Analyzing Secondary Text

STEP 1: Pre-Reading – Predict w/ Titles Main Points What is the Title? What is the Subtitle? Example: Unit Title = The Twentieth Century (1900s) Chapter Title = The West Between the Wars (1919-1939) Section Title = The Rise of Dictatorial Regimes Predict Main Points (without reading, predict main ideas) The time between World War I and World War II gave rise to dictatorial regimes in the West.

STEP 2: 1st Read – Main Topic/Idea Finding the Main Topic/Idea Read the paragraph Write the main topic/idea of the paragraph in one word or short phrase Use this word or short phrase as a sub-heading Example: Main Topic/Idea = Fascism, a Totalitarian State Fascism was a new kind of dictatorship, the modern totalitarian state. A totalitarian state is a government that aims to control the political, economic, social, intellectual, and cultural lives of its citizens. New totalitarian regimes pushed the power of the central state far beyond what it had been in the past.

STEP 3: 2nd Read – Interact Interacting with the Text Read the paragraph while scanning for key words/verbs Underline all key words/phrases (in your mind) Circle/Box/Highlight key vocabulary as you take notes Write any Thoughts/Questions you have on the side Example: Fascism, A Totalitarian State Fascism was a new kind of dictatorship, the modern totalitarian state. A totalitarian state is a government that aims to control the political, economic, social, intellectual, and cultural lives of its citizens. New totalitarian regimes pushed the power of the central state far beyond what it had been in the past. Thoughts/Questions Is Fascism the same thing as a totalitarian state? Totalitarian governments don’t sound fair because they control every aspect of a citizen’s life.

STEP 4: 3rd Read – Summary Summarizing Main Points Example: Put all the underlined key words/phrases into a short sentence. Be concise - summarizing a paragraph to 1 (no more than 2) short sentences. Example: Fascism, A Totalitarian State Fascism was a new kind of dictatorship, the modern totalitarian state. A totalitarian state is a government that aims to control the political, economic, social, intellectual, and cultural lives of its citizens. New totalitarian regimes pushed the power of the central state far beyond what it had been in the past. Summary - Fascism is a type of dictatorship/totalitarian state, which emphasized government control of all aspects of citizens’ lives. Thoughts/Questions Is Fascism the same thing as a totalitarian state? Totalitarian governments don’t sound fair because they control every aspect of a citizen’s life.

Reading Text Summary Pre-Read – Predict Main Idea w/ Title (s) 1st Read – Main Topic/Idea in 1 word or short phrase 2nd Read – Interact with the text using underlines, questions, thoughts 3rd Read – Summarize Main Points