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Scanning Pictures and Graphs


Most textbooks are much more interactive than they ever used to be, and most of today's materials have a lot of pictures, charts, and graphs. Every person learns a little bit differently. Some of us are very visual, and when illustrations, charts, and graphs are added to new material, it gives us another mode of understanding.

Even if you are not a primarily visual learner, looking at pictures, charts, and graphs as a first step to reading material is helpful.

Why?

Because you will begin asking yourself questions again. (Notice a trend?)

Asking questions of the material, increases the likelihood of you really understanding the material.

Here are some questions to consider when you look at the illustrations:


Interactive reading opens your brain to learning new material. Asking questions puts your brain in the mode of learning and answering the questions. When we merely look at a picture or illustration, we can actually look at it without ever seeing it.

Look at the illustration and see how it can connect to anything you already know about the material.

Continue to work through the chapter in this way.

Remember, you are NOT READING YET! This is still part of the PRE-READING PREVIEW.

Scanning Subtitles and Captions


Subtitles will give you a little more detail about the chapter or lesson that you're getting ready to read. Captions to the pictures also give you a little bit more information about the pictures and illustrations chosen for that particular lesson.

Right now you are learning to do this one step at a time, but once you understand what you are supposed to be looking at as you preview a chapter or lesson, you will be able to do this in bigger chunks. For now, do this one bit at a time so that you can see how much more you know about the lesson you are going to read soon, than you did when you first opened up the book.

Review Questions


Review questions are almost always found at the end of a chapter or lesson. They are designed to help you really understand, or comprehend, a lesson. Reading through the review questions before you read the lesson or chapter will help direct your attention to the most important portions of the lesson.

While all parts of a lesson are important, asking questions about the material, and trying to answer them before you read is a critical step in this pre-reading stage.

Again, review questions will often bring your attention to the pictures and illustrations, charts, and graphs. They will usually tell you exactly why that illustration is there, and your brain will file that information away.

READ!


Only now should you begin to read the lesson. But, as you read, remember to read interactively. Continually ask questions of yourself like:


In order to improve your comprehension in anything that you read, you must pre-read!!! Without participating in pre-reading activities, you will continue to go through the motions of reading but not comprehending.

TIP: If, at any point, you realize you do not understand what you just read -- STOP! Go back to where you began to have trouble and try to figure out why you are no longer understanding.

As we continue with this course, we will give you more skills and techniques to help improve your understanding and comprehension, but this is the very first one. If you continue to read without understanding, you are merely wasting time.

Your assignment now is to pick up a textbook or reading material that you want to read and understand. Apply what you have learned in this lesson. Spend a good 10 or 15 minutes doing pre-reading exercises before you begin reading. Notice any changes in your reading and comprehension.

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