Reading Assignment 1: Textbook Reconnaissance
Reading Assignment 1 Textbook Reconnaissance 53
Reading Selection 1
TEXTBOOK RECONNAISSANCE By Dave Ellis start becoming a master student this moment. Do a 15-minute "textbook reconnaissance" of this book. Here's how: 2 First, read the table of contents. Do it in three minutes or less. Next, look at every page in the book. Move quickly. Scan headlines. Look at pictures. Notice forms, charts and diagrams. 3 A textbook reconnaissance shows you where a course is going. It gives you the big picture. That's useful because brains work best when going from the general to the specific. Getting the big picture before you start makes details easier to recall and understand later on. 4 …show more content…
They offer knowledge and valuable information. Sometimes the value is so buried that extracting it requires skill and energy. Muscle Reading is a three-phase technique you can use to accomplish that extraction. Each of the three phases has three steps. To assist your recall of the nine steps, memorize these short sentences: Pry out questions. Root up answers. Recite, review, and review again.
2
Take a moment to invent images for each of those sentences. First, visualize or feel yourself prying questions out of a text. These are questions you want answered based on your brief survey of the assignment. Make a mental picture of yourself scanning the territory, spotting a question, and reaching into the text to pry it out. Hear yourself saying, "I've got it. Here's my question."
3
Then root up the answers to your questions. Get your muscles involved. Flex. Feel the ends of your fingers digging into the text to root up the answers to your questions.
4
Finally, hear your voice reciting what you have learned. Hear yourself making a speech about the material. Hear yourself singing it. …show more content…
These items can help link new information to previously learned material. Look for ideas that spark your imagination or curiosity. Ask yourself how the material can relate to your long-term goals. Inspect drawings, diagrams, charts, tables, graphs, and photographs.
14
Keep an eye out for summary statements. If the assignment is long or complex, read the summary first. Many textbooks have summaries in the introductions or at the end of each chapter.
15
Read all chapter headlines, section titles, and paragraph headlines. These are often brief summaries in themselves.
16
If you expect to use a book extensively, read the preface. The author often includes a personal perspective in a preface. A picture of the person behind the words can remove barriers to understanding. Look for lists of recommended articles. If you have difficulty with a concept sometimes another viewpoint can help you nail it down.
17
Before you begin reading, take a few moments to reflect on what you already know about this subject, even if you think you know nothing. This technique prepares your brain to accept the information that follows.
Reading Selection 1
TEXTBOOK RECONNAISSANCE By Dave Ellis start becoming a master student this moment. Do a 15-minute "textbook reconnaissance" of this book. Here's how: 2 First, read the table of contents. Do it in three minutes or less. Next, look at every page in the book. Move quickly. Scan headlines. Look at pictures. Notice forms, charts and diagrams. 3 A textbook reconnaissance shows you where a course is going. It gives you the big picture. That's useful because brains work best when going from the general to the specific. Getting the big picture before you start makes details easier to recall and understand later on. 4 …show more content…
They offer knowledge and valuable information. Sometimes the value is so buried that extracting it requires skill and energy. Muscle Reading is a three-phase technique you can use to accomplish that extraction. Each of the three phases has three steps. To assist your recall of the nine steps, memorize these short sentences: Pry out questions. Root up answers. Recite, review, and review again.
2
Take a moment to invent images for each of those sentences. First, visualize or feel yourself prying questions out of a text. These are questions you want answered based on your brief survey of the assignment. Make a mental picture of yourself scanning the territory, spotting a question, and reaching into the text to pry it out. Hear yourself saying, "I've got it. Here's my question."
3
Then root up the answers to your questions. Get your muscles involved. Flex. Feel the ends of your fingers digging into the text to root up the answers to your questions.
4
Finally, hear your voice reciting what you have learned. Hear yourself making a speech about the material. Hear yourself singing it. …show more content…
These items can help link new information to previously learned material. Look for ideas that spark your imagination or curiosity. Ask yourself how the material can relate to your long-term goals. Inspect drawings, diagrams, charts, tables, graphs, and photographs.
14
Keep an eye out for summary statements. If the assignment is long or complex, read the summary first. Many textbooks have summaries in the introductions or at the end of each chapter.
15
Read all chapter headlines, section titles, and paragraph headlines. These are often brief summaries in themselves.
16
If you expect to use a book extensively, read the preface. The author often includes a personal perspective in a preface. A picture of the person behind the words can remove barriers to understanding. Look for lists of recommended articles. If you have difficulty with a concept sometimes another viewpoint can help you nail it down.
17
Before you begin reading, take a few moments to reflect on what you already know about this subject, even if you think you know nothing. This technique prepares your brain to accept the information that follows.