Study Skills and Reading Strategies that Can help Your

Child Become a Better Student

Dinorah MacElwain

Gunston Middle School

Reading Skills Specialist

What you needs as Student to Set Up a Study Area

Things you need to get ready:• Your assignment notebook -write down all assignments right away and listen

carefully to what the teacher says• Start immediately when you sit down to study• Plan what you want to accomplish

make a list of what you need to do choose a consistent time and place for best results

• Break down large tasks into smaller ones• Have a solid, flat surface you can write on• Clear everything off your desk except what you are working on• Make sure you have good lighting: not too bright, not too dim• Pick a regular chair that is comfortable• Have all necessary text books, reference books and supplies

pencils, pens, markers, erasers, white-out, ruler, stapler and staples, paperclips, pencil sharpener, post it notes, index cards, paper,

scissors, calculator,  etc. Keep them in a handy place - like in a shoe box

•Keep a clock nearby - This will help you to manage your time•Eliminate all distractions - this would include TV, loud radio music, boom-boxes, etc.•Classical music played softly may be helpful•If you have a computer, have it handy. It may be helpful. •If you are supposed to wear glasses, please do so. This will help in getting the most out of your studying•Good health

get enough sleep set a reasonable bedtime eat breakfast eat three good meals a day -

your body needs energy to study well get some exercise take frequent breaks from studying - this may mean every ten minutes to begin

with•Be aware of when you start to daydream - and stop right away 

•Keep a record of what you have accomplished. It helps keep the “I Can’t” monster away.

TO DO LIST:

Math page 17, 1-6

Geography, pages 121-39

I CAN vs. I Can’t - Asking the right questions helps.

Ways to put off the “I Can’t “syndrome before it begins….

Did you write down your assignment? Have you read the directions? What is it that you don’t understand? Do you have a friend you can call to help you ? Have you asked your teacher for help? Have you tried to do it yourself?

“See. I knew you could do it. Now, all you have to do is…”

Being positive is one of the most important steps to becoming successful.

Study Aids

• Taking Notes• Mapping• Marking and underlining

Post It Notes Overlays Highlighting

• Breaking down difficult text• Dictionary• Time management

A Good Reader…. A good reader does as many of the following as possible:

Captures the main ideas                             

Thinks about what the author is saying

 Is active, not passive                        

 Concentrates on what is being read

 Remembers as much as possible,       

Applies what is being read to personal experience & make connections.

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Before you Read: Think about the subject you are going to read about. What do you know about this subject? What do you want to learn about this subject?

As you begin reading:Skim the section you are going to read. Do you see anything familiar?Do you see anything new?What is your overall impression?

While reading….and at the end:Recall to yourself what you have just read, stopping occasionally to put into your own words what you have readAt the end of a chapter, recall what the main points wereWhat new things did you learn?

 Discuss what you have read with another student, your teacher or your parents.

This will help you clarify your thinking.

Then...Read for comprehension - Make a note of important parts.

Use a post-it note or an index card and write down important main ideas and vocabulary. 

This will help you review what you have read.

Stop and re-read ideas that you are not sure you understand.

Think of where else you might find more information about he same topic. 

Reading for Comprehension from a Textbook

Scan the chapter first.Identify the sections to which the author devotes the most amount of space. Ifthere are lots of diagrams for a particular concept, then that must also be animportant concept. If you're really pressed for time, skim over the sections towhich the least amount of space is devoted.

Read the first sentence of every paragraph more carefully than the rest of theparagraph.

Take notes on headings and first sentence of each paragraph before reading thechapter itself. Then close your book and ask yourself what you now know aboutthe subject that you didn't know before you started.

Focus on nouns and main propositions in each sentence. Look for the noun-verbcombinations, and focus your learning on these.

Adapted from www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides

Breaking Down Difficult Text• Preview the Text• Get a grasp on how the material is organized• If there is a summary, read it.• Look at the pictures and graphs.• Make connections- what do you already know?• Read first what you do understand• Ask yourself questions• Go over what you have read and put it into your own words.• Look up words.• Take notes and organize your ideas. * If the material is still difficult, reread the text. * If it still proves challenging, ask for help!

Marking and Underlining Text• Read a section of the text

• Review the selection

• Mark or number important ideas in the marginin pencil, or use an overlay sheet.

• Underline or highlight:

•Main ideas- and examples of ideas that help you understand them

•Unfamiliar vocabulary and/or definitions

•Jot down paraphrases, questions and summaries on margins or where space is available (Post It Notes)

•DO NOT Highlight entire pages or selections. This makes it difficult to pick out what is really important.

There are many different ways to take notes from a textbook. Try several different ways until you find the one that works best for you. Here are three examples:

Notes from Textbooks

What is important in taking notes is knowing what is important and what is not necessary. Choose your categories and ideas carefully before you begin to annotate (take notes).

An Easy to Use Reading Strategy Fold your paper in three equal parts. Write K, W, L : One letter in each of the three sectio

K- List what you already KNOW about the subject

W = List WHAT you want to know from the reading

L- List what you have LEARNED after you have read

KWL

Steps to use in problem solving- a different kind of reading.

Word problems are really applied math problems. The most challenging part is converting the problem into mathematics. Here are four steps you to use:1. Understand the problem- identify which quantity the problem

is asking you to find.2. Devise a plan - what skills and techniques do

you need to apply to solve the problem.3. Carry out the plan- Show your work.4. Look back, check your answer- Does the answer make sense?

Also. Note what the problem asked for and what skills you used to solve it. In this way, you will recognize, and be able to solve, similar problems.

Most important of all, READ THE WHOLE PROBLEM before you begin.

As a parent, you can make reading for pleasure an important part of your child

becoming a better reader.• Ask your child what he/she likes, then find

reading materials on that topic at a bookstore or library.

• Have your child help you with a recipe, building a model, or looking for information on the computer.

• Spend time reading with your child instead of watching TV.

• Share about your reading with your child.

How to find and share good reading material for parents and students.

• Ask friends, teachers,and neighbors for

the names of their favorite books.

• Visit the local public library and ask the librarian for suggestions.

• Check book reviews in the newspaper.

• Browse the bookstore and the library with your child.

• If your child doesn’t like a book, get a new one.

• Use every opportunity to share

reading with your child.

Think of it this way: The author is the pitcher.When you read a book, you want to catch the meaning.

The reader is the catcher. The catcher has to be active and exert the right amount of effort at the right time  to catch the meaning of what the author is saying.

Make sure you keep your eye on the ball!

If you are daydreaming, you are going to be in trouble!

The Pitcher & The Catcher(taken directly from How To Read A Book by M. Adler and C. Van Doren.)