SQ3R: A Reading System

1. SQ3R: A Reading System Based on D.J. Henry, The Effective Reader

2. OVERVIEW • Effective, active reading simply consists of ASKING YOURSELF QUESTIONS before you read, while you read, and after you read, and coming up with TENTATIVE ANSWERS to those questions. • Active reading requires WRITING. Write down your questions as answers as you go. • Do not try to just write in the margins – especially of this book. Use a separate sheet for notes.

3. OVERVIEW • As you read and think about what you read, your answers will become more accurate and interesting and you will be able to tie more of your reading in with your prior knowledge.

4. S: Survey • BEFORE reading: • Skim the text, looking for titles, headings, italicized and bold-print terms • Read the first sentences of paragraphs • Read the introduction and take notes

5. Q: Question • AFTER Surveying but BEFORE Reading, ASK: • What is this passage about? What possible thesis might somebody want to argue about this topic? • Review your knowledge of writers we’ve read who deal with similar issues. • Review/internalize the questions I’ve just revised. • Write out any questions you have, based on your surveying, the introduction and the general introduction to the period.

6. R: Read • Highly important: DO NOT ATTEMPT to read a complicated text in one chunk. • Break the reading into small sections. Figure out about how much you can read in five minutes. Go through the material and divide it into sections of that length, marking the end of each section. • Begin reading. At the end of the five minutes, write down the most important points in what you just read. Try to keep your notes limited to one or two sentences.

7. R: Read, Part II • As you read, ASK YOURSELF: • How does this new information fit in with what I already know? • Do I need to change what I know? • Why might this information be important to the point the writer is trying to make? • If the text is difficult, can you define the source of the difficulty?

8. R: Read, Part III • As you read, ASK YOURSELF: • Where are points where I don’t quite understand what I’m reading? What questions do I have about these points? WRITE the questions down. • Also write questions based on headings, subheadings, bolded and italicized words. One standard question that often works: What is an example of this idea or phenomenon?

9. R: Recite • As you read: • Try to ANSWER the questions you’re asking, at least tentatively, and WRITE THE ANSWERS DOWN. • Try to visualize the reading to the extent that you can; turn on the camera in your head. • Continue to paraphrase the reading in 5-minute chunks.

10. R: Review • AFTER reading, go back and look at your questions and answers. Compare them with the writing you’ve just finished. ASK YOURSELF: • Are there important parts of the writing which aren’t covered by my questions and answers? What are they?

11. R: Review • AFTER reading, ASK YOURSELF: • If there was a test on this material – and there will be, of course – what might some of the test questions be? • What have I learned? What do I know about the topic that I didn’t know before? • How can I extend what I’ve learned? What other situations can I apply my new knowledge to?