Reading to Understand and Remember

Objective: Read faster and retain more

First: Before Reading:

1. Decide on purpose: Why are you reading? What do you want to achieve?

- Factual information 

- Details

- Evidence

- An overview

- Interpretation

2. Select text:

- Content, topics, issues

- Objective of text

- Text level 

- Author’s position on issues

Second: Reading:

1. Prediction: Read title and anticipate topic, issues, questions

- It may create interest in reading

- It prepares you for reading 

- It suggests how relevant topic is

2. Skimming

- Gives you the main idea of topic. This involves reading:

- Summary

- Conclusion

3. Scanning

Gives you specific details on the topic. This involves reading:

- Headings

- Sub-headings

- Signalled points (numbered, bulleted points)

- Captioned pictures

- First sentence of each paragraph

- Conclusion

- Look for keywords

4. Detailed Reading

- Go back to the first paragraph and read the first sentence. This represents the main idea of that paragraph

- Check how the author explains and support the main idea

- Ask yourself why the writer is saying what he is saying

- Predict what the author will say in the rest of the text

- Repeat this process in other paragraphs

Third: Post-reading:

Take notes

- List the main ideas

- Organize main ideas according to importance or chronological sequence

- Maintain logical relation between main ideas for better retention