Reading a textbook is not like reading a novel.  A whole different kind of reading has to be  employed to really understand the material.  To study your books effectively and be ready for your class exams, try the following suggestions.

- Don’t just read it; re-read it. You’ll find that the material often gets easier to understand the second time around.  Many people complain that they get confused by textbooks when they read it the first time.  Don’t stress out if you don’t think you’ve grasped it all that first time.  Just take a short rest and then go back to read it again.  And if you still don’t get it, read it a third time.

- Take several breaks for mini-reviews. Rather than reading the whole chapter all at once, break it up into logical parts, then break to summarize what you’ve just read.  See our post on How Long Should I study for?

- As you read, keep your eyes open for essential words. Mentally try to skip over the excess adjectives and adverbs.  Concentrate on the essential words that give the paragraph its basic meaning.  These are normally the simple nouns and verbs.

-  Ask for input from your instructor. Even in large lecture classes, professors and teachers normally welcome their students to talk with them. So admit to your instructor your problem and ask for his or her assistance with the part that’s confusing you.

-  Read it out loud. Yeah, I know that you’re elementary school teachers told you to learn to read silently, but when you’re studying difficult textbooks, reading out loud helps you to think about the material.  And as you read it, each time use a different inflection emphasizing a different part of each sentence and paragraph.

-  Don’t be afraid to change your position as you’re reading. This helps your body to fight fatigue and to keep your mind refreshed.  See more on Creating your Personal Study Space.

- If you feel overwhelmed by your course material, hire a tutor.  Many schools keep a list of tutors.  Speak with the office to find someone who is skilled with the material that’s giving you problems.  Or purchase one of the commercial study guides available.

These are just a few suggestions that should help you master those difficult textbooks that otherwise might keep you from getting the “A” in your classes.  Even practicing just a few of these suggestions could dramatically improve your results in your class. What’s more, they’ll help you with reading other difficult material throughout the rest of your life.

Learn more from the Study Skills Handbook, and Effective Study Skills Lesson Plan

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• Study Strategies for Reading Novels (3)

Reading novels teaches us about different worlds, eras and people. For this reason, they are an integral part of getting educated. It’s important not to be intimidated by the language and issues in novels; instead, practice strategies that help you navigate the text.

Pre-reading:

A little research – Research can be simple, like a keyword search that gives some information about the genre you are reading; the author; the time period in which the novel is set; or the subject matter of the book. These key words can generally be found on the back or inside cover of the book and will give the reader outside information to help understand the story. Research can also be more complex, like checking out a book from the library that has essays written about the novel.

Predict – Flip through the first section of the book and look for a short piece of dialogue or text. Predict what has happened. Revisit your thoughts when you get to that piece.

While reading:

New words – Keep a graph of the new words you encounter. This graph should include a box for the word, its definition, how it’s used in the book and the final box for your interpretation.

Visualize - Turn on the movie projector in your head. Take a minute during the action to visualize what is happening and what the characters look like.

Conflict – All novels have conflict. Make a graph that has the six main conflicts (character vs. character, society, technology, self, supernatural and nature) at the top with space underneath. Write the conflict at the top and then pictures or stick figures demonstrating what’s happening in the text. If you like to journal, write about it instead of drawing a picture.

Compare - Don’t be afraid to compare the characters with yourself. What would you do in that situation? How might the story have turned out differently had the main or secondary character been you?

Post-reading:

Gossip about it - Get a group together of other students who are reading the same book. By discussing the book you’ll get a deeper understanding of what happened and what there is to learn from it. Keep a list of questions you had while you read and bring them to the group. If the conversation stops, have a ‘gossip session’ discussing the characters; what’s wrong with them and what they should have done differently.  More on forming a study group and the Study Guide Exchange

Reread – go through and reread any section or part of the novel that didn’t turn out as you expected. Check the text for something you may have missed that made the ending unclear or confusing.

The most important part of reading a novel is to enjoy the process and the story. Always look for who and what you like about a story and keep a great attitude!

Studying a Novel

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