Doc Whiz's How to Student: Book Reading/Study Skills

• General information about books and reading
• Reading in Social Sciences
• Reading in Mathematics, Computer Science, Accounting
• Reading Fiction
• Reading Drama
• Reading Poetry

1. You need to open books in order to read them.
2. Reading is a skill that requires practice. (Read! Read anything and everything you can.)
3. Highlighting makes your books colorful, but doesn' t replace taking notes on what you have read.
4. Different subject texts require differing approaches to the "reading to learn" task.

Reading in Social Sciences

1. Look at the headings, bold-faced print, margin notes, illustrations, tables, and figures of the chapter you are about to read. Read all of the captions and try to get a sense of the topics/concepts covered.
2. Scan the topic sentence of each paragraph of the chapter to get a sense of content.
3. Read the chapter making notes of the concepts or points being introduced or explained.
4. Review and rewrite/organize your notes on the text.

Reading for Mathematics, Computer Science, Accounting, Statistics, etc.

1. Read with a paper and pencil. Do the computations/procedures as they are presented in the text.
2. Do all the practice problems whether they are assigned as homework or not.
3. If you encounter a procedure or problem you cannot follow, have your instructor explain.

Reading Literature (Fiction)

1. Read once completely to find out what happens. (action, plot, characters, narrative technique)
2. Pay attention to class discussions.
3. Read again. Read to natural breaks. (See if you can recognize elements discussed in class. Try to identify or reflect upon critical elements - symbols, action, voice, etc.)

Reading Literature ( Drama)

1. Read once completely to find out what happens. (action, plot, characters)
2. Read act or two out loud. (Act it out.)
3. Pay attention to class discussions.
4. Read again. Read to natural breaks. (See if you can recognize elements discussed in class. Try to identify or reflect upon critical elements.)

Reading Literature (Poetry)

1. Read the poem.
2. Read the poem out loud.
3. In the margin make notes and questions about anything you don't understand.
4. Look up words you don't know and write them in the margin.
5. Pay attention to class discussions.
6. Read again and generate your interpretation.