1. How to Read an AP Textbook
Mrs. Tucker
AP European History
Victor Valley High School

2. How do we read difficult text?
Inexperienced Readers
Expert Readers
Speed Read;
Do not allow enough time to read/study the text;
Assume if they do not understand it, the teacher will explain it;
Read slowly and reread often;
They struggle with the text to make it understandable;
They summarize the meanings in the margin or in a book journal;
Hold confusing passages in mental suspension trusting that the reading will clarify it later;
They interact with the text, asking questions, linking the material to other readings or personal experiences;

3. Types of Reading/Speed of Reading
Reading for Gist;
Reading for Main Ideas;
Reading for Detail;
Reading for Inference and Application;

4. Survival Skills
Chunk complex material into manageable parts; -- note highlighted words, titles, sections, pictures or graphs;
Try to determine what the author intended – Why is he saying this?
Unfamiliar vocabulary – look up words, write unfamiliar words down, try to determine the meaning through reading the passage.

5. Survival Skills
Primary sources are read differently from historical books (texts).
Write a statement – “What it says” and “What it does”
Examples:
Provides evidence for the author’s first main reason
summarizes an opposing view
provides statistical data to support a point
uses an analogy to clarify a point in a previous paragraph;

6. Read for Success Have a quiet area to read;
Have a dictionary available to look up vocabulary you do not know;
Have a notebook/journal/sticky notes to write down the meaning of what you read;
Review these notes directly after reading;
Summarize what you read after each passage or area;

7. Read For Success Read the material several times;
Allow enough time to really understand the material;
Ask questions about what you read;
Discuss reading with other students;