© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers.

Chapter 1:Reading Actively

Essential Reading Skills, 2/eKathleen McWhorter

© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers.

Start with a Positive Attitude!

Send yourself positive messages. Visualize success. Set long-term goals. Plan on spending time reading. Actively search for key ideas as you read. Unlock the writer’s message to you, the

reader. Stick with a reading assignment.

© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers.

Improve Your Surroundings

Choose a place with minimum distractions. Establish a study area that is yours alone. Control noise levels. Eliminate distracting clutter. Have supplies at your fingertips.

© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers.

Pay Attention

Establish goals and time limits for each assignment.

Reward yourself. Highlight or take notes to keep active. Vary your activities. Keep a distractions list.

© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers.

Preview Before You Read

The Title and Subtitle The First Paragraph The Section Headings The First Sentence under Each Heading Typographical Aids (italics, boldfaced type,

underlining, numbering, colored ink) The Final Paragraph or Summary

© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers.

Ask Guide Questions as You Read

Turn major headings into questions. Look for answers to your questions. Highlight the answers as you find them. Quiz yourself on your questions at the end

of each section. Avoid asking questions that have one-

word answers like “yes” or “no”. Instead, ask “what,” “why,” or “how.”

© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers.

Change Your Habits to Reduce Stress

Control your own time. Give yourself a break. Help someone out. Get some exercise.

© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers.

Try Active Listening

Paraphrase the speaker’s thoughts. Express an understanding of the

speaker’s feelings. Ask questions.

© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers.

Test Taking Tip #1: Active Test-taking

Remind yourself that you have worked hard and deserve to pass.

Think of the test as a chance to show what you have learned.

Don’t panic if you can’t answer a question. Make a guess and move on to items you can answer.

If you don’t know an answer, try to reason it out.

© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers.

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