Breaking Down Complex Texts
"Read like a detective and write like an investigative reporter." - David Coleman
Roots of Poor Student Reading Skills
Roots of Poor Student Reading Skills
- Assuming that you should speed read instead of reading slowly and deliberately
- Experts read slowly and re-read often
- They write "gist" statements in the margins as they read
- They question the text as they read
- They link the text with other readings or experiences
- Failing to adjust reading strategies for different texts and circumstances
- Experts use skimming, close reading, or application depending on the text and circumstance
- Failing to perceive a text's structure as they read
- Experts chunk the material into parts with functions they can identify
- Difficulty understanding or accepting the unfamiliar
- Difficulty seeing the cultural or historical context of a piece
- Remember the author is a real person with varying levels of education, political biases, etc.
- Difficulty in seeing themselves as part of a broader conversation involving the text
- Be both a skeptic and a believer simultaneously as you read
- Failing to know the allusions and cultural references in a text
- Possessing an inadequate vocabulary and being resistant to look up words
- How does context affect word meanings?
- Develop an "ear" for irony and humor
- Difficulty understanding complex syntax
- Search for main phrases and clauses in complex sentence structure
Tips for Getting Unstuck
- Trust the other. Don't panic if a text doesn't make sense at first. The author will provide clues slowly over time.
- Ask questions. Someone else may have the same question, or someone else may be able to clear up your confusion.
- Slow down. Give yourself time to read, reread, and paraphrase what you've just read.
- It's okay to go back. Many times readers will have to reread a part several times before it makes sense.
- Annotate the text
- Either highlight the text or write questions and comments out to the side.
- Don't just copy the text--respond to it.
- If you underline, also THINK about the text while you're underlining.
- There are MANY ways to respond to a text:
- Ask a question
- Make a connection to something familiar
- Give an opinion
- Draw a conclusion
- Make a statement
- Engage in a dialogue with the author
- Map or outline the text
- Engage in outside, independent reading of all kinds to broaden your vocabulary and skills.