Reading an academic text can be hard. There are a lot of ideas and information and you will usually have to read it more than once to understand it. There are many techniques and here is one of the most useful ones:
Use topic sentences
The first sentence often tells you what the paragraph is about. To see how the author has developed the idea, read the last sentence of the paragraph.
Using topic sentences to help you navigate a text will help you to find the answer to a reading question more quickly. Topic sentences are usually the first, but sometimes the second sentence in a paragraph. Topic sentences must have a clear topic and 'stand alone'.
They give the general meaning of the paragraph. You will be able to identify the topic sentence because it is a general statement. It does not begin with a cohesive device (for example, However, Nevertheless, Despite this) or a pronoun that refers back to something or someone (for example, he or they). It is unlikely to contain a definite article (the) or refer back to information mentioned earlier in the text through the use of passive verb tenses.
You will be able to identify the topic sentence because it is a general statement. It does not begin with a cohesive device (for example, However,Nevertheless, Despite this) or a pronoun that refers back to something or someone (for example, he or they). It is unlikely to contain a definite article (the) or refer back to information mentioned earlier in the text through the use of passive verb tenses (for example, No link was found).
If you read just the topic sentence, you will know if the answer you are looking for is in that paragraph or not. If it is, you should scan read that paragraph until you find the information you need to answer the question. When you do, slow down and read intensively until you find the answer. If the topic sentence tells you that the information you need is not in that paragraph, You should quickly move to the topic sentence of the next paragraph and try again.
This method will help you to quickly locate the information you need to answer the question.
There are also other methods which I am going to mention them below:
If you don't understand a section, take it slowly. Re-read the paragraphs before and after the difficult passage and then read the hard part one more time.
Talk to friends or teachers on your module about the reading.
See if you can read about the idea in a different source(use internet or books)
If a phrase keeps appearing, check you understand it. If a book has a glossary, refer to this before you look in a dictionary. Some words have technical meanings that are different to their everyday usage.
Look at and use tables, diagrams and graphs in texts.
If you are having real difficulty, have a break and come back to the text later.
Identify the reading strategies that work for you. Observe when you read most effectively, and plan your reading so that it fits in with how you work best!
Do you have more/other questions? info@elsoleducation.com
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