How to Take Control of Your Texts with Strategic Reading Techniques
Like so many times before, you find yourself in a pickle: You have to read an important text for class, but you’re unable to do so.
The topic is so boring you can barely stay awake.
The length of the text frightens you.
You’re unable to focus on your task at hand but find yourself thinking about dinner, your mom’s birthday present or the latest Netflix series you cannot wait to watch.
At the end of each page, you ask yourself what you just read – and you have no idea.
You have ants in your pants and cannot sit still. It feels like you have an engine inside your body.
Yet, time is not on your side. You have less than three hours to finish that terrible text and write a summary before the deadline.
When I was a student, I found myself in the exact same situation many times. I simply couldn’t focus on a particular book or article, and it was driving me up the wall.
This was especially true when time was running out, and I had better things to do than spend hours on a text that I didn’t find relevant. So, if you’re in a similar situation, you might ask yourself what you can do to make reading more bearable.
How can you minimize the time you spend on your reading assignments with the maximum success?
Step 1: Remember you’re not reading for the mere sake of reading. You always read for a specific purpose. And that’s the key for success: The purpose of your assigned text determines the way you should approach it.
Take a minute to think through the following questions. Which one is true?
A) Do you need to write a summary about the text?
B) Do you need to answer reading comprehension questions about the text?
C) Is the text important for a test or exam?
D) Is the text the basis for our next class discussion?
Step 2: Now that the purpose of your assignment is clear, you can approach your assignment in the most efficient way.
A) Your task is to write a summary: If you need to summarize the main points of your text, find out whether there is already a short summary at the end of your text (especially if you are dealing with a book chapter). Many texts include a re-cap at the end to alert the reader to the most important points. Reading that summary can help you get started. Then you simply add a few more points from the text that seem relevant, and you are good to go.
If there is no summary, do a quick search online. You will be surprised how much you can find on the internet – be it short articles, actual summaries or videos. You can also try ChatGPT – but since that device is not always reliable you might want to back up your search by one or two other articles to make sure that everything is correct.
If you cannot find anything online, read the introduction, the first and last sentence of each paragraph as well as the conclusion. That should give you a good enough sense as to what your text is about so that you can get started on your summary. If a paragraph sounds particularly interesting, you can read the entire thing and use the details to flesh out your own text.
Summaries are always a little subjective, since you cannot mention everything. So use common sense and focus on the things you find most important or interesting. Also, it’s always easier to concentrate when you are doing something actively like writing.
B) Your task is to answer a number of comprehension questions: Before you start reading your text, read the questions carefully and make sure you understand what each question is asking you about. Are there any keywords that you can make out? Is it about specific dates or facts? Or are they open-ended questions that ask for your opinion? If a question is a mere comprehension question, go after those keywords, dates or facts and skim the text until you reach the right passage. Don’t read the entire text – just look for the answer – and if you chance upon a possible answer, read the entire paragraph to make sure you understand the context. Most of the time, that should be enough for you to get the job done.
If you are dealing with open-ended questions, do the same thing: Look for keywords in the question and then find the relevant paragraphs in your text. You can also use Google or ChatGPT to help you come up with a viable answer. If you go this route, remember to put things in your own words to avoid plagiarism.
C) The text is part important for your next test or exam: If you need the text for a test or exam, you will most likely discuss it in class beforehand. If so, repeat my suggestions from B): read the introduction, the first and last sentence of each paragraph and the conclusion so that you get a sense of what the text is all about.
During class, make sure to follow the discussion and take some notes while your professor and your classmates are talking about the text. Those notes will help you when it’s time to review for your exam, and it will make it much easier to re-read your text if you choose to do so.
D) Your text forms the basis for your next class discussion: If your professor would like you to participate in a class discussion about your text, make sure you can ask 2-3 questions and have a general idea about the text. To do this, skim as much as possible and then note down a few questions you’d like to ask. You can ask about something you didn’t understand – a term, a concept, an idea, a theory – you can compare the text to another reading you did previously or you can simply state your opinion. If you can participate 2-3 times during class, you demonstrate to your professor that you engaged with the text even though you did the bare minimum at home.
Reading a text doesn’t mean the same thing every time you receive an assignment. It thoroughly depends on the task at hand – and that task informs the way you deal with your reading assignment. Thus, be clear about the outcome you need to achieve – and then, if possible, use a shortcut to get there. All that counts is that you can fulfill your teacher’s or professor’s expectations – and receive the grade you want.
