Name: How to Read a Textbook - Study Tips - Improve Reading Skills
Uploaded: 2020-03-06T16:32:47.000Z
Duration: 7 min 43 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

To-infinitive

That’s probably what you’re thinking.

This video is to help you read your TEXTBOOK.

It’s a totally different kind of reading than Harry Potter.

You’re going to spend hours and hours WRINGING information out of your required reading.

Understanding the best way to read your textbook is an important part of being a GREAT student.

Reading a textbook is not the same as pleasure reading.

If you’re lucky, it WILL be a pleasure to read your textbook.

But my point is, you shouldn’t open the cover and read the book straight through.

You should think of your textbook as more than just a book.

And all the information is already organized for you - in bite size chunks, laid out in

Have a look at the Table of Contents of your textbook:

Here’s where you’ll find what’s essentially an outline of the subject you are studying.

There may even be two tables of contents, one more detailed than the other.

Imagine how difficult it would be to learn history, or biology, or math if you just took

all the information and threw it in a sack and shuffled the facts around.

You wouldn’t be able to make sense of it.

That’s why you should become very familiar with the Table of Contents in your textbook.

Don’t just glance at it once and then forget about it.

Keep checking back and re-reading it each time you start a new chapter or you start

It will help you get a sense of perspective - where does this topic fit in to the whole

Again, that’s really helpful for your brain to make sense of it all.

Now let’s talk about how to tackle your reading homework.

Let’s say you’ve been assigned Chapter 4, and you have to read it by your next class.

Are you going to read Chapter 4 straight through?

I’m not saying DON’T do your reading.

I’m just saying there are better ways to get what you need out of your textbook, and

reading straight through is NOT the best way.

Instead, we’re going to follow these steps:

Read the title, the section headings, and the subheadings.

This is also a good time to look at the pictures and other illustrations.

Look for any special features, like equations in boxes.

The more you can preview the better, so your brain thinks “I recognize that!”, rather

than “this is literally the very first time I have ever seen this what does it mean!”

Think of this preview as giving yourself a road map.

You won’t be wandering aimlessly through your reading.

You’ll recognize each heading and illustration as you come to it, and you’ll have a good

I know you’re tempted to skip this step, especially if you’re pressed for time.

The few minutes it takes to survey the chapter is time well-spent.

Your actual reading will be far more effective and efficient if you’ve given yourself a

Step 2: Read the chapter summary materials.

Sometimes there’s an intro at the beginning of the chapter, sometimes there’s a summary

at the end of the chapter, sometimes both.

These are the most dense accounts of the chapters’ contents.

They may not make complete sense to you, because you don’t know the details yet, but again

- this is to PREPARE your brain for what is to come.

Don’t get too bogged down in this - you want to quickly, quickly read the summaries

so you’re prepared for what’s in the chapter.

Step 3: This is when you actually READ the chapter.

Again, don’t read it straight through without stopping.

Read it section by section - or if that’s still too much information, read it paragraph

You may be tempted to underline or highlight what you think are important points, and that’s

okay, if you really like highlighting, but keep in mind that readers tend to OVER highlight,

If EVERYTHING is highlighted, you can no longer tell what’s really important.

The other reason not to highlight is that it means you’re still tied to your textbook

It’s so much better to start with that 40 page-long chapter, read through it once, taking

notes, and now you’ve whittled down the essential information to say, 5 pages of notes.

Rereading 5 pages of notes is a LOT faster than going back over 40 pages of highlighted

So instead, I recommend you read with a pen in your hand and take notes on each section.

Start with the section heading - and turn it into a question.

Then your notes on that section should answer that question.

Look for the key ideas, and put them in your own words.

Pay special attention to terms and definitions - maybe box those in your notes.

If you are highlighting or underlining in your book, make sure to circle those special

Anything that’s in boldface is a sign the author thinks it’s very important, so you

If there are any terms that are brand-new to you, or you don’t understand, now’s

a good time to make use of the glossary at the end your textbook, if it has one.

Write out the definition in your notes - but make sure to put it in your own words.

You’ll remember it a lot better that way.

If there’s something in your reading you really don’t understand, mark it with a

That way you’ll know to come back to it after you’ve finished your reading.

You may find, by the time you’ve finished the chapter, that point is now clear.

Subtitles ListPlay Video

How to Read a Textbook - Study Tips - Improve Reading Skills

perspective

relevant

essential

recognize