6 Taking Reading Notes
Complete the self-assessment on your approaches to reading
As we shared earlier, university students spend a lot of time and effort for their courses outside the classroom. This definitely includes assigned readings. Students often find they need five minutes per page and schedule time for readings into their weekly schedules.
We highly recommend using the SQ3R Method (survey, question, read, recite, and review) because it keeps readers engaged.
Exercises
Let’s practice the SQ3R method
Read this article, “Zombie Apocalypse: Can the Undead Teach the Living How to Survive an Emergency” and use a SQ3R chart to practice the reading strategy.
| Survey | Note the headings, graphics, layout, topic, etc. |
| Question | List three questions you have based on your reading survey. |
| Read | Find the answers to your questions. Pause and re-read as needed. |
| Recite | Write a brief summary of the passages. |
| Review | Create questions based on the reading that ask you to apply and analyze information. |
Want to increase your reading speed?
Since you’ll have a lot of readings to do, we suggest doing the following to help save time on readings and complete them efficiently.
- Set time limits to keep you on task.
- Don’t skip the survey step in the SQ3R Method. It’ll help build your prediction skills and ability to identify key points.
- Guide your eye movement with the pen or finger to help direct eyes across the page.
- Focus on nouns and verbs, not every word on the page.
- Reading out loud can be a good strategy for reading comprehension, but it isn’t helpful for increasing reading speed.
Want to build your vocabulary?
Many readings in university are very dense and full of new words to learn. Here are some ways to build your vocabulary.
- Approach new words and try to find their meaning through the sentence context.
- Have a dictionary and thesaurus for reference.
- Use new words in study groups or when talking to peers.
- Read many types of texts, such as newspapers, blogs and books for fun.