Last week I shared with you some guidelines on how to maximize your reading effectiveness. I indicated that effective reading is a process that can be broken down into three parts: Before Reading, During Reading, and After Reading. I suggested that in the pre-reading stage of the process you should consider the following questions:
1. What do I want to know from the reading?
2. What do I already know about the subject matter it treats?
3. Why this particular text?2. What do I already know about the subject matter it treats?
4. What literary genre does the text fall under?
5. What do I know about the author?
This week I would like to share with you the questions that you should consider During Reading. They are as follows:
1. What did I just read? Can I rephrase it in my own words? How would I rephrase it?
2. What is the author's purpose? What is he or she getting at?
3. How does that which I am reading now relate to that which went before?
4. Where is this current idea or thought taking me?
5. What key words, phrases, ideas, should I take notice of?
Next week we will look in more detail at the specifics of interacting with the text During Reading.
[Artwork by Ric Couchman]