Choosing How to Read a Text
Match the reading to the job: skim to see whether a text is worth the time, scan for one fact, read closely when the wording carries the argument, reread when the first pass did not hold. Reading everything at one speed wastes the hours that the hard texts need.
What a learner can do afterwards
- Say before starting which of skim, scan or close read the task needs, and why
- Switch approach mid-text when the first choice stops working, and name the moment it stopped
- Justify rereading a paragraph rather than pressing on, pointing at what did not resolve
1 · Read
Match your reading to the job. Skim to judge if a text deserves your time, scan to hunt one fact, and read closely when the wording carries the argument. Reading everything at one speed wastes the hours that hard texts need.
Need the year a bridge opened. Scan headings and search for numbers until the date pops out. Need to say what the author believes. Slow down, mark the thesis, and note the evidence in your own words. Before you start, name your approach and your reason in one sentence.
Switch gears the moment your first choice stops working. If skimming no longer answers your question, slow to a close read. If a paragraph stays foggy, reread that knot and point at the lines that stayed foggy instead of pressing on blind.
Before you start, name your approach and your reason in one sentence. After a reread, point at what finally resolved. That habit turns rereading from shame into method.
Pick skim, scan, or close reading for the job, switch when stuck, and reread the knot.
Rewritten readings were written for this dataset.
More to read
Match your reading to your goal
Decide what you need from a text before reading. Skimming gives an overview; scanning locates a particular detail. Close reading helps you understand thoroughly or evaluate ideas. Choose the approach that fits your aim. Say your choice aloud to help you stick with it when reading becomes difficult.
Know when to skim
Purposeful skimming gives a quick overview. Check headings, move your gaze ahead without sounding out every word, then test what you remember. Use it for straightforward material or an initial reading. Poems and proofs need closer attention. If quick reading stops helping you understand, slow down and read closely.
Leave useful notes as you read
Annotations record your responses. Underline a main claim, mark supporting evidence with a star and jot down questions beside the text. Record both understanding and confusion. These notes let you revisit the relevant passages later without rereading an entire chapter.
Make textbook notes from questions
Use a textbook's organisation to guide your notes. Make a question from each heading, locate its answer and explain it using your own wording. Tables and bold vocabulary signal the author's priorities. After each part, record any questions you still have.
Make a book useful for review
If a book belongs to you, write notes beside the text. Limit underlining, use symbols for recurring ideas and record disagreements. Read a puzzling paragraph again at a slower pace, noting the exact difficulty. Those records will help when you review.
2 · Watch
En anglaisTake it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
Optional connections
This opens up
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.