTC
Poster child autobiography, My American Journey. "Inner-city kids, many from broken homes, found
example stability and role models in junior Rom They got a taste of discipline, the work ethic, and
they experienced pride of membership in something healthier than a gang."
There are quite a few people, however, who believe that those success stories come at
Opposition to too high a price. After all, JROTC teaches kids how to act and think like soldiers before
Presents
JROTC – they are old enough to know their own mind. Critics argue that because such programs are Counter
“success among the few sources of additional funding for some of the nation's neediest schools, they argument to
stories” have exploit poor kids by putting them on a military track, to the exclusion of other options. The the
their cost debate has heated up as a growing number of school districts have begun offering JROTC, positives of
“Exploit the
neediest kids”
while others in such cities as Oakland, Calif., and Chicago have scrapped conventional JROTC
teaching methods to convert some schools into public military academies.
“cost more
than they say”

34. PTR2
P =
roblem
INTRO
T hesis
R =
easons BODY
R =esults Conclusion

35. Are military programs in the inner-city public schools rescuing at-risk
kids or pushing them to become soldiers?
WHO'S GOING TO ARGUE WITH this outcome? Back in 1992 Shunta Belle was on the fast track to nowhere, "hanging
around thugs and drug dealers and trying to prove myself to them." Then, as a freshman at Provine High School in
Jackson, Miss., she signed up for the spit-and-shine, no-nonsense world of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps.
For the first year, Belle held on to a few of her underachieving civilian comrades. But over the next three years, she
picked up new friends, a better attitude and a fresh set of goals to match. "I got serious about things," she says, "and I
Problem wanted to be around people who wanted something out of life." Today Belle, 23, is a fire fighter in her hometown
department.
It is stories like Belle's that have helped fuel the growth of JROTC. Started in 1916, JROTC established a beachhead at
the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy in Norwich, Vt. Currently the program can be found in some
3,000 public schools across the nation, and its Pentagon funding is expected to rise more than 50%, from $215 million
last year to $326 million by 2004. JROTC has its best-known booster in Colin Powell, who was a ROTC cadet as a
student at City College of New York. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he decided that JROTC offered the best
Thesis prescription for saving lost inner-city youths.
"Yes, I'll admit, the armed forces might get a youngster more inclined to enlist as a result of Junior ROTC. But society
got a far greater payoff," Powell later wrote in his 1995 autobiography, My American Journey. "Inner-city kids, many
from broken homes, found stability and role models in junior Rom They got a taste of discipline, the work ethic, and they
experienced pride of membership in something healthier than a gang."
There are quite a few people, however, who believe that those success
stories come at too high a price. After all, JROTC teaches kids how to act and think like
soldiers before they are old enough to know their own mind. Critics argue that because such programs
are among the few sources of additional funding for some of the nation's neediest schools, they
Reasons exploit poor kids by putting them on a military track, to the exclusion of other options. The debate has
heated up as a growing number of school districts have begun offering JROTC, while others in such cities as Oakland,
Calif., and Chicago have scrapped conventional teaching methods to convert some schools into public military
R1 academies.
One of the biggest selling points of JROTC to school districts is that its matching federal funds provide a cost-effective
way to broaden a school's curriculum. But that's a claim opponents say masks many hidden expenses. A recent study
R1 by the American Friends Service Committee argues, for example, that after school districts subsidize military
instructors' salaries, renovate facilities to accommodate JROTC instruction and fork over for mandated field
trips, JROTC is usually pricier than conventional academic programs.

36. The Benefits of Mind Mapping
Concept mapping can be done for several purposes:
• to generate ideas (brain storming, etc.).
• to design a complex structure (long texts, large web sites, etc.);
• to communicate complex ideas.
• to aid learning by explicitly integrating new and old knowledge
• to assess understanding or diagnose misunderstanding.
Concept maps:
• Show relationships between ideas.
• Acts as a memory trigger.
• Makes it easier to remember information.
• Improves reading comprehension.
• Unequaled tool for organizing information.
• The act of organizing materials is studying.

37. BRAINST O RMING
LECTURE
STUDY GROUP TEXTBOOK
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
NO TES
NOTES
LESS ON What Can I
WHAT TO PARAGRAPHS
O BJECTIV ES
Graphically? Organize
G.O
RO UGH TES T
DRAFTS REVIEW

38. Similarities
Differences Differences
Object, Event Object, Event
or Person or Person

39. Persuasive
Essay
State the Gi ve bri ef outli ne Tell w hy Address
Introducti on Summari ze
facts of argument to argument i s arguments of your argument
follow reasonable the other si de
Supports organization of ideas
Helps form logical arguments
Serves as reminder of audience and purpose

40. Line 8 Line 1
Line 7 Title of Line 2
Poem
by
Line 6 Author Line 3
Line 5 Line 4

41. Concept Map Practice
Instructions: Read the following passage on principles of classification, and do a concept map of everything you read in
the passage.
Classification consists of placing together in categories those things that resemble each other. While this sounds simple, in
actual practice it may be quite difficult. First of all, we have to decide what kind of similarities are the most important
for our purpose. One of the earliest classification schemes placed in one category all those organisms which lived in
the same habitat. Thus fish, whales, and penguins were classified as swimming creatures. This type of classification
was often based on the principle that creatures possessing analogous organs should be classified together.
Analogous organs are organs that have the same function. The fins of fishes and the flippers of whales and penguins
are analogous organs because they are all used for swimming. The wings of birds, bats, and insects are analogous
organs that make flying possible.
As more knowledge was gained about the anatomy of living things, it became apparent that similarities of habitat and of
analogous organs were often rather superficial. The fact that bats have fur and nurse their young, birds have feathers
and lay eggs, while insects are cold-blooded and have no internal skeleton suggested that these organisms differ
from one another in more important ways than they resemble one another. An appreciation of the truly significant
ways in which organisms resemble or differ from one another enabled the Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus to
found the modern system of classification. In 1753 he published a classification of the plants which was followed, in
1758, by a classification of the animals. For this work he is often called the father of taxonomy, the name given to the
study of classification. His system of classification is fundamentally the system we use today. It is based on the
principle of homology. Homologous organs are organs which show the same basic structure, the same general
relationship to other organs, and the same pattern of very early growth. They need not, however, share the same
function. An examination of the bones of the whale's flipper, the bat's wing, and man's arm reveals the same basic
pattern (Fig.2-2). Furthermore, all these appendages are found in the same part of the body and develop in similar
ways. They are homologous organs, although they are used to carry out quite different functions. Linnaeus felt that
the difference in function was trivial, while the homology of the organs provided a sound basis for grouping these
animals together. Why is classification based upon homology so significant? The answer to this question was not
given until 1859 when Charles Darwin published his theory of evolution, According to Darwin, a classification based
upon the presence of homologous organs is a classification based upon kinship. He felt that all creatures sharing
homologous organs is a classification based upon kinship. He felt that all creatures sharing homologous organs are
related to one another, having inherited their homologous organs from a common ancestor. Thus man, the bat, and
the whale all had a single ancestor who possessed the basic forelimb structure that these creatures possess -
although obviously in a quite modified form - today.
Source: http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learning/note-taking/class1.html

42. Source: http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learning/note-taking/class1a.html

43. Reading Efficiency Resources
READING TEXTS
• Pre-Reading Strategies www.studygs.net/preread.htm
• Critical Reading www.esc.edu/ESConline/Across_ESC/WritingResourceCenter.nsf/wholeshortlinks2/Academic+Reading
• Studying Efficiently gwired.gwu.edu/counsel/asc/index.gw/Site_ID/46/Page_ID/14536/
• Textbook Reading Strategies academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/as/208.HTM
• How to Study – Reading Resources www.howtostudy.org/resources_skill.php?id=10
• Dartmouth Academic Skills Center www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/reading.html
• St. Louis University Reading Resource Center www.slu.edu/x14076.xml
• Rochester Institute of Technology – Academic Support Center – On Textbook Reading
www.rit.edu/studentaffairs/asc/college_programs/lng_pwr/index.php?l1=3&l2=7&location=37
• James Cook University
– Reading Efficiency - http://www.jcu.edu.au/office/tld/learningskills/effreading/
MINDMAPPING
• Theory Behind Concept Mapping
cmap.ihmc.us/Publications/ResearchPapers/TheoryCmaps/TheoryUnderlyingConceptMaps.htm
• Mindmapping Overview members.optusnet.com.au/~charles57/Creative/Mindmap/
• Reading Comprehension & Mindmapping Video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvnbKEHOQIY&feature=related
• University of Victoria www.coun.uvic.ca/learning/reading-skills/
• James Cook University
– Mindmapping - http://www.jcu.edu.au/office/tld/learningskills/mindmap/index.html

44. Please give us your feedback at:
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