Analytical Reading Strategies PDF

Analytical Reading Strategies Analytical reading is characterized as a high-level cognitive ability and a reading technique that aims to go deeper to understand the text's meaning as well as its intended or main objective. While basic comprehension is one component of good reading skills, analytical...

Analytical Reading Strategies Analytical reading is characterized as a high-level cognitive ability and a reading technique that aims to go deeper to understand the text's meaning as well as its intended or main objective. While basic comprehension is one component of good reading skills, analytical is quite different. It’s a matter of reading for the purpose of understanding and analyzing to make sure the content made sense to the reader, and make sure there is retention to the said content for easy retrieval. STRATEGY WHEN TO USE HOW TO USE WHY USE IT? Skimming – a Prior to reading a Read To help situate the method of looking complex text. intro/conclusion, or reading and its into the main points review arguments and of a text. headings and make reading structure looking for easier. the main claims and reasons for those claims. Re-Reading – a When you Slow down, re-read To ensure deep level of encounter difficult the text, and pause understanding of understanding text passages. until you can diffi- cult points by reading the text summarize for before moving on. again. yourself in 1-2 sentences. Integration – When encountering Identify central Promotes deeper associate new a central idea, or ideas, think about understanding. information with the when an idea what else you knowledge that you reminds you of know or have read already know. something else. on those ideas and consider similarities and differences. Annotation – When a passage Take notes on the Note-taking engages taking or making puzzles you, excites text using your you in the text, and notes for a text you, or is worth preferred strategy. helps you to currently reading. remembering. remember ideas. Argument Mapping When presented Develop anything To help you identify – creating a mental with an argument, from a full map of the logical structure structure of figures particularly an the argument to a underlying the and points. important one. recounting in your written structure. head of the structure of the argument, based on the im- portance of the reading and the argument Methods to properly utilize Analytical Reading Strategies Skimming Re-Reading 1. Ask Yourself: How Should I 1. Slow down- find the last place you understood the Read This? (Why am I reading. reading it? What kind of 2. Read the passage again slowly (perhaps out loud). text is it?) 3. Identify any terms you don’t understand and look 2. Read the introduction and them up. conclusion, looking for the 4. Identify any claims that were established earlier in thesis. the essay and review them. 3. Scan the text for section 5. Repeat until you can provide a 1-2 sentence headings, bolded terms, big summary of the passage to yourself. ideas. 4. Read the first few sentences of each section. 5. State, for yourself, your working summary (thesis and main reasons). Integration Annotation 1. Start with an inventory of 1. The Cornell Method: on a separate sheet of paper, the central claims and make two columns, leaving some space at the concepts. bottom. In the right hand column, write down key 2. Where have you seen ideas from the reading (your notes). In the left-hand similar ideas and concepts column, identify key words for those ideas (your in other texts we have cues). At the bottom, summarize the reading. read? 2. Jeff’s Method: I use a modified Cornell Method, 3. Where have seen them in where I use the left-hand column for questions and other things you have read objections. The right hand column contains the and/or seen? thoughts of the author, and the left contains a 4. Where have seen them in record of my thinking. your own life? 3. Marginalia Method: Come up with a system of 5. How are the uses of the symbols to indicate different responses to the text, concepts or claims similar? e.g., one for a key idea, one for an idea you didnt 6. How are the uses of the understand, one for a question, etc. Mark up your concepts or claims text, adding longer thoughts where you have space, different? or on a separate sheet of paper. 4. Two tips though: do NOT simply highlight the text. This is passive, rather than active, note-taking. Second, no matter your method, write a short summary of the reading. It will help you arrange your thoughts around the key ideas Advanced writing skills and test-taking strategies Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Synthesizing diverse sources In the academe, more especially for preparations and creation of materials, teachers will most likely be working with a variety of materials. Working with these materials may be difficult, yet it is necessary to select, adjust, and make sense out of these sources. Using other people's ideas is one of the most crucial parts of academic writing. This is crucial since you have to demonstrate that you have read the materials and that you are able to apply the concepts and research in a unique way. In actuality, every student needs to possess this ability. According to Spack (1988, p. 42), "the complex activity to write from other texts" is the most significant ability a student can master and is "a major part of their academic experience." When doing this, it's crucial to make sure you use your own words, unless you are quoting. One should never use another person’s words or ideas as if they are the writer’s own words. This is outright plagiarism and is considered as a very serious offense. But… how do we PROPERLY make sense without plagiarizing? Here are three methods worth considering. 1. Summarizing - a shortened version of the original text. Despite being shortened, it should still contain the main points of the original, but in a condensed form. It should also be written in the writer’s own words or understanding. - summarizing takes two points; 1. To support an existing idea, and; 2. To criticize another text/idea - the SOURCE SHOULD BE ACKNOWLEDGED. 2. Paraphrasing - There are cases where summarizing is not the most appropriate or relevant method, especially when the goal is to maintain a closer link to the original text. However, quoting everything word-by-word is not the best solution. In this instance, paraphrasing might be the best method to do it. - it is a method of changing words and the structure, but keeps the original meaning all the same. - the SOURCE SHOULD BE ACKNOWLEDGED. 3. Synthesizing - a method of combining several text into one, usually making it a shorter version of all the varied texts. - a method of combining summarizing and paraphrasing skills to rewrite informing into the writer’s own words, then fitting them together to make a completely continuous thought from a variety of sources. - the SOURCE SHOULD BE ACKNOWLEDGED. Strategic test-taking strategies Test, in general, might be a major source of stress for many students. On the other hand, they also serve as a great opportunity to demonstrate acquired knowledge, critical thinking, and problem-solving capabilities. There are methods for test-taking strategies. Develop a time-management strategy - Students must recognize their needs and rehearse their approach in order to implement timing techniques on exam day. This includes identifying timing problems, creating a plan, and carrying it out. The objective is always to accurately answer as many questions as you can; this may entail avoiding lengthy or challenging questions in favor of shorter, simpler ones. When possible, begin by going over each question in a paragraph to decide which ones to answer first. As time permits, begin with simpler questions and work your way up to more difficult ones. Take advantage of multiple-choice format Make use of the process of elimination (PoE). Finding the answer might sometimes be as simple as crossing out the answers that are blatantly wrong. Your ability to predict properly has already significantly improved, even if you are only able to rule out a small number of responses. To help you focus on the actual question, try to discern the distinctions between the response selections. Maintain focus and attention to detail Even though taking standardized examinations can be taxing, it's crucial to maintain focus and avoid making thoughtless errors.  Read the passage descriptions and introductions to get a sense of the context. To keep yourself interested, utilize scratch paper and annotate the test. Annotate precisely what you want to know for each question, and highlight important words in passages and specifics in graphs and charts. As soon as you start to "space out" or lose concentration, gently pull yourself back to the test and reset yourself by stretching your arms and legs in your seat. Develop a positive testing mindset In general, students don’t find fun in taking tests. However, cultivating a positive and confident outlook towards tests increases chances of getting better scores. If you're not sure where to begin, try a fast warm-up routine or positive affirmations. Have a strategy to combat exam anxiety and help you "get into the zone." Try your hardest not to become bored and to remain engaged with the content. Simulate real-testing conditions when you practice The secret to raising test performance is practice. Making test preparation as identical to the actual test taking process as possible is one method to guarantee that all that hard effort will pay off on test day. Warm up before practice sessions every time. For each practice issue, use scratch paper and annotate the test. Pay close attention to the test instructions so that on test day, you have them internalized. Finish a few extended practice exams in exam-like circumstances (a mental or physical simulation of the exam to be taken, at exactly on the time where the exam will be taken).