Painless Reading Comprehension - Darolyn “Lyn” Jones Ed.D. 2021

Breaking the cryptic code of textbooks
Different types of reading

You and your friends have something in common with textbooks. You both have your own set of special words, phrases, and even emojis you use to communicate and text. Reading a textbook can be like reading an encyclopedia. There is no Once upon a time. . .. There aren’t usually vivid scene details that help you visualize. Images won’t easily pop into your head as they do when you read fiction. You must work harder to create images when you are reading a textbook.

As you have already discovered, a textbook contains thousands of facts, examples, and questions that are broken up into chapters, whereupon those chapters are broken up into sections, and consequently those sections are broken up into words.

How do you take in all of those words and make sense of them? No one would expect you to speak fluent French unless you were French or had been taught how to speak fluent French. The same logic can be applied to textbooks. You need to be taught how to read a textbook. You don’t have to learn to speak it or write it, but you do have to learn to read it in order to be a successful reader and learner.

You have seen that the author or editor has already grouped and organized the information in a textbook in a meaningful way. For example, a book on the Civil War is going to be broken down into sections such as causes, battles, and consequences. But it is still your responsibility to read the information, find the main ideas, and think about what they mean.

To actively read a textbook, you must be alert and awake! No napping or drooling allowed. It’s not a short run or roll. It takes a great deal of effort and stamina. That’s how it is when you read a textbook. It’s not a short run, and it will take some energy and endurance on your part. But when it’s over, you will feel better because you met a goal and because your body received a workout. The good thing about reading a textbook, though, is you won’t have to take a shower and your hair won’t be messed up for the rest of the day.

Textbook reading strategies

Stick by the following rules when reading a textbook.

1. If there is a section or chapter summary at the end, read that first! It will direct your reading to the purpose, making it easier to deduce and decide what is important to remember when you read.

2. Read the information. Don’t skim the first time. You don’t have to understand every single word, but you do need to read the text in its entirety.

3. While you are reading, pay attention to the vocabulary or the words used in the text. Remember Chapter Four? Use the flag words—such as so that, as a result of, for example, just as, above all, and remember that—to help you see how words are put together to create meaning. Also, use the context around a word to figure out a word’s meaning. And if there is a glossary, use that, too!

4. Textbooks start out with basic information and then move into more complex and detailed information. After you have read a few paragraphs, stop and think about what you have read. If you don’t understand, then go back and reread. Don’t go forward; if you aren’t getting the more basic information, you won’t understand the complex.

5. When you have a question, make a connection, or find an idea to respond to, halt and jot it down on sticky notes or in your notebook. Remember that taking notes while you read keeps you from napping or drooling.

6. If you see a chart, graph, or picture, stop and read it, too. Look at it and think about how it fits with the words.

7. There will probably be a summary at the end of the chapter, but not at the end of each section. So, write your own summary for each section. This will help keep your reading and thinking in check.

8. Stop and talk. With a study buddy or friend, stop at the end of each section and talk or text about what you just read, so you can keep it in your head. You can use the sticky note prompts to keep your conversation going.