A Strategy for Reading Textbooks
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SQRW is a four-step strategy for reading and taking notes from chapters in a textbook. Each letter stands for one step in the strategy. Using SQRW will help you to understand what you read and to prepare a written record of what you learned. The written record will be valuable when you have to participate in a class discussion and again when you study for a test. Read to learn what to do for each step in SQRW.
Survey.
Surveying brings
to mind what you already know about the topic of a chapter and prepares
you for learning more. To survey a chapter, read the title,
introduction, headings, and the summary or conclusion. Also, examine
all visuals such as pictures, tables, maps, and/or graphs and read the
caption that goes with each. By surveying a chapter, you will quickly
learn what the chapter is about.
Question.
You need to have
questions in your mind as you read. Questions give you a purpose for
reading and help you stay focused on the reading assignment. Form
questions by changing each chapter heading into a question. Use the
words who, what, when, where, why, or how to form
questions. For example, for the heading "Uses of Electricity" in a
chapter about how science improves lives, you might form the question
"What are some uses of electricity?" If a heading is stated as a
question, use that question. When a heading contains more than one
idea, form a question for each idea. Do not form questions for the
Introduction, Summary, or Conclusion.
Read.
Read the
information that follows each heading to find the answer to each
question you formed. As you do this, you may decide you need to change
a question or turn it into several questions to be answered. Stay
focused and flexible so you can gather as much information as you need
to answer each question.
Write.
Write each
question and its answer in your notebook. Reread each of your written
answers to be sure each answer is legible and contains all the
important information needed to answer the question.
As you practice using SQRW, you will find you learn more and have good study notes to use to prepare for class participation and tests.
HINT: Once you complete the Survey step for the entire chapter, complete the Question, Read, and Write steps for the first heading. Then complete the Question, Read, and Write steps for the second heading, and so on for the remaining headings in the chapter.
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by: Admin
Total views: 254
Word Count: 710
Date: Thu, 25 May 2006 Time: 12:00 AM
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