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Reading for Meaning: Consuming Literature Effectively and Accurately

Reading for Meaning: Consuming Literature Effectively and Accurately. A Graduate Success Workshop. Rules for Reading. LISTEN FIRST, respond later. Recognize the pieces and how they make the whole: Paragraphs as the smallest unit of meaning

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Reading for Meaning: Consuming Literature Effectively and Accurately

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  1. Reading for Meaning: Consuming Literature Effectively and Accurately A Graduate Success Workshop

  2. Rules for Reading • LISTEN FIRST, respond later. • Recognize the pieces and how they make the whole: • Paragraphs as the smallest unit of meaning • Sentences as currents that carry ideas….and pool into paragraphs • The roots that direct meaning, and the words that HAVE meaning • Take advantage of both top-down and bottom-up clues during the whole process.

  3. What Reading Entails • Goodman’s pyscholinguistic puzzle http://www.jllonline.co.uk/journal/1_1/liontas1_1.html • The paradox: In order to read, you must know what is being discussed. • There is a conversation between the reader and writer that operates at 3 levels: • Literal • Inferential • Application

  4. Being True to the Context • Deep Reading versus Surface Reading • Different contexts encode using different cues • Who was this text meant for? • How will that shape the format, language, and amount information taken for granted? • Reading is Pattern Recognition • Be aware of what you have seen before, and where

  5. Being True to the Intent • Recognize WHY the author is sharing the information, and any “agendas” he might also have tucked into his work. • What is the function? • Inform • Propose • Persuade/ dissuade • Posit • Manipulate

  6. Being True to the Language Use • The language itself seeks to convey certain: • Tone (formal/informal) • Attitude (appreciative/scoffing) • Mood (melancholy Cassandra/peppy Pollyanna) • Field (sampling in cuisine versus engineering) • How does the author’s use of words inform your understanding/the way you approach the text?

  7. Techniques • The basics: • Skim the paragraphs. • Review the assignment BEFORE reading and scan for what you want. • Mark main idea(s) of whole text. • Use abstract and title to guide you. • Read discussion, intro, methods, results, lit review…. • Write summaries of EACH paragraph in the margin in your own words. If you’re confused, ask questions.

  8. Layered Strategies • Focus on the language elements themselves: • Main clauses=main ideas • Content words and the defining elements of a sentence (subject + verb (+object/complement) • Idiomatic, field-specific references or allusions • A gradation of questions • The classic Wh- questions, to brusque and pointed, to accusatory—YOU decide! • What am I supposed to take away from this? • Does the author prove this point, or expect me to agree without evidence? If so, why? • What is this author trying to hide from me?

  9. In the End • Good readers are systematic. Great readers are able to take what they want and move on. They know how much and when to read based on: • Experience with this type of text • Control of language conventions • Self-check habits: does this idea mesh with what I understood before? • Confidence in their own thinking: this is NOT reasonable support!

  10. Further Reading on Reading John I. Liontas, J. I. (2002). Transactional idiom analysis: Theory and practice.Journal of Language and Linguistics, 1 (1). Retrieved from http://www.jllonline.co.uk/journal/1_1/liontas1_1.html

  11. Need more support? • Call to make an appointment: • 657-278-2738 • Check out the complete list of our workshops: • On Facebook: • Cal State Fullerton Graduate Students • Grad Studies Website: • http://www.fullerton.edu/graduate/ulc/ • ULC Website: • http://fullerton.edu/ulc/graduate_workshop.asp

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