Reading & Note-taking Office of Learning Resources University of Pennsylvania

Reading to Learn Preview Chunk Read and Take Notes Review

Preview Read the title, author’s name and think about the source. Ask yourself “What do I already know about this subject?” Skim the Table of Contents to see how the chapter relates to the preceding and following chapters. Begin by reading the abstract, introduction, summary or conclusion. Read subtitles and headings. Look at graphic aids/photographs.

Some Helpful Previewing Questions Why are you reading this text (i.e. class discussion, background information, exam, a paper)? How long is this reading? What do graphic aids/photographs tell you? Are there any new terms or concepts? What you need to know about the text? Turn headings and subheadings into questions and try to find answers when reading.

Chunk Previewing the subtitles and headings should help you to determine the major “chunks” of information covered. If there aren’t subtitles and/or headings, select a certain number of pages to represent a chunk. Decide which chunk to read first, and begin reading.

Read and Take Notes First, read through your selected chunk. Then, once you have a general understanding, go back and take notes. Taking notes will help you identify important information. Your notes will also help you recall this information when it comes time to discuss the reading in class, study for a test, or write a paper. When you are finished taking notes for one chunk, move on to read another chunk.

Note-taking Strategies Use one or more of the following note-taking strategies: Underline or highlight key words and phrases Annotate in the margins. Write a brief sentence or two capturing the main idea of that paragraph or section Take notes in a separate notebook. Use different colors or CAPS to illustrate the difference between main ideas and supporting information

Note-taking Strategies Represent your ideas visually with concept maps Fields of Psychology Social Psych. Behavior Society Culture Personality Cognitive Individual Mental Processes

Review After completing your reading, review the notes you’ve taken on each chunk. Write a 1 or 2 sentence summary of the major ideas at the top of reading. Or write this summary on a note card or separate sheet of paper and paper clip to the front of the assignment.

Do You Want to Know More? Meet with a Learning Instructor to learn more about reading and taking notes Call to make an appointment M-F, 9-5pm. Come to walk-in hours, M-F, 12-3pm. Visit our website and download self-helps and learning tools,