Unit 4

Warming up & pre-reading

Name: 罗军Number:20030614091

Learning efficiently

"Reading makes a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little ， he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a present wit; and if he read little, he had need have much cunning, to seem to know that he doth not. " 读书使人充实，讨论使人机智，笔记使人准确。因此不常做笔记者须记忆力特强，不常讨论者须天生聪颖，不常读书者须欺世有术，始能无知而显有知。   --  Sir Francis Bacon

Warming-up

Warming-up

All books are divisible into two classes: the books of the hour, and the books of all time. -John Ruskin一切书籍都可以分为二类：即：一时之书与永久之书。 - 约翰 · 罗斯金

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. -Bacon一些书可以浅尝即止；一些书可以狼吞虎咽；而有些书则需要细嚼慢咽，好好消化。 - 培根

Warming-up

Answer questions:

1.What does the graph tell you about the study habits of Guo Qiang?

2.Do you think Guo Qiang is spending an appropriate amount of time on each aspect of his English study?

3.Do you think a survey of your classmates would show similar results?

Before you read the passage, think

about the techniques you use when

you read different kinds of text in

Chinese.

Pre-reading

Reflect on your experience

What is the first thing you do when you

are given a text to read? Do you start at the

beginning to the end or do you do other

things first, such as looking at the title and

any headings , looking at any pictures or

diagrams, reading the conclusion or

introduction? Why do you read in the way

you do?

Most competent readers survey a text before

they read in detail to see what it is about or

whether it is useful, interesting, etc.

When you start reading the text in detail

do you think about the content? For

example, do you think about whether you

agree with the text or not, whether the

information is interesting, what further

information you would like to know, etc.

Competent readers read active; thinking while

reading. This may involve commenting, evaluating,

summarizing, paraphrasing, etc. They may not

even be aware they are doing this, but if the brain

were not engaged in this way, they would

understand and retain very little of the text.

Suppose you were on holiday and you had a

really good novel that you had been looking

forward to reading. Would you read it quickly

or slowly? Would you stop sometimes to think

about what you have read? Would you talk to

others about what your are reading?

Most, but not all readers, read novels for enjoyment and

so they will often share their experience with others by

talking about the book . Readers read for enjoyment in

various ways, for example, some readers are most

interested in the plot and may skip over the descriptive

parts in order to find out what happened next. Others,

with an interest in language, may pause and re-read the

passage they find particularly beautiful or interesting .

The point is, people read for pleasure in many different

ways and all of them are valid.

Suppose your teacher asked you to find out

about the planet mars, such as size,

temperature and distance from the earth. You

have found a book on the solar system. Would

you read the whole book or just the part about

Mars? Would you read every word or just

skim it looking for key words like “ degrees

Centigrade”, “kilometers” and “diameters”?

Efficient readers are those who keep the purpose

for reading in mind and focus on those part of the

text that help them to achieve that purpose. It is

important for us to understand this, because many

think that all texts in their English class must be

read slowly and purposely and that every part of it

must be thoroughly understood.

Do you read the newspaper in the same way

as you read a novel? Do you read a recipe and

a cook book in the same way?

The questions are also concerned with the notion

that text are read differently according to the type

of text it is and the reason for reading it.

Supposing you had just bought a new DVD

player. Would you read the instruction from

beginning to end or would you look at the

contents page and then read what you needed

to know.Efficient readers are those who keep the purpose

for reading in mind and focus on those part of the

text that help them to achieve that purpose. It is

important for us to understand this, because many

think that all texts in their English class must be

read slowly and purposely and that every part of it

must be thoroughly understood.

Read the first question in Comprehending

and look at the title of the reading passage

and the pictures. Discuss with a partner

what you think the text will say about

reading.

How to improve reading skills? 

Five-step reading method

When you are asked to read a text, or something you're interested in, you can try the five-step method, which, is Preview - Question - Take notes - Summarize

Preview It is a technique of allowing your eyes to travelrapidly over a page, stopping here and there to registerthe main idea. When skimming, you should follow theprocedure below, adapting it to your purpose: Read the title. Note the writer's name. Note the date and place of publication. Read the first paragraph completely. Read sub-headings and the first sentences of any paragraphs.

As you read, pick up main ideas, key words (words that tell you who, what, when, where, how many, and how much), and transition markers (words like however alternatively, additionally, and so on), which suggest the direction of ideas in the text.

Question Effective reading is active reading. To turn reading from a passive into an active exercise, always ask questions. To do this, you must be clear about the purpose of your reading. If you want to comment on a text, your questions will be different from those you would ask if you read for background information. If you are gathering material for an essay, formulate some tentative ideas about the approach you might take, modifying them as you accumulate material.

During the preview, note as many questions as you can about the content. For instance, mm headings into questions and try to anticipate possible answers the writer may offer. Always actively look for connections and relationships. Look at the way ideas are structured and developed. The object of the preview and questioning steps is to determine the writer's main idea and purpose in writing. As you read, list all the words which you are uncertain of; look them up in the dictionary and write down their definitions if necessary.

Take notes Some reasons for taking notes are: to focus and maintain attentiveness as you read, to familiarize yourself with primary and secondary materials on a given subject, to analyze the assumptions and rhetorical strategies of the writer, to provide you with a summary of the material. Here are some hints for taking notes: Write on one side of the paper only. Leave a wide margin for comments and cross-references. Use headings, subheadings, and diagrams. Keep notes brief but full enough to still make sense to you in six months' time. Make sure they're legible.

Summaries A summary records the main points the writer makes. Making a summary from your notes has two main benefits: It allows you to test yourself on your understanding of the material you have been reading. It provides you with a compact account of the text for further reference.

Review and reflect To review and reflect upon what you've read enhances your understanding and helps you to commit important facts and ideas to your long-term memory.

Here are some review and reflection exercises you may find useful: Test your understanding of the material by trying to answer your preview questions without referring to your notes. Evaluate the text in terms of its informativeness, soundness of argument, relevance, and so on. Start a reading journal in which you keep all reading, review, and reflection notes.

SQ3R method

• S = survey

• Q = Question

• R1 = Read

• R2 = Review

• R3 = Recite  

• Look over the chapter title, headings, pictures, graphs, and questions at the end. Look at the whole picture to get an idea of what you are supposed to learn from the reading.

• Try to figure out what the chapter is about and what the teacher might want you to know. Come up with several major questions that could be answered while you read.

• Think about answering the questions you came up with. Try to anticipate what comes next in the reading.

• Apply what you are reading to what you all ready know.

• Decide what the author is trying to get at. What is important to remember? Did you answer all the questions you had? What don't you still understand? What don't you agree with?

Survey! Question! Read! Recite! Review!

Before you read, Surveythe chapter:

1. the title, headings, and subheadings2. captions under pictures, charts, graphs or maps review questions or teacher-made study guides introductory and concluding paragraphs Summary

Questionwhile you are

surveying:

Turn the title, headings, and/or subheadings into questions; Read questions at the end of the chapters or after each

subheading; Ask yourself, "What did my instructor say about this chapter

or subject when it was assigned?" Ask yourself, "What do I already know about this subject?"

• Note:  If it is helpful to you, write out these questions for consideration.  This variation is called SQW3R

When you begin to

Read:1. Look for answers to the questions you first raised;2. Answer questions at the beginning or end of chapters or study

guides3. Reread captions under pictures, graphs, etc.4. Note all the underlined, italicized, bold printed words or phrases5. Study graphic aids6. Reduce your speed for difficult passages7. Stop and reread parts which are not clear8. Read only a section at a time and recite after each section

Reciteafter you've

read a section:

Orally ask yourself questions about what you have just read and/or summarize, in your own words, what you read

Take notes from the text but write the information in your own words

Underline/highlight important points you've just read Use the method of recitation which best suits your particular

learning style but remember, the more senses you use the more likely you are to remember what you read - i.e.,

TRIPLE STRENGTH LEARNING: Seeing, saying, hearing-QUADRUPLE STRENGTH LEARNING: Seeing , saying , hearing, writing!!!

Review:an

ongoing process.

Day OneAfter you have read and recited the entire chapter, write questions for those points you have highlighted/underlined in the margins. If your method of recitation included note-taking in the left hand margins of your notebook, write questions for the notes you have taken.Day TwoPage through the text and/or your notebook to re-acquaint yourself with the important points. Cover the right hand column of your text/note-book and orally ask yourself the questions in the left hand margins. Orally recite or write the answers from memory. Make "flash cards" for those questions which give you difficulty. Develop mnemonic devices for material which need to be memorized.Days Three, Four and FiveAlternate between your flash cards and notes and test yourself (orally or in writing) on the questions you formulated. Make additional flash cards if necessary.WeekendUsing the text and notebook, make a Table of Contents - list all the topics and sub-topics you need to know from the chapter. From the Table of Contents, make a Study Sheet/ Spatial Map. Recite the information orally and in your own words as you put the Study Sheet/Map together.Now that you have consolidated all the information you need for that chapter, periodically review the Sheet/Map so that at test time you will not have to cram.

SQ3R Reading Strategy

SURVEY:

• Look Over the Material You Are About to Read

• Check amount

• Establish manageable units

• Read the title

• Read the introductory material (paragraph)

• Read the boldface headings

• Look at charts, graphs, maps, pictures, other visuals

• Read the summary paragraph

• Read end-of-chapter questions/topics

QUESTION: Formulate Questions

• Jot down questions you want the text to answer based on:

– What you know from your survey

– What you already know about the subject

• Turn the boldface headings into questions

• Write out end-of-chapter questions that interest you

READ: Read for Main Ideas, Supporting Material, Transitions

• Separate main ideas from supporting material

• Delineate specifics of supporting material

• Actively record your comprehension of these distinctions by marking your text

• Select a paragraph or short section:

– Read and Mark. Stop and Ask.

– What is the main idea?

– How is it supported?

– What do I need to know from this paragraph?

RECITE: Talk out loud or write out the ideas and supporting material

• Look away or cover the page

• Using your own words, say or write the ideas and details

• Answer the questions you have formulated

• Look back at the material to check for accuracy; find the missing information

• Look away and speak/write again

REVIEW: Look over the material immediately & later

• Immediately: • Try to construct a mental picture of the

whole selection

• Recite the main ideas and answers to your questions

• Manipulate the ideas

• speculate

• compare/contrast

• reorganize

• categorize

• Consider the ideas in relation to other things you know, other selections in the same book, or other topics

• Make study notes in conjunction with lecture notes

• Later:• Go back over:

– Marked material

– Answers to questions

– Written recitation notes

– Notes gathered by manipulating material

– Study notes

Reading Strategies -- Reading Efficiently by

Reading Intelligently

Strategy 1: Knowing what you want to know

Strategy 2: Knowing how deeply to study the material

Strategy 3: Active reading

Strategy 4: How to study different sorts of material

Strategy 5: Reading important documents