Getting the Most Out of Your Textbook: SQ4R

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Getting the Most Out of Your TextbookSQ4R

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• University Pavilion, Suite 120
• [phone]
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SQ4R

• S Survey
• Glance through all the headings in the chapter,
  and read the final summary paragraph (if the
  chapter has one). This survey should not take
  more than a minute, and it will show you the
  three to six core ideas on which the discussion
  will be based. This orientation will help you
  organize the ideas as you read them later.
• Q Question
• Now begin to work. Turn the first heading into a
  question. This will arouse your curiosity and
  thereby increase comprehension. It will bring to
  mind information you already know, thus helping
  you understand that information more quickly. The
  question also will make important points stand
  out from explanatory details. You can turn a
  heading into a question as you read the heading,
  but it demands conscious effort
• on your part.

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• R1 Read
• Read so as to answer that question, but read only
  to the end of the first section. This
• should not be a possible plodding along each
  line, but an active search for the answer.
• Read several paragraphs then go back to the
  first paragraph and ask yourself, What do
• I need to know in this paragraph? Read and
  reread until you find out.
• R2 Recite
• Having read the first section, look away from the
  book and try briefly to recite the
• answer to your question. Use your own words, and
  cite an example. If you can do this,
• you know what is in the book if you cannot,
  glance over the section again. An excellent
• way to recite from memory is to jot down brief
  cue phrases in outline form on a sheet of
• paper. Now repeat the second to fourth steps for
  each successive section That is, turn
• the next heading into a question,
• R3 Write
• Once you have identified and can briefly say
  aloud what you need to know, underline
• only the key words, phrases, and sentences that
  identify this information. Write brief

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General Reading Techniques

• Reading can be challenging! But developing this
  skill will be invaluable to you in many of your
  classes, particularly those like economics,
  physics, philosophy, medicine, law,
• history and psychology to name a few. Like any
  other skill such as playing the piano or
  basketball or working algebra problems, spending
  time developing this skill will eventually make
  reading more easily. The more you do it, the
  simpler it gets, and the
• more enjoyable it becomes.

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Reading Techniques

• 1.Give Yourself Enough Time Because essays
  always propose a line of reasoning, if you stop
  in the middle, you run the risk of forgetting
  what came before. Not only do you have to read
  the whole essay, but you have to understand it
  too. A large part of that understanding involves
• following the process of the authors reasoning.
  So, give yourself plenty of time to read
  completely through the assignment.
• 2. Use All Available Study Aids If you are
  reading from a textbook, make good use of all the
  study aids the author or editor(s) offer. Read
  the introductions, summaries, glossaries, and
  indexes. Examine the study questions, take
  advantage of any section headings, margin notes
  and boxed passages if your textbook offers them.
  All of these are instructional features that can
  help you read the book more easily. Take
  advantage of them!

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Reading Techniques

• 3. Grant All Ideas a Fair Hearing One good rule
  to follow when you are reading is whats called
  the Principle of Charity. If your instructor
  asked you to read the material, he/she most
  likely thinks that there is something valuable to
  be learned from the essay. Be charitable. Grant
  all ideas a fair hearing, even if (and especially
  if) you do not agree with them. People have the
  most trouble understanding and remembering ideas
  they disagree with, so this is something to work
  on.
• 4. Read and Reread You can rarely read an essay
  just once and completely understand it. Some
  writings demand careful, slow and repeated
  reading. Reread as often as you need to, to
  understand what the author is saying. However,
  dont spend so much time rereading the passage
  that you get discouraged.

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Reading Techniques

• 5. Change Your Surroundings If you are
  experiencing a great deal of frustration or
  difficulty with your reading, consider finding a
  new place to read. If you are tired, distracted,
  uncomfortable, hungry, thirsty or whatever, you
  may have difficulties with our reading. The
  better you can make the atmosphere, the better
  your comprehension is likely to be.
• 6. Read Actively Always read actively that is
  you must be constantly asking yourself What is
  the main point? Why did the author just say that?
  What are the authors reasons for believing this?
  Do I agree or disagree with this point? Keep a
  pencil, a highlighter, a pad of sticky notes, or
  a note pad handy. Mark passages that seem
  important or passages that you dont understand.
  However, dont highlight every sentence! Also,
  annotate as you read. Comments may be as simple
  as huh? or Yes! Use your notes to ask
  questions to mark passages you dont understand,
  or indicate you agree or disagree and what you
  think are the significant parts of the essay.

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Reading Techniques

• 7. Keep A Dictionary Merriam-Websters
  Collegiate Dictionary is a good comprehensive
  dictionary that can often be found on sale for a
  reasonable price. A paperback pocket dictionary
  will not be adequate. Many of the authors are
  from a multitude of scholarly areas and tend to
  use large and sometimes obscure words. So using a
  good dictionary is critical.
• 8. Stop And Summarize What You Have Read After
  you finish a section or a page, pause and see if
  you can restate what the author is saying in your
  own words. As you read, regularly stop. Close
  your eyes and mentally summarize the main points
  of what you have read. If you are ambitious,
  actually writing your summary down is even
  better since it helps you remember what youve
  read.

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Reading Techniques

• 9. Look for the Essays Main Point On your
  first reading of the essay, you should be looking
  for the authors conclusions. Ask yourself What
  is the author trying to prove? Just grasping the
  main point is a large enough part of the battle.
  If there are passages or details that you find
  particularly difficult even after reading them
  several times, skip over them and you will
  understand them better.
• 10. Identify the Essays Premise Once you
  understand the point or points the author is
  trying to prove, you need to figure out what his
  reasons are. On your second reading, ask
  yourself Why does she think her conclusion is
  true? As a rule, all essays offer a chain of
  ideas, or premises. Premises are meant to provide
  reasons leading to the overall conclusion. The
  primary task in reading is to identify the
  authors premises and conclusions.

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Reading Techniques

• 11. Talk to Your Instructor If you still do not
  understand an essay after following all these
  suggestions, then you should consult your
  instructor. Your instructor is one of your most
  important resources and is more that happy to
  help. Clarify, or just chat about your readings.

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Using Study Aids

• The following is some of the findings which
  research has discovered about the use of study
  aids.
• Students who use study aids well use the
  hints, study aids, or prompts that textbooks and
  teachers have provided for them.
• Students may also create various study aids of
  their own, including highlighting in their
  textbooks and taking notes in class or while
  reading.
• The study aids which students use helps them
  make the information which they are studying more
  meaningful to them.
• Study aids also increase the students ability
  to remember new information in ways that are
  easier for them to recall.
• The use of study aids is often effective in
  increasing the students ability to select main
  ideas and important information in their courses.

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Pre-Reading Study Aids

• Textbooks Title The title describes what the
  whole book is about or how the author will
  approach the topic. Making note of the title of
  the text will give you some idea as to its
  contents.
• Table of Contents This Study aid lists all of
  the main topics of the text. This will help to
  understand the texts organization and the
  relationships between the different sections of
  the text.
• Chapter Titles As with the books title, the
  chapter title will give you some idea as to the
  contents and main topics of the charter.
• Chapter Preview, Outline, or Objectives
  Chapter previews will give you an understanding
  of how the chapter is organized and the main
  topics that will be covered in the chapter.
  Chapter objectives will help you learn what the
  author thinks is important in the chapter.
• Review Questions Is it sometimes helpful to
  look at the review question prior to reading.
  These will help you identify what the important
  information is in the chapter.
• Chapter Summery Reading the chapter summery
  prior the toe chapter will give you some idea as
  to the type of information you should be finding
  as you read. Chapter summaries may appear at the
  beginning or end of the chapter.

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Aids To Use During Reading

• Web Web-Based Material Many textbooks have web
  addresses where supplementary material can be
  found. These can include additional text, extra
  problems and exercises, streaming videos and
  soundtracks. These help the material become more
  meaningful.
• Supplementary Material Many textbooks are
  published with supplementary material such as
  workbooks, extra readings, and additional sample
  problems.
• Headings Headings give you an idea of what you
  are going to read and the organization of the
  text. Using headings will allow you to make
  connections between what you have read and what
  you are about to read.
• Marginal Notes It is important to use both
  marginal that are provided by the texts publisher
  and make marginal notes for yourself in the text.
  Marginal notes can include definitions, questions
  that you have, connections with other texts you
  are reading, or notes to your self about other
  references to use.
• Review Questions As you read think about the
  review question your author has provided or make
  up your own. These will help you organize your
  thinking, remember what you are reading, and
  concentrate on the material at hand.

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• Graphics These are used extensively in most
  textbooks. It is important to read graphics by
  looking at the components and recognizing how
  they are related.
• List of Key Terms Using lists of key terms
  allows you to look up their definitions before
  reading so that they are readily accessible while
  you are reading. You can also write definitions
  for each of these terms as you read about them.
• Glossary Use the Glossary to help find the
  definition of words in the intended meaning of
  the textbook. This is an excellent resource when
  reading highly technical language.
• Append Appendix Often graphics, special
  descriptions of a technique, tables that can help
  you work exercises in the text, and other aids
  can be found in an appendix. These can be used to
  help understand the meaning of the text.
• Index Many times words or topics in a text are
  defined or explained in another part of the text.
  The index will help you to locate where else this
  material is discussed. This will help you better
  arrive at a better understanding of the text.

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Post-Reading Study Aids

• Chapter Summaries Summaries help you organize
  your thinking and find relationships among the
  main ideas. It is also important to write your
  own summary once you have read a chapter.
• Review Questions By answering review questions
  you test your knowledge about what you have just
  read. You can then review the answers before
  continuing on to the next chapter and make
  connections to the new text you are reading.
  Review questions can come both from the book and
  from the professor.
• Suggested Readings or References Looking at
  lists of other readings or references can aid in
  your understanding of the material. This is
  especially true if you are having trouble
  understanding the particular text you are
  reading. Reading a similar text by another author
  sometimes helps one to understand the
  information.

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Creating Your Own Study Aids

• Often, creating your own study aids can be more
  helpful than solely using study aids that are
  provided by your text book. While creating your
  own study aids, you are reviewing the material
  you are to be studying and processing the new
  information more thoroughly. There are many
  different types of study aids which you can
  create yourself. Some of these include
• Taking notes both in class and while doing
  you reading. This way you can have a reference
  to all the information that you are
  encountering.
• Creating diagrams and charts for the
  information you are presented with will help you
  see it in a different light. Diagrams can help
  you to understand complex relationships.
• Creating summery sheets will help you to
  review the material you have just read or heard.
  Putting the information in your own words also
  helps to make the information more memorable and
  relevant.
• Underlining or highlighting you text and
  notes helps you to identify and remember
  important material. It also helps on to locate
  specific information that one might need to
  find.

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Dont forget to look through available resources

• Attend group review sessions
• Working with a tutor
• Working with a specialist in the college
  learning center
• Comparing notes with other students
• Studying with a small group of students
• Participating in class computer discussions or
  chat rooms