how to do reading assignments

5 Steps to Master College-Level Reading

Before entering college, I imagined a lot of my time would be spent in a dimly lit library, engrossed in textbooks until the late hours of the night. My high school teachers had forewarned us about the overwhelming amount of reading we would encounter in college, and popular media often reinforced this notion. And there were instances when I needed to find a quiet spot and create a strategy to move quickly and efficiently through a reading assignment. What I learned was that I needed to change my approach and build effective reading skills to meet the demands of college courses . I was able to do this by being more intentional with my assignments—and you can, too.

Here are some steps you can take to become an efficient reader and stay on top of college reading assignments:

Determine the goal of the assignment.

First, consider why the professor assigned this reading. Will you be discussing the material in class, taking a test, or writing a paper? This will help you determine what you need to get out of the reading and focus on important content to achieve your goal.

Create a quiet, ideal reading environment.

Try to choose a comfortable spot, free from distractions. I know that at times, noise is unavoidable, especially if you live in a shared space like a dorm . In that case, pop in some headphones and find tranquil sounds or music that can help drown out the background noise. I can concentrate in almost any environment if I listen to the “Pride and Prejudice” movie soundtrack or a movie score playlist. Find what works for you.

Use the SQ3R method.

SQ3R is a reading technique that works well for textbooks and research articles. The purpose is to identify what you don’t know and build on pre-existing knowledge that you already have. Here’s how you use the SQ3R method:

• Survey: Get a firm grasp on what the material is about before you start reading. Read all the titles and headlines, skim the introduction and conclusion of each section, and look at any charts, graphs, or other visuals. Some textbooks list chapter highlights—be sure to read these as well.
• Question: Break the content down into two sections—what you already understand without reading and brand-new material that you don’t fully understand. Then, write out questions about unfamiliar content to help guide your focus as you read. Your goal is to find the answers to these questions by the time you finish reading.
• Read: As you read, you want to focus on answering your questions. This does not mean intensely reading line by line, but actively searching for answers. Take notes or highlight important content as you go.
• Recite: In your own words, recite the answers to your questions and then write them down. If you struggle doing this, spend more time reading to find the answers. It might help to do this in sections throughout your reading.
• Review: Look back at your notes, highlighted content, and answers to your questions to get an overarching view of what you learned. Go through each section of the reading and check your memory and understanding by reciting the major points of each section.

Use time management.

Everyone reads at a different pace. To avoid feeling overwhelmed and rushed, look at how much reading you’ve been assigned and determine how much time you might need. Factor in time for breaks, if possible.

The transition from high school to college reading assignments can seem daunting at first, but using these tips will help you develop effective and efficient reading habits. And remember, reading is a skill. The more you practice, the better you’ll be at reading and comprehension. So, go find a good book and start practicing, and check out more tips on reading on the K12 Leading with Literacy hub.

For more helpful tips and resources that’ll get you ready for college, visit the K12 Career and College Prep page.

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4 Ways to Get Your Students to Do the Assigned Reading

Dr. Jenny Billings is a faculty member at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.

Students do not always complete assigned readings. This is true for chapters, novels, articles, or even single poems. Being an English instructor, I take this personally. I laugh while writing this, but it’s true! When I craft my course, I am constantly considering which format will give my students everything they need to be successful. I tell my babies, “I have given you the world. Together, we can decide how best to navigate it.” I have always been the kind of instructor to select the assigned chapters first, then build the rest of the course around them. These chapters are presented in a certain order to help dictate the rest of the “world” I build for my students: the corresponding notes, what I lecture on, the videos I embed, the assignments they complete, and the discussion questions they consider. With the chapters bearing so much weight, what if my students opt out of reading? Here are four ways I get my students to read what I assign. Hopefully, they’ll help you, too.

1. Start Small: Change Your Approach

I used to get so frustrated when a student would ask me a question that was addressed in the reading I had just assigned. I’d often ask or write back, “Did you read Chapter X in your eTextbook?” The student would respond one of two ways: 1) “No (but I will)” or 2) “Yes, I read it (but don’t understand what it said).” The question I asked prompted these responses only; I wasn’t allowing for anything else.

I’ve changed the way I approach this. Instead of putting the sole responsibility back on the student—”Have you read the chapter?”—I create an opportunity for us to navigate the reading together. Instead, I’ll ask, “What section, page, or concept tripped you up?” From there, we narrow it down, discuss it together, and the student walks away with a better understanding. Even if it was only that portion, and even if they didn’t really read the chapter to begin with, they now grasp that concept or section. That’s still a win in my book. You know what else is a win? The fact that they are more likely to read in the future because I didn’t turn them away.

2. Less Assigned Reading is More. Seriously.

Our students are drowning in information daily. Social media, the news, their home life, their work life, their families, their kids … these things combined lead to information overload. Our students are coming to us for an education, sure, but they are also coming to us for change.

I’m not saying that you must remove important information from your class. I’m saying that you need to evaluate how much reading you’re assigning. You and I both know that there are concepts, pages, and even chapters that can be omitted and replaced with a video or live lecture. When I started teaching high school, I taught the same way I was taught. I assigned reading outside of class and then once back in class, I went over what students were supposed to read outside of class. See the redundancy? If I’m going to go over it anyway, why would the students need to read it beforehand? Rather than go over it, the in-class session should be an expansion of what they read. They should apply what they read to class, the assignment, etc. in a way that requires them to read to do well. For them to recall everything that they’ve read, especially on the spot, you need to assign less reading. Like Theresa MacPhail says, “My students are getting the information—but in the formats with which they are most comfortable.”

3. Assigned Reading Should Be Relevant

I’m guilty of assigning reading because I felt it was “easier” for students to get the information that way. If students aren’t reading, they aren’t getting the information. If the reading you assigned isn’t relevant to the assignment they’re focused on in that moment, you’ve lost them.

The reading can’t be relevant just to the course—or just to the final exam. Assign reading quizzes consistently. Use your LMS or digital platform dashboard to gauge reading and student engagement. Set the expectation that all students will participate in class discussions—and stick to it! The assigned reading must be understood and utilized immediately to establish relevancy, and thus, importance in the minds of students. Don’t believe me? I asked my babies how they defined relevant reading and reading they were more likely to complete. Here are some direct quotes:

“If I know that the chapter assigned will show me how to do the current assignment, I’m much more likely to read it. Well, skim it efficiently.”

“When you tell us the pages that will help us the most with our assignment, I always read and use those.”

“Relevant reading assignments are those that provide insight on how I can be successful on the essay you just assigned. Almost like they are telling me a secret that I would have missed otherwise.”

See what I mean? Students know what they need to read. They’ll also tell you, honestly, how to entice them to read. So, ask.

4. Don’t Assign Reading Just for Reading’s Sake

According to Linda B. Nilson , students “only spend about 37% of their reading time on college reading assignments, which they describe as ‘tedious’ and ‘time-consuming.’ In fact, they often skip the assigned readings unless their grades depend on it.” If you’re assigning reading as an assignment, ensure there’s a grade associated with it. The days of assigning reading so students “can apply concepts later” are gone. It’s not difficult to make sure that graded work is directly related to what students were supposed to read and assigned in a timely manner.

I would also encourage you to give your students assignments that serve as chapter maps. Give them in advance so students know what to focus on and what to read specifically. Then ask them to apply those concepts critically to the assignment. Students are more likely to read what you assign if you tell them: 1) exactly what to read, 2) where that information will be used (i.e., on what assignment), 3) how the reading applies to their current assignment or work, and 4) what they’re risking by not completing the reading. Students are grade-driven; success should be reading-driven.

We know there are plenty of barriers to reading . Students are not exactly pining to read academic text, especially if it’s extensive and dry. Getting students to read starts with selecting the right texts. I have worked at this for almost 10 years. In the current remote setting I find myself in, getting students to embrace all I provide them is even more important to their success. The worry that students are reading less has grown every year and will continue to do so. Instead of worrying that students are reading less, perhaps we can focus on assigning less and seeing more success.

Looking to do more reading yourself? Check out our brand new Anti-Racist Reading List, where we compiled recommendations from your peers!   

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1.1 Reading and Writing in College

Learning objectives.

• Understand the expectations for reading and writing assignments in college courses.
• Understand and apply general strategies to complete college-level reading assignments efficiently and effectively.
• Recognize specific types of writing assignments frequently included in college courses.
• Understand and apply general strategies for managing college-level writing assignments.
• Determine specific reading and writing strategies that work best for you individually.

As you begin this chapter, you may be wondering why you need an introduction. After all, you have been writing and reading since elementary school. You completed numerous assessments of your reading and writing skills in high school and as part of your application process for college. You may write on the job, too. Why is a college writing course even necessary?

When you are eager to get started on the coursework in your major that will prepare you for your career, getting excited about an introductory college writing course can be difficult. However, regardless of your field of study, honing your writing skills—and your reading and critical-thinking skills—gives you a more solid academic foundation.

In college, academic expectations change from what you may have experienced in high school. The quantity of work you are expected to do is increased. When instructors expect you to read pages upon pages or study hours and hours for one particular course, managing your work load can be challenging. This chapter includes strategies for studying efficiently and managing your time.

The quality of the work you do also changes. It is not enough to understand course material and summarize it on an exam. You will also be expected to seriously engage with new ideas by reflecting on them, analyzing them, critiquing them, making connections, drawing conclusions, or finding new ways of thinking about a given subject. Educationally, you are moving into deeper waters. A good introductory writing course will help you swim.

Table 1.1 “High School versus College Assignments” summarizes some of the other major differences between high school and college assignments.

Table 1.1 High School versus College Assignments

This chapter covers the types of reading and writing assignments you will encounter as a college student. You will also learn a variety of strategies for mastering these new challenges—and becoming a more confident student and writer.

Throughout this chapter, you will follow a first-year student named Crystal. After several years of working as a saleswoman in a department store, Crystal has decided to pursue a degree in elementary education and become a teacher. She is continuing to work part-time, and occasionally she finds it challenging to balance the demands of work, school, and caring for her four-year-old son. As you read about Crystal, think about how you can use her experience to get the most out of your own college experience.

Review Table 1.1 “High School versus College Assignments” and think about how you have found your college experience to be different from high school so far. Respond to the following questions:

• In what ways do you think college will be more rewarding for you as a learner?
• What aspects of college do you expect to find most challenging?
• What changes do you think you might have to make in your life to ensure your success in college?

Reading Strategies

Your college courses will sharpen both your reading and your writing skills. Most of your writing assignments—from brief response papers to in-depth research projects—will depend on your understanding of course reading assignments or related readings you do on your own. And it is difficult, if not impossible, to write effectively about a text that you have not understood. Even when you do understand the reading, it can be hard to write about it if you do not feel personally engaged with the ideas discussed.

This section discusses strategies you can use to get the most out of your college reading assignments. These strategies fall into three broad categories:

• Planning strategies. To help you manage your reading assignments.
• Comprehension strategies. To help you understand the material.
• Active reading strategies. To take your understanding to a higher and deeper level.

Planning Your Reading

Have you ever stayed up all night cramming just before an exam? Or found yourself skimming a detailed memo from your boss five minutes before a crucial meeting? The first step in handling college reading successfully is planning. This involves both managing your time and setting a clear purpose for your reading.

Managing Your Reading Time

You will learn more detailed strategies for time management in Section 1.2 “Developing Study Skills” , but for now, focus on setting aside enough time for reading and breaking your assignments into manageable chunks. If you are assigned a seventy-page chapter to read for next week’s class, try not to wait until the night before to get started. Give yourself at least a few days and tackle one section at a time.

Your method for breaking up the assignment will depend on the type of reading. If the text is very dense and packed with unfamiliar terms and concepts, you may need to read no more than five or ten pages in one sitting so that you can truly understand and process the information. With more user-friendly texts, you will be able to handle longer sections—twenty to forty pages, for instance. And if you have a highly engaging reading assignment, such as a novel you cannot put down, you may be able to read lengthy passages in one sitting.

As the semester progresses, you will develop a better sense of how much time you need to allow for the reading assignments in different subjects. It also makes sense to preview each assignment well in advance to assess its difficulty level and to determine how much reading time to set aside.

College instructors often set aside reserve readings for a particular course. These consist of articles, book chapters, or other texts that are not part of the primary course textbook. Copies of reserve readings are available through the university library; in print; or, more often, online. When you are assigned a reserve reading, download it ahead of time (and let your instructor know if you have trouble accessing it). Skim through it to get a rough idea of how much time you will need to read the assignment in full.

Setting a Purpose

The other key component of planning is setting a purpose. Knowing what you want to get out of a reading assignment helps you determine how to approach it and how much time to spend on it. It also helps you stay focused during those occasional moments when it is late, you are tired, and relaxing in front of the television sounds far more appealing than curling up with a stack of journal articles.

Sometimes your purpose is simple. You might just need to understand the reading material well enough to discuss it intelligently in class the next day. However, your purpose will often go beyond that. For instance, you might also read to compare two texts, to formulate a personal response to a text, or to gather ideas for future research. Here are some questions to ask to help determine your purpose:

How did my instructor frame the assignment? Often your instructors will tell you what they expect you to get out of the reading:

• Read Chapter 2 and come to class prepared to discuss current teaching practices in elementary math.
• Read these two articles and compare Smith’s and Jones’s perspectives on the 2010 health care reform bill.
• Read Chapter 5 and think about how you could apply these guidelines to running your own business.
• How deeply do I need to understand the reading? If you are majoring in computer science and you are assigned to read Chapter 1, “Introduction to Computer Science,” it is safe to assume the chapter presents fundamental concepts that you will be expected to master. However, for some reading assignments, you may be expected to form a general understanding but not necessarily master the content. Again, pay attention to how your instructor presents the assignment.
• How does this assignment relate to other course readings or to concepts discussed in class? Your instructor may make some of these connections explicitly, but if not, try to draw connections on your own. (Needless to say, it helps to take detailed notes both when in class and when you read.)
• How might I use this text again in the future? If you are assigned to read about a topic that has always interested you, your reading assignment might help you develop ideas for a future research paper. Some reading assignments provide valuable tips or summaries worth bookmarking for future reference. Think about what you can take from the reading that will stay with you.

Improving Your Comprehension

You have blocked out time for your reading assignments and set a purpose for reading. Now comes the challenge: making sure you actually understand all the information you are expected to process. Some of your reading assignments will be fairly straightforward. Others, however, will be longer or more complex, so you will need a plan for how to handle them.

For any expository writing —that is, nonfiction, informational writing—your first comprehension goal is to identify the main points and relate any details to those main points. Because college-level texts can be challenging, you will also need to monitor your reading comprehension. That is, you will need to stop periodically and assess how well you understand what you are reading. Finally, you can improve comprehension by taking time to determine which strategies work best for you and putting those strategies into practice.

Identifying the Main Points

In college, you will read a wide variety of materials, including the following:

• Textbooks. These usually include summaries, glossaries, comprehension questions, and other study aids.
• Nonfiction trade books. These are less likely to include the study features found in textbooks.
• Popular magazine, newspaper, or web articles. These are usually written for a general audience.
• Scholarly books and journal articles. These are written for an audience of specialists in a given field.

Regardless of what type of expository text you are assigned to read, your primary comprehension goal is to identify the main point : the most important idea that the writer wants to communicate and often states early on. Finding the main point gives you a framework to organize the details presented in the reading and relate the reading to concepts you learned in class or through other reading assignments. After identifying the main point, you will find the supporting points , the details, facts, and explanations that develop and clarify the main point.

Some texts make that task relatively easy. Textbooks, for instance, include the aforementioned features as well as headings and subheadings intended to make it easier for students to identify core concepts. Graphic features, such as sidebars, diagrams, and charts, help students understand complex information and distinguish between essential and inessential points. When you are assigned to read from a textbook, be sure to use available comprehension aids to help you identify the main points.

Trade books and popular articles may not be written specifically for an educational purpose; nevertheless, they also include features that can help you identify the main ideas. These features include the following:

• Trade books. Many trade books include an introduction that presents the writer’s main ideas and purpose for writing. Reading chapter titles (and any subtitles within the chapter) will help you get a broad sense of what is covered. It also helps to read the beginning and ending paragraphs of a chapter closely. These paragraphs often sum up the main ideas presented.
• Popular articles. Reading the headings and introductory paragraphs carefully is crucial. In magazine articles, these features (along with the closing paragraphs) present the main concepts. Hard news articles in newspapers present the gist of the news story in the lead paragraph, while subsequent paragraphs present increasingly general details.

At the far end of the reading difficulty scale are scholarly books and journal articles. Because these texts are written for a specialized, highly educated audience, the authors presume their readers are already familiar with the topic. The language and writing style is sophisticated and sometimes dense.

When you read scholarly books and journal articles, try to apply the same strategies discussed earlier. The introduction usually presents the writer’s thesis , the idea or hypothesis the writer is trying to prove. Headings and subheadings can help you understand how the writer has organized support for his or her thesis. Additionally, academic journal articles often include a summary at the beginning, called an abstract, and electronic databases include summaries of articles, too.

For more information about reading different types of texts, see Chapter 12 “Writing a Research Paper” .

Monitoring Your Comprehension

Finding the main idea and paying attention to text features as you read helps you figure out what you should know. Just as important, however, is being able to figure out what you do not know and developing a strategy to deal with it.

Textbooks often include comprehension questions in the margins or at the end of a section or chapter. As you read, stop occasionally to answer these questions on paper or in your head. Use them to identify sections you may need to reread, read more carefully, or ask your instructor about later.

Even when a text does not have built-in comprehension features, you can actively monitor your own comprehension. Try these strategies, adapting them as needed to suit different kinds of texts:

• Summarize. At the end of each section, pause to summarize the main points in a few sentences. If you have trouble doing so, revisit that section.
• Ask and answer questions. When you begin reading a section, try to identify two to three questions you should be able to answer after you finish it. Write down your questions and use them to test yourself on the reading. If you cannot answer a question, try to determine why. Is the answer buried in that section of reading but just not coming across to you? Or do you expect to find the answer in another part of the reading?
• Do not read in a vacuum. Look for opportunities to discuss the reading with your classmates. Many instructors set up online discussion forums or blogs specifically for that purpose. Participating in these discussions can help you determine whether your understanding of the main points is the same as your peers’.

These discussions can also serve as a reality check. If everyone in the class struggled with the reading, it may be exceptionally challenging. If it was a breeze for everyone but you, you may need to see your instructor for help.

As a working mother, Crystal found that the best time to get her reading done was in the evening, after she had put her four-year-old to bed. However, she occasionally had trouble concentrating at the end of a long day. She found that by actively working to summarize the reading and asking and answering questions, she focused better and retained more of what she read. She also found that evenings were a good time to check the class discussion forums that a few of her instructors had created.

Choose any text that that you have been assigned to read for one of your college courses. In your notes, complete the following tasks:

• Summarize the main points of the text in two to three sentences.
• Write down two to three questions about the text that you can bring up during class discussion.

Students are often reluctant to seek help. They feel like doing so marks them as slow, weak, or demanding. The truth is, every learner occasionally struggles. If you are sincerely trying to keep up with the course reading but feel like you are in over your head, seek out help. Speak up in class, schedule a meeting with your instructor, or visit your university learning center for assistance.

Deal with the problem as early in the semester as you can. Instructors respect students who are proactive about their own learning. Most instructors will work hard to help students who make the effort to help themselves.

Taking It to the Next Level: Active Reading

Now that you have acquainted (or reacquainted) yourself with useful planning and comprehension strategies, college reading assignments may feel more manageable. You know what you need to do to get your reading done and make sure you grasp the main points. However, the most successful students in college are not only competent readers but active, engaged readers.

Using the SQ3R Strategy

One strategy you can use to become a more active, engaged reader is the SQ3R strategy , a step-by-step process to follow before, during, and after reading. You may already use some variation of it. In essence, the process works like this:

• Survey the text in advance.
• Form questions before you start reading.
• Read the text.
• Recite and/or record important points during and after reading.
• Review and reflect on the text after you read.

Before you read, you survey, or preview, the text. As noted earlier, reading introductory paragraphs and headings can help you begin to figure out the author’s main point and identify what important topics will be covered. However, surveying does not stop there. Look over sidebars, photographs, and any other text or graphic features that catch your eye. Skim a few paragraphs. Preview any boldfaced or italicized vocabulary terms. This will help you form a first impression of the material.

Next, start brainstorming questions about the text. What do you expect to learn from the reading? You may find that some questions come to mind immediately based on your initial survey or based on previous readings and class discussions. If not, try using headings and subheadings in the text to formulate questions. For instance, if one heading in your textbook reads “Medicare and Medicaid,” you might ask yourself these questions:

• When was Medicare and Medicaid legislation enacted? Why?
• What are the major differences between these two programs?

Although some of your questions may be simple factual questions, try to come up with a few that are more open-ended. Asking in-depth questions will help you stay more engaged as you read.

The next step is simple: read. As you read, notice whether your first impressions of the text were correct. Are the author’s main points and overall approach about the same as what you predicted—or does the text contain a few surprises? Also, look for answers to your earlier questions and begin forming new questions. Continue to revise your impressions and questions as you read.

While you are reading, pause occasionally to recite or record important points. It is best to do this at the end of each section or when there is an obvious shift in the writer’s train of thought. Put the book aside for a moment and recite aloud the main points of the section or any important answers you found there. You might also record ideas by jotting down a few brief notes in addition to, or instead of, reciting aloud. Either way, the physical act of articulating information makes you more likely to remember it.

After you have completed the reading, take some time to review the material more thoroughly. If the textbook includes review questions or your instructor has provided a study guide, use these tools to guide your review. You will want to record information in a more detailed format than you used during reading, such as in an outline or a list.

As you review the material, reflect on what you learned. Did anything surprise you, upset you, or make you think? Did you find yourself strongly agreeing or disagreeing with any points in the text? What topics would you like to explore further? Jot down your reflections in your notes. (Instructors sometimes require students to write brief response papers or maintain a reading journal. Use these assignments to help you reflect on what you read.)

Choose another text that that you have been assigned to read for a class. Use the SQ3R process to complete the reading. (Keep in mind that you may need to spread the reading over more than one session, especially if the text is long.)

Be sure to complete all the steps involved. Then, reflect on how helpful you found this process. On a scale of one to ten, how useful did you find it? How does it compare with other study techniques you have used?

Using Other Active Reading Strategies

The SQ3R process encompasses a number of valuable active reading strategies: previewing a text, making predictions, asking and answering questions, and summarizing. You can use the following additional strategies to further deepen your understanding of what you read.

• Connect what you read to what you already know. Look for ways the reading supports, extends, or challenges concepts you have learned elsewhere.
• Relate the reading to your own life. What statements, people, or situations relate to your personal experiences?
• Visualize. For both fiction and nonfiction texts, try to picture what is described. Visualizing is especially helpful when you are reading a narrative text, such as a novel or a historical account, or when you read expository text that describes a process, such as how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
• Pay attention to graphics as well as text. Photographs, diagrams, flow charts, tables, and other graphics can help make abstract ideas more concrete and understandable.
• Understand the text in context. Understanding context means thinking about who wrote the text, when and where it was written, the author’s purpose for writing it, and what assumptions or agendas influenced the author’s ideas. For instance, two writers might both address the subject of health care reform, but if one article is an opinion piece and one is a news story, the context is different.
• Plan to talk or write about what you read. Jot down a few questions or comments in your notebook so you can bring them up in class. (This also gives you a source of topic ideas for papers and presentations later in the semester.) Discuss the reading on a class discussion board or blog about it.

As Crystal began her first semester of elementary education courses, she occasionally felt lost in a sea of new terms and theories about teaching and child development. She found that it helped to relate the reading to her personal observations of her son and other kids she knew.

Writing at Work

Many college courses require students to participate in interactive online components, such as a discussion forum, a page on a social networking site, or a class blog. These tools are a great way to reinforce learning. Do not be afraid to be the student who starts the discussion.

Remember that when you interact with other students and teachers online, you need to project a mature, professional image. You may be able to use an informal, conversational tone, but complaining about the work load, using off-color language, or “flaming” other participants is inappropriate.

Active reading can benefit you in ways that go beyond just earning good grades. By practicing these strategies, you will find yourself more interested in your courses and better able to relate your academic work to the rest of your life. Being an interested, engaged student also helps you form lasting connections with your instructors and with other students that can be personally and professionally valuable. In short, it helps you get the most out of your education.

Common Writing Assignments

College writing assignments serve a different purpose than the typical writing assignments you completed in high school. In high school, teachers generally focus on teaching you to write in a variety of modes and formats, including personal writing, expository writing, research papers, creative writing, and writing short answers and essays for exams. Over time, these assignments help you build a foundation of writing skills.

In college, many instructors will expect you to already have that foundation.

Your college composition courses will focus on writing for its own sake, helping you make the transition to college-level writing assignments. However, in most other college courses, writing assignments serve a different purpose. In those courses, you may use writing as one tool among many for learning how to think about a particular academic discipline.

Additionally, certain assignments teach you how to meet the expectations for professional writing in a given field. Depending on the class, you might be asked to write a lab report, a case study, a literary analysis, a business plan, or an account of a personal interview. You will need to learn and follow the standard conventions for those types of written products.

Finally, personal and creative writing assignments are less common in college than in high school. College courses emphasize expository writing, writing that explains or informs. Often expository writing assignments will incorporate outside research, too. Some classes will also require persuasive writing assignments in which you state and support your position on an issue. College instructors will hold you to a higher standard when it comes to supporting your ideas with reasons and evidence.

Table 1.2 “Common Types of College Writing Assignments” lists some of the most common types of college writing assignments. It includes minor, less formal assignments as well as major ones. Which specific assignments you encounter will depend on the courses you take and the learning objectives developed by your instructors.

Table 1.2 Common Types of College Writing Assignments

Part of managing your education is communicating well with others at your university. For instance, you might need to e-mail your instructor to request an office appointment or explain why you will need to miss a class. You might need to contact administrators with questions about your tuition or financial aid. Later, you might ask instructors to write recommendations on your behalf.

Treat these documents as professional communications. Address the recipient politely; state your question, problem, or request clearly; and use a formal, respectful tone. Doing so helps you make a positive impression and get a quicker response.

Key Takeaways

• College-level reading and writing assignments differ from high school assignments not only in quantity but also in quality.
• Managing college reading assignments successfully requires you to plan and manage your time, set a purpose for reading, practice effective comprehension strategies, and use active reading strategies to deepen your understanding of the text.
• College writing assignments place greater emphasis on learning to think critically about a particular discipline and less emphasis on personal and creative writing.

Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

3.3 Effective Reading Strategies

Questions to Consider:

• What methods can you incorporate into your routine to allow adequate time for reading?
• What are the benefits and approaches to active and critical reading?
• Do your courses or major have specific reading requirements?

Allowing Adequate Time for Reading

You should determine the reading requirements and expectations for every class very early in the semester. You also need to understand why you are reading the particular text you are assigned. Do you need to read closely for minute details that determine cause and effect? Or is your instructor asking you to skim several sources so you become more familiar with the topic? Knowing this reasoning will help you decide your timing, what notes to take, and how best to undertake the reading assignment.

Depending on the makeup of your schedule, you may end up reading both primary sources—such as legal documents, historic letters, or diaries—as well as textbooks, articles, and secondary sources, such as summaries or argumentative essays that use primary sources to stake a claim. You may also need to read current journalistic texts to stay up to date in local or global affairs. A realistic approach to scheduling your time to allow you to read and review all the reading you have for the semester will help you accomplish what can sometimes seem like an overwhelming task.

When you allow adequate time in your hectic schedule for reading, you are investing in your own success. Reading isn’t a magic pill, but it may seem like it when you consider all the benefits people reap from this ordinary practice. Famous successful people throughout history have been voracious readers. In fact, former U.S. president Harry Truman once said, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” Writer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, inventor, and also former U.S. president Thomas Jefferson claimed “I cannot live without books” at a time when keeping and reading books was an expensive pastime. Knowing what it meant to be kept from the joys of reading, 19th-century abolitionist Frederick Douglass said, “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” And finally, George R. R. Martin, the prolific author of the wildly successful Game of Thrones empire, declared, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.”

You can make time for reading in a number of ways that include determining your usual reading pace and speed, scheduling active reading sessions, and practicing recursive reading strategies.

Determining Reading Speed and Pacing

To determine your reading speed, select a section of text—passages in a textbook or pages in a novel. Time yourself reading that material for exactly 5 minutes, and note how much reading you accomplished in those 5 minutes. Multiply the amount of reading you accomplished in 5 minutes by 12 to determine your average reading pace (5 times 12 equals the 60 minutes of an hour). Of course, your reading pace will be different and take longer if you are taking notes while you read, but this calculation of reading pace gives you a good way to estimate your reading speed that you can adapt to other forms of reading.

In the table above, you can see three students with different reading speeds. So, for instance, if Marta was able to read 4 pages of a dense novel for her English class in 5 minutes, she should be able to read about 48 pages in one hour. Knowing this, Marta can accurately determine how much time she needs to devote to finishing the novel within a set amount of time, instead of just guessing. If the novel Marta is reading is 497 pages, then Marta would take the total page count (497) and divide that by her hourly reading rate (48 pages/hour) to determine that she needs about 10 to 11 hours overall. To finish the novel spread out over two weeks, Marta needs to read a little under an hour a day to accomplish this goal.

Calculating your reading rate in this manner does not take into account days where you’re too distracted and you have to reread passages or days when you just aren’t in the mood to read. And your reading rate will likely vary depending on how dense the content you’re reading is (e.g., a complex textbook vs. a comic book). Your pace may slow down somewhat if you are not very interested in what the text is about. What this method will help you do is be realistic about your reading time as opposed to waging a guess based on nothing and then becoming worried when you have far more reading to finish than the time available.

Chapter 2 , “ Managing Your Time and Priorities ,” offers more detail on how best to determine your speed from one type of reading to the next so you are better able to schedule your reading.

Scheduling Set Times for Active Reading

Active reading takes longer than reading through passages without stopping. You may not need to read your latest sci-fi series actively while you’re lounging on the beach, but many other reading situations demand more attention from you. Active reading is particularly important for college courses. You are a scholar actively engaging with the text by posing questions, seeking answers, and clarifying any confusing elements. Plan to spend at least twice as long to read actively than to read passages without taking notes or otherwise marking select elements of the text.

To determine the time you need for active reading, use the same calculations you use to determine your traditional reading speed and double it. Remember that you need to determine your reading pace for all the classes you have in a particular semester and multiply your speed by the number of classes you have that require different types of reading. The table below shows the differences in time needed between reading quickly without taking notes and reading actively.

Practicing Recursive Reading Strategies

One fact about reading for college courses that may become frustrating is that, in a way, it never ends. For all the reading you do, you end up doing even more rereading. It may be the same content, but you may be reading the passage more than once to detect the emphasis the writer places on one aspect of the topic or how frequently the writer dismisses a significant counterargument. This rereading is called recursive reading.

For most of what you read at the college level, you are trying to make sense of the text for a specific purpose—not just because the topic interests or entertains you. You need your full attention to decipher everything that’s going on in complex reading material—and you even need to be considering what the writer of the piece may not be including and why. This is why reading for comprehension is recursive.

Specifically, this boils down to seeing reading not as a formula but as a process that is far more circular than linear. You may read a selection from beginning to end, which is an excellent starting point, but for comprehension, you’ll need to go back and reread passages to determine meaning and make connections between the reading and the bigger learning environment that led you to the selection—that may be a single course or a program in your college, or it may be the larger discipline, such as all biologists or the community of scholars studying beach erosion.

People often say writing is rewriting. For college courses, reading is rereading, but rereading with the intention of improving comprehension and taking notes.

Strong readers engage in numerous steps, sometimes combining more than one step simultaneously, but knowing the steps nonetheless. They include, not always in this order:

• bringing any prior knowledge about the topic to the reading session,
• asking yourself pertinent questions, both orally and in writing, about the content you are reading,
• inferring and/or implying information from what you read,
• learning unfamiliar discipline-specific terms,
• evaluating what you are reading, and eventually,
• applying what you’re reading to other learning and life situations you encounter.

Let’s break these steps into manageable chunks, because you are actually doing quite a lot when you read.

Accessing Prior Knowledge

When you read, you naturally think of anything else you may know about the topic, but when you read deliberately and actively, you make yourself more aware of accessing this prior knowledge. Have you ever watched a documentary about this topic? Did you study some aspect of it in another class? Do you have a hobby that is somehow connected to this material? All of this thinking will help you make sense of what you are reading.

Application

Imagine that you were given a chapter to read in your American history class about the Gettysburg Address, now write down what you already know about this historic document. How might thinking through this prior knowledge help you better understand the text?

Asking Questions

Humans are naturally curious beings. As you read actively, you should be asking questions about the topic you are reading. Don’t just say the questions in your mind; write them down. You may ask: Why is this topic important? What is the relevance of this topic currently? Was this topic important a long time ago but irrelevant now? Why did my professor assign this reading?

You need a place where you can actually write down these questions; a separate page in your notes is a good place to begin. If you are taking notes on your computer, start a new document and write down the questions. Leave some room to answer the questions when you begin and again after you read.

Inferring and Implying

When you read, you can take the information on the page and infer , or conclude responses to related challenges from evidence or from your own reasoning. A student will likely be able to infer what material the professor will include on an exam by taking good notes throughout the classes leading up to the test.

Writers may imply information without directly stating a fact for a variety of reasons. Sometimes a writer may not want to come out explicitly and state a bias, but may imply or hint at his or her preference for one political party or another. You have to read carefully to find implications because they are indirect, but watching for them will help you comprehend the whole meaning of a passage.

Learning Vocabulary

Vocabulary specific to certain disciplines helps practitioners in that field engage and communicate with each other. Few people beyond undertakers and archeologists likely use the term sarcophagus in everyday communications, but for those disciplines, it is a meaningful distinction. Looking at the example, you can use context clues to figure out the meaning of the term sarcophagus because it is something undertakers and/or archeologists would recognize. At the very least, you can guess that it has something to do with death. As a potential professional in the field you’re studying, you need to know the lingo. You may already have a system in place to learn discipline-specific vocabulary, so use what you know works for you. Two strong strategies are to look up words in a dictionary (online or hard copy) to ensure you have the exact meaning for your discipline and to keep a dedicated list of words you see often in your reading. You can list the words with a short definition so you have a quick reference guide to help you learn the vocabulary.

Intelligent people always question and evaluate. This doesn’t mean they don’t trust others; they just need verification of facts to understand a topic well. It doesn’t make sense to learn incomplete or incorrect information about a subject just because you didn’t take the time to evaluate all the sources at your disposal. When early explorers were afraid to sail the world for fear of falling off the edge, they weren’t stupid; they just didn’t have all the necessary data to evaluate the situation.

When you evaluate a text, you are seeking to understand the presented topic. Depending on how long the text is, you will perform a number of steps and repeat many of these steps to evaluate all the elements the author presents. When you evaluate a text, you need to do the following:

• Scan the title and all headings.
• Read through the entire passage fully.
• Question what main point the author is making.
• Decide who the audience is.
• Identify what evidence/support the author uses.
• Consider if the author presents a balanced perspective on the main point.
• Recognize if the author introduced any biases in the text.

When you go through a text looking for each of these elements, you need to go beyond just answering the surface question; for instance, the audience may be a specific field of scientists, but could anyone else understand the text with some explanation? Why would that be important?

Analysis Question

Think of an article you need to read for a class. Take the steps above on how to evaluate a text, and apply the steps to the article. When you accomplish the task in each step, ask yourself and take notes to answer the question: Why is this important? For example, when you read the title, does that give you any additional information that will help you comprehend the text? If the text were written for a different audience, what might the author need to change to accommodate that group? How does an author’s bias distort an argument? This deep evaluation allows you to fully understand the main ideas and place the text in context with other material on the same subject, with current events, and within the discipline.

When you learn something new, it always connects to other knowledge you already have. One challenge we have is applying new information. It may be interesting to know the distance to the moon, but how do we apply it to something we need to do? If your biology instructor asked you to list several challenges of colonizing Mars and you do not know much about that planet’s exploration, you may be able to use your knowledge of how far Earth is from the moon to apply it to the new task. You may have to read several other texts in addition to reading graphs and charts to find this information.

That was the challenge the early space explorers faced along with myriad unknowns before space travel was a more regular occurrence. They had to take what they already knew and could study and read about and apply it to an unknown situation. These explorers wrote down their challenges, failures, and successes, and now scientists read those texts as a part of the ever-growing body of text about space travel. Application is a sophisticated level of thinking that helps turn theory into practice and challenges into successes.

Preparing to Read for Specific Disciplines in College

Different disciplines in college may have specific expectations, but you can depend on all subjects asking you to read to some degree. In this college reading requirement, you can succeed by learning to read actively, researching the topic and author, and recognizing how your own preconceived notions affect your reading. Reading for college isn’t the same as reading for pleasure or even just reading to learn something on your own because you are casually interested.

In college courses, your instructor may ask you to read articles, chapters, books, or primary sources (those original documents about which we write and study, such as letters between historic figures or the Declaration of Independence). Your instructor may want you to have a general background on a topic before you dive into that subject in class, so that you know the history of a topic, can start thinking about it, and can engage in a class discussion with more than a passing knowledge of the issue.

If you are about to participate in an in-depth six-week consideration of the U.S. Constitution but have never read it or anything written about it, you will have a hard time looking at anything in detail or understanding how and why it is significant. As you can imagine, a great deal has been written about the Constitution by scholars and citizens since the late 1700s when it was first put to paper (that’s how they did it then). While the actual document isn’t that long (about 12–15 pages depending on how it is presented), learning the details on how it came about, who was involved, and why it was and still is a significant document would take a considerable amount of time to read and digest. So, how do you do it all? Especially when you may have an instructor who drops hints that you may also love to read a historic novel covering the same time period . . . in your spare time , not required, of course! It can be daunting, especially if you are taking more than one course that has time-consuming reading lists. With a few strategic techniques, you can manage it all, but know that you must have a plan and schedule your required reading so you are also able to pick up that recommended historic novel—it may give you an entirely new perspective on the issue.

Strategies for Reading in College Disciplines

No universal law exists for how much reading instructors and institutions expect college students to undertake for various disciplines. Suffice it to say, it’s a LOT.

For most students, it is the volume of reading that catches them most off guard when they begin their college careers. A full course load might require 10–15 hours of reading per week, some of that covering content that will be more difficult than the reading for other courses.

You cannot possibly read word-for-word every single document you need to read for all your classes. That doesn’t mean you give up or decide to only read for your favorite classes or concoct a scheme to read 17 percent for each class and see how that works for you. You need to learn to skim, annotate, and take notes. All of these techniques will help you comprehend more of what you read, which is why we read in the first place. We’ll talk more later about annotating and note-taking, but for now consider what you know about skimming as opposed to active reading.

Skimming is not just glancing over the words on a page (or screen) to see if any of it sticks. Effective skimming allows you to take in the major points of a passage without the need for a time-consuming reading session that involves your active use of notations and annotations. Often you will need to engage in that painstaking level of active reading, but skimming is the first step—not an alternative to deep reading. The fact remains that neither do you need to read everything nor could you possibly accomplish that given your limited time. So learn this valuable skill of skimming as an accompaniment to your overall study tool kit, and with practice and experience, you will fully understand how valuable it is.

When you skim, look for guides to your understanding: headings, definitions, pull quotes, tables, and context clues. Textbooks are often helpful for skimming—they may already have made some of these skimming guides in bold or a different color, and chapters often follow a predictable outline. Some even provide an overview and summary for sections or chapters. Use whatever you can get, but don’t stop there. In textbooks that have some reading guides, or especially in texts that do not, look for introductory words such as First or The purpose of this article  . . . or summary words such as In conclusion  . . . or Finally . These guides will help you read only those sentences or paragraphs that will give you the overall meaning or gist of a passage or book.

Now move to the meat of the passage. You want to take in the reading as a whole. For a book, look at the titles of each chapter if available. Read each chapter’s introductory paragraph and determine why the writer chose this particular order. Depending on what you’re reading, the chapters may be only informational, but often you’re looking for a specific argument. What position is the writer claiming? What support, counterarguments, and conclusions is the writer presenting?

Don’t think of skimming as a way to buzz through a boring reading assignment. It is a skill you should master so you can engage, at various levels, with all the reading you need to accomplish in college. End your skimming session with a few notes—terms to look up, questions you still have, and an overall summary. And recognize that you likely will return to that book or article for a more thorough reading if the material is useful.

Active Reading Strategies

Active reading differs significantly from skimming or reading for pleasure. You can think of active reading as a sort of conversation between you and the text (maybe between you and the author, but you don’t want to get the author’s personality too involved in this metaphor because that may skew your engagement with the text).

When you sit down to determine what your different classes expect you to read and you create a reading schedule to ensure you complete all the reading, think about when you should read the material strategically, not just how to get it all done . You should read textbook chapters and other reading assignments before you go into a lecture about that information. Don’t wait to see how the lecture goes before you read the material, or you may not understand the information in the lecture. Reading before class helps you put ideas together between your reading and the information you hear and discuss in class.

Different disciplines naturally have different types of texts, and you need to take this into account when you schedule your time for reading class material. For example, you may look at a poem for your world literature class and assume that it will not take you long to read because it is relatively short compared to the dense textbook you have for your economics class. But reading and understanding a poem can take a considerable amount of time when you realize you may need to stop numerous times to review the separate word meanings and how the words form images and connections throughout the poem.

The SQ3R Reading Strategy

You may have heard of the SQ3R method for active reading in your early education. This valuable technique is perfect for college reading. The title stands for S urvey, Q uestion, R ead, R ecite, R eview, and you can use the steps on virtually any assigned passage. Designed by Francis Pleasant Robinson in his 1961 book Effective Study, the active reading strategy gives readers a systematic way to work through any reading material.

Survey is similar to skimming. You look for clues to meaning by reading the titles, headings, introductions, summary, captions for graphics, and keywords. You can survey almost anything connected to the reading selection, including the copyright information, the date of the journal article, or the names and qualifications of the author(s). In this step, you decide what the general meaning is for the reading selection.

Question is your creation of questions to seek the main ideas, support, examples, and conclusions of the reading selection. Ask yourself these questions separately. Try to create valid questions about what you are about to read that have come into your mind as you engaged in the Survey step. Try turning the headings of the sections in the chapter into questions. Next, how does what you’re reading relate to you, your school, your community, and the world?

Read is when you actually read the passage. Try to find the answers to questions you developed in the previous step. Decide how much you are reading in chunks, either by paragraph for more complex readings or by section or even by an entire chapter. When you finish reading the selection, stop to make notes. Answer the questions by writing a note in the margin or other white space of the text.

You may also carefully underline or highlight text in addition to your notes. Use caution here that you don’t try to rush this step by haphazardly circling terms or the other extreme of underlining huge chunks of text. Don’t over-mark. You aren’t likely to remember what these cryptic marks mean later when you come back to use this active reading session to study. The text is the source of information—your marks and notes are just a way to organize and make sense of that information.

Recite means to speak out loud. By reciting, you are engaging other senses to remember the material—you read it (visual) and you said it (auditory). Stop reading momentarily in the step to answer your questions or clarify confusing sentences or paragraphs. You can recite a summary of what the text means to you. If you are not in a place where you can verbalize, such as a library or classroom, you can accomplish this step adequately by  saying  it in your head; however, to get the biggest bang for your buck, try to find a place where you can speak aloud. You may even want to try explaining the content to a friend.

Review is a recap. Go back over what you read and add more notes, ensuring you have captured the main points of the passage, identified the supporting evidence and examples, and understood the overall meaning. You may need to repeat some or all of the SQR3 steps during your review depending on the length and complexity of the material. Before you end your active reading session, write a short (no more than one page is optimal) summary of the text you read.

Reading Primary and Secondary Sources

Primary sources are original documents we study and from which we glean information; primary sources include letters, first editions of books, legal documents, and a variety of other texts. When scholars look at these documents to understand a period in history or a scientific challenge and then write about their findings, the scholar’s article is considered a secondary source. Readers have to keep several factors in mind when reading both primary and secondary sources.

Primary sources may contain dated material we now know is inaccurate. It may contain personal beliefs and biases the original writer didn’t intend to be openly published, and it may even present fanciful or creative ideas that do not support current knowledge. Readers can still gain great insight from primary sources, but readers need to understand the context from which the writer of the primary source wrote the text.

Likewise, secondary sources are inevitably another person’s perspective on the primary source, so a reader of secondary sources must also be aware of potential biases or preferences the secondary source writer inserts in the writing that may persuade an incautious reader to interpret the primary source in a particular manner.

For example, if you were to read a secondary source that is examining the U.S. Declaration of Independence (the primary source), you would have a much clearer idea of how the secondary source scholar presented the information from the primary source if you also read the Declaration for yourself instead of trusting the other writer’s interpretation. Most scholars are honest in writing secondary sources, but you as a reader of the source are trusting the writer to present a balanced perspective of the primary source. When possible, you should attempt to read a primary source in conjunction with the secondary source. The Internet helps immensely with this practice.

Researching Topic and Author

During your preview stage, sometimes called pre-reading, you can easily pick up on information from various sources that may help you understand the material you’re reading more fully or place it in context with other important works in the discipline. If your selection is a book, flip it over or turn to the back pages and look for an author’s biography or note from the author. See if the book itself contains any other information about the author or the subject matter.

The main things you need to recall from your reading in college are the topics covered and how the information fits into the discipline. You can find these parts throughout the textbook chapter in the form of headings in larger and bold font, summary lists, and important quotations pulled out of the narrative. Use these features as you read to help you determine what the most important ideas are.

Remember, many books use quotations about the book or author as testimonials in a marketing approach to sell more books, so these may not be the most reliable sources of unbiased opinions, but it’s a start. Sometimes you can find a list of other books the author has written near the front of a book. Do you recognize any of the other titles? Can you do an Internet search for the name of the book or author? Go beyond the search results that want you to buy the book and see if you can glean any other relevant information about the author or the reading selection. Beyond a standard Internet search, try the library article database. These are more relevant to academic disciplines and contain resources you typically will not find in a standard search engine. If you are unfamiliar with how to use the library database, ask a reference librarian on campus. They are often underused resources that can point you in the right direction.

Understanding Your Own Preset Ideas on a Topic

Consider this scenario: Laura really enjoys learning about environmental issues. She has read many books and watched numerous televised documentaries on this topic and actively seeks out additional information on the environment. While Laura’s interest can help her understand a new reading encounter about the environment, Laura also has to be aware that with this interest, she brings forward her preset ideas and biases about the topic. Sometimes these prejudices against other ideas relate to religion or nationality or even just tradition. Without evidence, thinking the way we always have is not a good enough reason; evidence can change, and at the very least it needs honest review and assessment to determine its validity. Ironically, we may not want to learn new ideas because that may mean we would have to give up old ideas we have already mastered, which can be a daunting prospect.

With every reading situation about the environment, Laura needs to remain open-minded about what she is about to read and pay careful attention if she begins to ignore certain parts of the text because of her preconceived notions. Learning new information can be very difficult if you balk at ideas that are different from what you’ve always thought. You may have to force yourself to listen to a different viewpoint multiple times to make sure you are not closing your mind to a viable solution your mindset does not currently allow.

Can you think of times you have struggled reading college content for a course? Which of these strategies might have helped you understand the content? Why do you think those strategies would work?

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Textbook Reading Strategies For Ultra-Efficient Learning

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Reading is a critical part of learning, whether you’re in college or not.

But if you are in college, you probably feel like you’re drowning in reading assignments. How are you supposed to do all of this reading while still having time for extracurriculars, a part-time job , and maybe even a social life ?

While the reading load in college can be substantial, there are ways to make it more manageable. Below, I’ll explore how to read a textbook (or any reading assignment) in a way that saves you time while boosting your comprehension and retention.

Don’t Do All of Your Assigned Reading

Even if you wanted to do all the assigned reading for a course, you probably don’t have time. But telling you not to do all the reading is still controversial advice, despite the reality that college places many additional demands on your time.

So let me be clear: I’m not advising you to blow off all your reading assignments. Instead, I encourage you to figure out which reading is most important and focus on that.

For some classes, this will mean doing all of the reading assignments. For others, you can get by with skimming the reading or focusing only on certain sections. And, finally, there are some classes where cracking the textbook is almost unnecessary.

It’s important to remember that it’s rarely a binary choice between “read everything” and “read nothing.” Most classes are on a spectrum somewhere between these extremes. Here’s how to figure out where your class falls on that spectrum:

How to Gauge the Amount of Reading a Class Requires

How are you supposed to know how much reading you need to do for each course?

In most cases, you don’t know when you start the class. Instead, you need to spend a week or two figuring out how important the reading is to your class performance. Here are some techniques you can use:

Consult the Syllabus

The course syllabus can give you clues about how important the reading assignments are.

If you see that most of the assignments are reading-based and most of the class meetings are devoted to discussion, that’s a good sign the reading will be important. After all, you can’t contribute much to discussions of the reading assignments if you haven’t done them.

Additionally, if your grade is based mostly on essays about the reading , then that’s another red flag that the reading matters a lot. This is often the case with literature courses, in which two or three papers typically determine your final grade

Finally, if you see assignments that require you to summarize or otherwise reflect on the reading assignments, you best set aside extra time for them. Since the professor is directly checking if you did the reading, your grade could suffer if you don’t.

Compare Lectures with Assigned Reading

The syllabus is a great start to gauging how much reading you need to do for a class, but it won’t tell you everything. That’s why you should also pay attention to how the material covered in class compares with what’s in the textbook.

If you find that the lectures overlap extensively with the assigned reading, then you can probably cut back on the amount you read (as long as you pay attention and take good notes in class).

But if you find that the lectures are wildly different from the textbook material or only provide a general overview, then give more time to the assigned reading.

Listen to the Professor

Sometimes, the professor will straight-up tell you how much the reading matters to the course.

If they tell you that the final exam will be based primarily on the assigned reading, then you better read the textbook closely.

On the other hand, if they tell you that the reading assignments are more of a supplement to their lectures, you’re likely safe doing less of the reading.

The professor may also give you more specific guidance for a particular reading assignment. For instance, I’ve had professors who disagreed with the way a particular textbook section explained a concept and told the class not to read it.

When you’re lucky to get guidance this specific, be sure to heed it!

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9 Tactics for Fast and Effective Textbook Reading

“How often you read something is immaterial; how you read it is crucial.” – Virginia Voeks,  On Becoming an Educated Person

Once you’ve gauged how much you need to read for a class (or if you need to read for it at all), you still have to do the work of reading.

However, there are many things you can do to make your reading process faster and more effective. Here are the best tactics we’ve found for reading a textbook:

Focus on the Primary Text(s)

In any given class, you’ll have many kinds of reading assignments.

But generally, there are one or two “primary texts” that are most important to the class. Often, this will be a textbook. But it could also be a collection of scholarly articles or other books. Whatever it is, focus your time on reading the class’s primary text(s), and don’t worry so much about supplementary materials.

I had some classes, for instance, where the professor would assign (or just mention) articles that they found interesting or that attempted to make the material more “relevant.” In most cases, you can get by with skimming (or completely skipping) these types of supplementary reading.

Don’t Read Mindlessly

Running your eyes over the page without engaging with the material is nearly as bad as not reading at all. While you may pick up some information this way, it’s not an effective way to learn.

Instead, you should read with focus and intent. What information are you trying to get from this reading assignment? How will it help you expand your knowledge of the subject overall? How does it tie into the material the professor covered in their lecture?

When you read with these questions in mind, you’ll get a lot more out of the reading than if you mindlessly consume it.

Annotate the Book

“We have all seized the white perimeter as our own and reached for a pen if only to show we did not just laze in an armchair turning pages; we pressed a thought into the wayside, planted an impression along the verge.” – Billy Collins, “Marginalia”

I used to be allergic to writing in my books. Why mar that perfect page with underlining and scribbled notes?

Now, however, I write in almost all the books I own, and I encourage you to do the same.

Annotating a book is the most literal way to engage with the material. You can underline or highlight phrases that seem important, and you can write notes in the margins to help clarify your thoughts about the material. Plus, you can mark anything you don’t understand.

Once you annotate your reading this way, it will be much easier to review the material at a later date or turn your annotations into a separate page of notes (which I discuss in the next section).

If you can’t write in your books because you rented or borrowed them from the library, you can still annotate with sticky flags or sticky notes .

Just put the flags next to passages you find interesting, and use the sticky notes for leaving notes in the margin without actually writing in the book. When it’s time to return the book, all you have to do is remove the pieces of paper.

While writing in the book is a great start to boosting your comprehension, ideally you should also take notes on your assigned reading.

Taking notes forces you to summarize and condense the material, focusing on the most important ideas. Plus, putting the material in your own words will help you remember it when it’s time to take an exam or write a final paper.

If you’re wondering how to take notes, check out this guide to our favorite methods .

But ultimately, the style of note-taking you use matters less than spending the time to take notes at all. You can always refine your system once you get in the habit of taking notes.

Wondering which format is best? Check out our comparison of physical, digital, and audiobooks .

Write Down Questions

Textbooks and academic articles often seem to take pride in using confusing, technical language. Plus, you’re bound to come across concepts that just don’t make sense the way the author explains them.

While this can be frustrating, it’s also a chance to write down questions to ask your professor or TA the next time you meet. Put these questions in your notes, underlining or highlighting them if that helps you remember to ask about them in class or office hours.

Besides helping you understand the material, asking these kinds of questions shows the professor that you’ve actually done the reading and care about the class. Which certainly won’t hurt your grade…

Read Out of Order

Textbooks aren’t like novels. There usually isn’t a narrative to follow or characters to keep track of (unless you’re taking a literature class, of course). Because of this, there’s no need to do your assigned reading in order.

Instead, it’s often more useful to skip to the end of the chapter and use the material there to guide your reading.

Most textbook chapters end with questions to test your comprehension, as well as a summary of the material and possibly a list of important terms. If you read this stuff first, then it can help you focus on the important ideas as you read the chapter in full.

Pay Attention to Formatting

Paying attention to the formatting of your reading can help you read faster and avoid wasting time on extraneous paragraphs or sentences.

Here are some types of formatting to watch for:

• Bolded words or phrases – If something’s in bold, it’s probably important.
• Step-by-step explanations – These often indicate processes or sequences of events that you should know. Sometimes, these will be obvious (bulleted or numbered lists, like the one you’re currently reading). Other times, they’ll be more subtle, using transition words such as “first,” second,” etc.
• Headings and subheadings – Skimming these at the beginning of a reading session can give you an idea of which sections are important to read in full.

Don’t Neglect Diagrams and Illustrations

So far, I’ve talked a lot about how to find important words, phrases, and passages in your assigned reading. But don’t get so focused on the words that you forget to read figures, diagrams, and other illustrations.

For some classes (especially in STEM) these are more important than the main words. For instance, an anatomy or chemistry class will usually require you to label (or even reproduce) diagrams of different processes or structures.

If you’re taking such a class, be sure to pay attention to the visual explanations as you read the textbook.

Focus on Sample Problems for Technical Courses

For many technical courses, the textbook is less a place to find explanations and more of a source for practice material.

In a math course, for instance, the goal of reading the textbook usually isn’t to learn how to solve problems; the professor typically covers this in their lectures. Instead, the textbook provides material to practice what you learned in class.

In these cases, you can usually skim the introductory material or explanations for each chapter (so long as the professor has already covered it in class, of course).

Get Back to Reading

I hope this article has shown you how to read a textbook (or other assigned reading) more efficiently. You still have to set aside time to do the reading, but you should now be on your way to spending  less  time on it.

Ultimately, the biggest challenge is forming a consistent habit of reading some each day. If you need help building this habit, then you might like our free habit-building course. Check it out below:

Building habits isn’t just about discipline; there are real-world steps you can take to set yourself up for success! In this course, you'll learn how to set realistic goals, handle failure without giving up, and get going on the habits you want in your life.

Image Credits: stacks of textbooks

Making the Most of Assigned Readings

Assigned readings are an integral part of most any college class.  But, it can be difficult to get students to do the assigned readings and use them in the course.

Faculty often give quizzes about the readings to encourage students to do the work before class.   But there are other methods that can help more closely integrate the readings with the content of your course and help students more directly see the relevancy of the readings.

Best Practices

There’s a wide range of literature on assigned readings among educators.   Generally, there’s agreement on a short list of best practices when using assigned readings in class.

Relevance Not only list the reading in the syllabus and class schedule, but also briefly explain why it’s being assigned and how it connects with the work the students will be doing in a particular week or lesson.   Reinforce the relevance by briefly introducing the reading in the class.

Expectations You should be clear about not only what readings are to be done, but also your instructional goals for the reading assignment, what students should do (or be prepared to do) with the readings, and deadlines.

Background and Structure Successful reading assignments scaffold the students with sufficient background material and structure, appropriate to where they are in their academic career and the course.   First year students or those new to a subject area will need more context and guidance to get the most out of readings.

In-Class Activities The best results from using reading assignments in a course can be found by using in-class activities based on the material.   Students will be more compelled to prepare for the class and take responsibility by doing the reading and can use the activities to examine the readings in more depth, exchanging ideas with their classmates.

Ideas for Reading Assignments

Journaling Have students write and turn in a brief journal of thoughts, questions and observations about the readings.   You can use the journal as a basis for class discussions and activities and to respond to individual student issues and problems.

Collaborative Reading Divide the text among students or small groups of students in the course for close analysis.   Individual students can report in class about their section of the readings or, for an in-class group activity, you can arrange the students in small groups where each person has read one part of the text.

Reading Rubrics If students are evaluating the quality and research of journal articles and other material, create a rubric they can use to rate the text.   Justifications for each part of the rubric can be brought out in forum posts, class discussions, or small group activities.

Top Ten Lists Have students create lists of the most important concepts in a reading, then, in small groups have them combine and rank their concept lists.

Cognitive Mapping In groups, have students collaborate on creating a cognitive map , based on key concepts and ideas they individually identified in the readings.

More Resources

For more information on reading assignments, investigate these articles and resources on the web.   You can also contact the CIT to talk with a consultant about great ideas for all types of course assignments.

Making the Review of Assigned Reading Meaningful (Faculty Focus)

Advance Reading Handout (Pedagogy Unbound)

Getting Students to Do Reading Assignments (Center for Faculty Excellence, West Point)

Getting Students to Do Their Assigned Readings (The Learning and Teaching Office, Ryerson) (PDF)

11 Strategies for Getting Students to Read What’s Assigned (Faculty Focus) (PDF)

Reading a Textbook for True Understanding (Resource for students at Cornell)

Staying Afloat: Some Scattered Suggestions on Reading in College (Resource for students by Prof. Timothy Burke, Swarthmore)

How to Keep up With College Reading

Stay on top of a heavy reading load

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The level of out-of-class reading required in college can be pretty intense. If you're new to college, your reading load is likely significantly higher than what you experienced in high school; if you're a senior in college, the level seems to go up each year. Regardless of your specific situation, knowing how to keep up with college reading can be a serious challenge.

Fortunately, there's no one right way to stay on track with your reading. A manageable solution comes from finding something that works for your own learning style—and realizing that being flexible is part of any long-term solution.

Determine How to Make Progress

Completing your assigned reading is more than just scanning your eyes across the page; it's understanding and thinking about the material. For some students, this is best accomplished in short bursts, whereas others learn best by reading for longer periods of time. Think about and even experiment with what works best for you. Do you:

• Retain more by reading in 20-minute periods?
• Learn better by spending an hour or two really diving into the reading and not doing anything else?
• Need to have background music on, be in a loud cafe, or have the quiet of the library?

Each student has her own way of doing homework effectively; figure out which way is best for you.

Schedule Reading Time

Most students are great at scheduling things like club meetings, football games, classes, and other activities. Additional tasks, like homework and laundry , often just get done whenever possible. This kind of loose scheduling with reading and assignments, however, can lead to procrastination and last-minute cramming.

To avoid this problem, write down—and make sure you keep—time in your schedule to do your reading each week. If you can make an appointment to attend a club meeting, you can certainly schedule a regular block of time to complete your reading assignments

Read Effectively

Some students take notes, others highlight, while a few make flashcards. Doing your reading involves more than just getting from page one to page 36; it requires understanding what you're reading and, possibly, having to use that knowledge later, such as during an exam or in a paper.

To prevent yourself from having to reread later, be effective during your first read-through. It's much easier to go back through your notes and highlights for pages 1–36 than it is to completely reread all 36 pages before your midterm.

Know That You Can't Do Everything

It's a harsh reality—and great time-management skill —to realize that doing 100 percent of your reading 100 percent of the time is nearly (if not actually) impossible in college. Learn what you can get done and prioritize. Can you:

• Work with other students to break up the reading, and then discuss it in a group later?
• Let something go in a class you're acing and focus on a course where you're struggling?
• Skim material for one course, allowing yourself to read materials for another with more time and attention?

Sometimes, you just can't complete all of your college reading, regardless of how hard you try or how good your intentions are. And as long as this is the exception and not the rule, learning how to be flexible and adjust to what you can realistically accomplish will help you bee more effective and productive with the time you have to complete your reading assignments. 

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Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

The first step in any successful college writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a simple task, it can be a tough one. This handout will help you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your instructor expects. See our short video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve you well :

• Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can look pretty straightforward at first, particularly if the instructor has provided lots of information. That does not mean it will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to learn a new skill to complete the assignment.
• Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Do not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to set you straight before you hand the paper in. That’s also when you will find their feedback most useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a basic format. Assignments often begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the task, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind you of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

“Throughout history, gerbils have played a key role in politics,” or “In the last few weeks of class, we have focused on the evening wear of the housefly …”

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attention; this part tells you what to do when you write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare direct you to think about your topic in a certain way. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled “Key Terms” for more information.)

“Analyze the effect that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution”, or “Suggest an interpretation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin’s.”

Additional Material to Think about

Here you will find some questions to use as springboards as you begin to think about the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to answer every question unless the instructor asks you to do so. Pay attention to the order of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines you will need to follow to begin thinking about the topic.

“You may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Can there be such a thing as ‘the housefly garment industry’ or is it just a home-based craft?”

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

“Be concise”, “Write effectively”, or “Argue furiously.”

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

“Your paper must be typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s death.”

The assignment’s parts may not appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or really short. Nonetheless, being aware of this standard pattern can help you understand what your instructor wants you to do.

Interpreting the assignment

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read and jot down the answers on the assignment sheet:

Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?

Who is your audience.

• What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

• What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the point of view of the instructor. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving you this assignment and for giving it to you at a particular point in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an ability to think clearly to demonstrating an ability to use the library. See the assignment not as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course material as directed. Paper assignments give you more than a topic to discuss—they ask you to do something with the topic. Keep reminding yourself of that. Be careful to avoid the other extreme as well: do not read more into the assignment than what is there.

Of course, your instructor has given you an assignment so that they will be able to assess your understanding of the course material and give you an appropriate grade. But there is more to it than that. Your instructor has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think about something in a particular way for a particular reason. If you read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, you may begin to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you still aren’t sure of the assignment’s goals, try asking the instructor. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback .

Given your instructor’s efforts, it helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is it to gather research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture? Is it to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common key words and definitions to help you think about assignment terms:

Information words Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

• define —give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
• describe —provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
• explain —give reasons why or examples of how something happened
• illustrate —give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
• summarize —briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
• trace —outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
• research —gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

• compare —show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
• contrast —show how two or more things are dissimilar
• apply —use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
• cause —show how one event or series of events made something else happen
• relate —show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

• assess —summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
• prove, justify —give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
• evaluate, respond —state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
• support —give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
• synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
• analyze —determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
• argue —take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose As you read the assignment, think about what the teacher does in class:

• What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your instructor choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a point of view?
• In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove their point of view, or use keywords that show up again in the assignment?
• What kinds of assignments are typical in this discipline? Social science classes often expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on interpretation and analysis.
• How do the assignments, readings, and lectures work together in the course? Instructors spend time designing courses, sometimes even arguing with their peers about the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the course will help you understand what each assignment is meant to achieve.

Now, what about your reader? Most undergraduates think of their audience as the instructor. True, your instructor is a good person to keep in mind as you write. But for the purposes of a good paper, think of your audience as someone like your roommate: smart enough to understand a clear, logical argument, but not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the instructor knows everything there is to know about your paper topic, they still have to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a paper at your audience happens in two ways: you make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

• Tone means the “voice” of your paper. Should you be chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you will find some happy medium—you do not want to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, but you do not want to, um, like, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students think the way to sound academic is to use big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if you use the wrong big words.
• The level of information you use depends on who you think your audience is. If you imagine your audience as your instructor and they already know everything you have to say, you may find yourself leaving out key information that can cause your argument to be unconvincing and illogical. But you do not have to explain every single word or issue. If you are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction TV show last night, you do not say, “First a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple alien with fifteen arms and at least three eyes turned around. Then the man smiled slightly. In the background, you could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly dark and had at least two windows that I saw.” You also do not say, “This guy found some aliens. The end.” Find some balance of useful details that support your main point.

You’ll find a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience .

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably being asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when you are researching and writing; as you become involved in your subject matter, you may become enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the information you have found. You need to do more than just repeat what you have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should be able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this sentence a “thesis” or a “claim.”

So, if your instructor tells you to write about some aspect of oral hygiene, you do not want to just list: “First, you brush your teeth with a soft brush and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon.” Instead, you could say, “Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the most plaque. Therefore it should be recommended by the American Dental Association.” Or, “From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can be quite charming. However, their joys are short-lived.”

Convincing the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn’t have to say “argument” anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Look at the assignment and think about what kind of argument you could make about it instead of just seeing it as a checklist of information you have to present. For help with understanding the role of argument in academic writing, see our handout on argument .

What kind of evidence do you need?

There are many kinds of evidence, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment can depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor’s preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Do you need to conduct your own experiment? Can you rely on personal experience? See our handout on evidence for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure you are clear about this part of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Ask your instructor what counts as acceptable evidence. You can also ask a librarian for help. No matter what kind of evidence you use, be sure to cite it correctly—see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

You cannot always tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in class but still expect you to sound formal in writing. Or the instructor may be fairly formal in class and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to use “I” and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid false associations of a particular field with a style (“art historians like wacky creativity,” or “political scientists are boring and just give facts”) and look instead to the types of readings you have been given in class. No one expects you to write like Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, ask your instructor about the level of formality they expect.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if you do not write so that your reader can understand your main idea, you have wasted your time. So make clarity your main goal. For specific help with style, see our handout on style .

Technical details about the assignment

The technical information you are given in an assignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Find out if elements such as page length and citation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial ) are negotiable. Some professors do not have strong preferences as long as you are consistent and fully answer the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment’s parameters. In plain English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is two pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend it with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an assignment is ten pages long, you can be more complex in your main points and examples—and if you can only produce five pages for that assignment, you need to see someone for help—as soon as possible.

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

• spend more time on the cover page than the essay —graphics, cool binders, and cute titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
• use huge fonts, wide margins, or extra spacing to pad the page length —these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Most instructors use the same word processor you do. They know what’s possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of 60 papers to grade and yours is the only one that low-flying airplane pilots could read.
• use a paper from another class that covered “sort of similar” material . Again, the instructor has a particular task for you to fulfill in the assignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not cover this material, and turning in the same paper for more than one course may constitute an Honor Code violation . Ask the instructor—it can’t hurt.
• get all wacky and “creative” before you answer the question . Showing that you are able to think beyond the boundaries of a simple assignment can be good, but you must do what the assignment calls for first. Again, check with your instructor. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but it will not get you a good grade if you have not fulfilled the task.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be better at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Make a Gift

When you receive a paper assignment, your first step should be to read the assignment prompt carefully to make sure you understand what you are being asked to do. Sometimes your assignment will be open-ended (“write a paper about anything in the course that interests you”). But more often, the instructor will be asking you to do something specific that allows you to make sense of what you’ve been learning in the course. You may be asked to put new ideas in context, to analyze course texts, or to do research on something related to the course.

Even if the instructor has introduced the assignment in class, make sure to read the prompt on your own. You’d be surprised how often someone comes to the Writing Center to ask for help on a paper before reading the prompt. Once they do read the prompt, they often find that it answers many of their questions.

When you read the assignment prompt, you should do the following:  

• Look for action verbs. Verbs like analyze , compare , discuss , explain , make an argument , propose a solution , trace , or research can help you understand what you’re being asked to do with an assignment.

Unless the instructor has specified otherwise, most of your paper assignments at Harvard will ask you to make an argument. So even when the assignment instructions tell you to “discuss” or “consider,” your instructor generally expects you to offer an arguable claim in the paper. For example, if you are asked to “discuss” several proposals for reaching carbon neutral by 2050, your instructor would likely not be asking you to list the proposals and summarize them; instead, the goal would be to analyze them in relation to each other and offer some sort of claim—either about the differences between the proposals, the potential outcomes of following one rather than another, or something that has been overlooked in all of the proposals. While you would need to summarize those proposals in order to make a claim about them, it wouldn’t be enough just to summarize them. Similarly, if you’re asked to compare sources or consider sources in relation to each other, it is not enough to offer a list of similarities and differences. Again, this type of assignment is generally asking you to make some claim about the sources in relation to each other.

• Consider the broader goals of the assignment. What kind of thinking is your instructor asking you to do? Are you supposed to be deciding whether you agree with one theorist more than another? Are you supposed to be trying out a particular method of analysis on your own body of evidence? Are you supposed to be learning a new skill (close reading? data analysis? recognizing the type of questions that can be asked in a particular discipline?)? If you understand the broader goals of the assignment, you will have an easier time figuring out if you are on the right track.
• Look for instructions about the scope of the assignment. Are you supposed to consult sources other than those you have read in class? Are you supposed to keep your focus narrow (on a passage, a document, a claim made by another author) or choose your own focus (raise a question that is sparked by course texts, pair texts in a new way)? If your instructor has told you not to consider sources outside of those specified in the assignment, then you should follow that instruction. In those assignments, the instructor wants to know what you think about the assigned sources and about the question, and they do not want you to bring in other sources.
• If you’re writing a research paper, do not assume that your reader has read all the sources that you are writing about. You’ll need to offer context about what those sources say so that your reader can understand why you have brought them into the conversation.
• If you’re writing only about assigned sources, you will still need to provide enough context to orient the reader to the main ideas of the source. While you may not need to summarize the entire text, you will need to give readers enough information to follow your argument and understand what you are doing with the text. If you’re not sure whether you should assume that readers are familiar with the ideas in the text, you should ask your instructor.  
• Ask questions! If you’re not sure what you’re supposed to do, email your instructor or go to office hours and ask.
• picture_as_pdf Tips for Reading an Assignment Prompt

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

Free printable to elevate your AI game 🤖

Close Reading Strategies: A Step-by-Step Teaching Guide

Slow down, think, annotate, and reflect.

In the age of ChatGPT and other AI , using close reading strategies doesn’t come naturally to students. When students get a new assignment, their first instinct may be to race to the finish line rather than engage with text. This means students will miss a lot of nuance and meaning as they move through school.

On the other hand, a close reading of text requires students to slow down, think, annotate, and reflect. The ultimate idea? We get more information and enjoyment from reading and working with the text when we use close reading strategies.

What is close reading?

Close reading is a way to read and work with text that moves beyond comprehension into interpretation and analysis. Put another way, close reading helps readers get from literal to inferential understanding of text.

After a close reading, students should understand what the text says and understand ideas embedded in the text, like a cultural perspective or religious opinion. They’ll also have an idea of what the text means to them, and what their opinion about it is based on more than just an offhand feeling. In class, close reading may take multiple class periods to complete and should have a goal at the end—a discussion or essay or some way for students to share what they’ve learned.

Read more: What is close reading anyway?

Here is our step-by-step  guide with strategies for teaching close reading:

1. choose the perfect passage.

Image: Jennifer Findley

As you’re planning texts for a lesson or unit, start with what you want students to get out of what they’re reading. So, if you’re studying text structure, choose books or articles with interesting text structures. If you’re studying character development, find a passage that shows how a character changes or evolves. The point: There has to be something to find in text so that students aren’t grasping at straws.

Read more: How To Choose the Perfect Passage for Close Reading

Tip: Texts should be at or just above students’ grade and reading level, but they don’t have to be dense with text. Here’s how to use picture books in close reading lessons .

2. Prepare students by teaching annotation

Source: The English Classroom ADVERTISEMENT

Close reading will require some prep work. Students have to know how to annotate effectively, pulling out and making notes on the most important parts, i.e., not highlighting everything. Spend some time at the start of the year or unit teaching students how to identify and mark the most important parts of a text (new or key words, main ideas, pivotal plot points).

3. Students read the text for literal comprehension

First, have students read the entire text. The text should take less than one class period to read through once, so a chapter or article or even a few paragraphs could be enough. The first time students read, they’re reading for a general understanding and the main idea. They can think through:

• What is this story about?
• What information does this article contain?
• What is literally happening?
• What is the message or purpose?

4. Check in

After the first reading, check in with students to make sure they have a clear, literal understanding of the text. If they don’t, clear up misconceptions. If they do, move on to the second reading.

5. Chunk text in preparation for read 2

Image: iTeach. iCoach. iBlog.

Before the second reading, have students separate the text into paragraphs or chunks. Number each chunk. This way, when students review the text, they can easily refer back to paragraph 1 or chunk 2 and all be on the same page.

6. Work with text-dependent questions

Image: Instructional Coach

Now that students have a clear understanding of what the text is about, introduce the text-dependent questions that students will be working with in their close reading. Text-dependent questions are those that can only be answered using the text. For example, a question like “Why did Jeremiah eat a bullfrog?” rather than “Why is it not a good idea to eat a bullfrog?”

Questions that you work with should also range in their complexity. If the passage is more complex in terms of structure, content, or vocabulary, the questions may be less complex. But if a passage is easier for students to work with, the questions can be more advanced.

7. Set the end goal

Students shouldn’t be reading just to read. Explain the end goal—a Socratic seminar discussion, a partner discussion, an essay, a project. Once students know how they are going to respond to the questions, they’re better able to think through how they’re going to show what they know.

Here are creative ways to use close reading .

8. Time for reads 2 and 3

Image: Reading Ladies

Now that students have the question, the text, and the end goal, they’re ready to reread. The second time students read the text, they’re reading it to annotate for their own understanding. This is also the point where you’ll want to break students into groups—which students can work independently and which need some, or a lot of, support to complete the read?

Some texts will require a third reading for students to fully prepare, or students may need to reread chunks or paragraphs even more to get what they need. The important part is that students understand that rereading is an important part of close reading.

9. Respond to the text

This is it! The final close reading discussion. In this response, students will:

• Summarize what they read.
• Answer the text-dependent questions.
• Include evidence to support their ideas.
• Draw conclusions about the meaning of the text.

Have some way for students to plan out what they are going to say or write, and have them turn in their annotated reading so you can refer back to it if you’re confused about how they got from point A to Z.

10. Reflect

Every so often, reflect on how close reading is changing what students are taking away from what they read. Close reading should shape their reading skills and how they approach text beyond your class, but students may need support seeing the connection.

11. Level up

As students get more comfortable with close reading, you can level up their discussions by:

• Having students develop their own questions after they read a text or as you progress through a longer text.
• Using texts that are more complex in terms of content or structure.
• Challenging students to do a close reading of a picture book or graphic novel, rather than full-on text.

What strategies do you use to teach close reading in your classroom? Share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group  on Facebook.

Read why close reading can be the most fun lesson in your week ..

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Center for Teaching Excellence Student Success

How to get more students to read assigned readings, how many students read assigned reading(s).

• According to Kerr and Frese (2017), only 20–30% of undergraduate students complete required readings.

Why don’t students read assigned reading(s)?

• Doyle (2014) provided one possible explanation: “Students don’t do their reading and other assigned prep work because, based on their experience, they believe that teachers will discuss any important information included in the readings during class” (p. 67).

Other explanations include:

• Unpreparedness
• Some students are not good at reading
• Lack of motivation
• Time constraints
• Underestimation of reading importance
• Belief that instructors will discuss important information in readings during class
• Readings are not valued in grading system

What are some strategies I can use to get students to read their assigned reading(s)?

• Structure your class so that students are accountable for their pre-class activities and cannot do well without reading
• Quiz (retrieval practice and interleaving)
• One-minute paper at beginning of class
• Reading responses and guides
• Learning journals/logs
• 3-5 minute reading reflection at the beginning of class
• Tell students about research on retrieval practice
• Mini-lesson on reading strategies
• Mini-lesson prior to assigned reading
• Purposeful reading assignments/reflections
• Readiness assessment test
• Ask for reading notes or summary map
• Just-in-time-teaching (JITT), to use information gathered from quiz performance to help students prepare for exams

How can I get students to see the importance of their course textbook(s)?

• Review assigned textbook with students
• Explain why you have selected the course textbook
• Show enthusiasm for the textbook
• Explain how to navigate through the book
• Highlight favorite feature
• Encourage use of supplemental materials connected with textbook
• Use the book in class to establish its importance

What assignments are most effective in getting students to read?

• According to students surveyed in higher education, taking quizzes was the most effective technique at getting them to read (Hattenberg & Steffy, 2013).
• Short writing assignments was number two on this list.
• Anything optional, including being called on in class or letting them work on their own, was rated lower.

Should I hold students accountable for assigned reading(s)?

• Consider assigning 15-30% of the final grade for reading-related activities (e.g., quizzes, reading responses) and inform students about the importance of the retrieval effect.
• If we don’t grade students on an assignment, they think we regard it as unimportant.

How can I set expectations for good reading?

Remember, students don’t always come to their classes with great reading habits. Consider direct instruction of the kinds of reading you’d like to see your students do:

• Pre-viewing the selection . This helps “warm up” the brain to get ready to read and look for information.
• Vocabulary clarification . Should they be looking up every word they don’t know? What should they do before they look it up?
• Passage clarification . What should they do if there is a whole chunk of text they don’t understand?
• Visualization . This helps students think about the idea in a new way. It also helps with memory/recall.
• Summary . This doesn’t have to be a paragraph. It can be an outline or a map!
• This reminds me of when …
• Something similar happened to me when …
• This sounds like something I’ve read/watched/observed before …
• Use rhetorical reading strategies.
• If there are reading strategy workshops advertised on campus, encourage students to attend.

How can I structure class time to focus time on assigned reading(s)?

The following is an example of how to structure a class focused on assigned reading(s) using active learning activities:

• Open-ended quiz (retrieval practice)
• One-minute paper for students to reflect on questions on assigned readings
• Mini-presentation
• News report
• Focus with a quote, question, story, problem, or video
• Make it meaningful team
• Check for reading notes or summary maps
• Write/pair/share from a discussion prompt (connection to reading purpose)
• Discussion leader- prepare questions to facilitate discussion.     
• Passage master- identify important passages that provide key information.
• Creative connector- makes connections between readings and social, cultural, political, and economic ideas.
• Devil’s advocate- list of questions raised by critics of the authors
• Reporter- summarizes group discussions.
• Assign different sections of the same reading to different small groups. Small groups identify the 3-5 main points from the section that their classmates need to know as well as examples.
• Assign different readings on the same topic or allow students to choose from two or three. Students who read the same article should identify the 3-5 main points and examples.
• Either way, students get ‘regrouped’ with other students who did not read the same section or article. Students teach each other the material.
• Critical thinking, the extra step: Ask students to find connections between the ideas in the different sections or articles. This is a good time to practice the source integration and citation style you’d like to see in your students’ papers.
• One-minute paper for students to predict what will be covered in next readings (Lang, 2016)
• Interleaving quiz based on assigned reading and class discussion
• One-minute paper (What did you find most meaningful from the reading and lecture? What did you learn? What is the muddiest point?)
• 5-minute application exercise (students must identify five ways in which the material they learned in the reading can be applied in outside contexts)
• 5-minute metacognitive five (How are you learning? What can you do to improve your learning?)

References and Other Sources

Bartolomeo-Maida, M. (2016). The use of learning journals to foster textbook reading in the community college psychology class. College Student Journal , 50(3), 440.

Carney, A. G., Fry, S. W., Gabriele, R. V., & Ballard, M. (2008). Reeling in the big fish: Changing pedagogy to encourage the completion of reading assignments. College Teaching ,56(4), 195-200. doi:10.3200/CTCH.56.4.195-200

Gee, J. (2014). Reading circles get students to do the reading. Retrieved from https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/reading-circles-get-students-reading/

Harrington, C., & Zakrajsek, T. (2017). Dynamic lecturing: Research-based strategies to enhance lecture effectiveness . Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

Hattenberg, S. J., and Steffy, K. (2013). Increasing reading compliance of undergraduates: An evaluation of compliance methods. Teaching Sociology , 41 (4), 346–352.

Honeycutt, B. (2016). FLIP the first 5 minutes of class! 50 focusing activities to engage your students and create more time for learning . Raleigh, NC: FLIP It Consulting.

Howard, J. R. (2004). Just-in-time teaching in sociology or how I convinced my students to actually read the assignment. Teaching Sociology , 32, 385-390.

Lang, J. (2016). Small teaching: Everyday lessons from the science of learning . Jossey Bass.

Kerr, M. M., & Frese, K. M. (2017). Reading to learn or learning to read? engaging college students in course readings. College Teaching , 65(1), 28-31. doi:10.1080/87567555.2016.1222577

Lei, S. A., Bartlett, K. A., Gorney, S. E., & Herschbach, T. R. (2010). Resistance to reading compliance among college students: Instructors' perspectives. College Student Journal , 44(2), 219.

Maurer, Trent W. and Longfield, Judith (2015) "Using Reading Guides and Online Quizzes to Improve Reading Compliance and Quiz Scores," International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Vol. 9: No. 1 , Article 6. Available at: https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2015.090106

Sappington, J., Kinsey, K., & Munsayac, K. (2002). Two studies of reading compliance among college students. Teaching of Psychology , 29(4), 272-274. doi:10.1207/S15328023TOP2904_02

Vandsburger, E., & Duncan-Daston, R. (2011). Evaluating the study guide as a tool for increasing students' accountability for reading the textbook. Journal of College Reading and Learning , 42(1), 6-23. doi:10.1080/10790195.2011.10850345

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Reading Practices for Assignment Prompts

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Understanding Writing Assignments: Reading Practices

Part of understanding what the assignment asks is to practice careful reading skills to ensure that you know what each part of the prompt says. Below are some suggestions for careful reading that should help you to understand assignment prompts from any course.

Read the Prompt More Than Once

Read through the assignment prompt at least twice . The first time, mark any words or phrases that you don’t understand, then attempt to use context clues or use other resources to figure out what they mean. Once you figure out those missing pieces, read the prompt again. This time, mark the key ideas with a different color of pen. This will allow you to make sure that you understand all of the parts of the assignment, and that you focus on the important aspects of the prompt.

Notice the Important or Key Phrases

Finding the key goal for an assignment is often the first and most difficult step when reading an assignment prompt. One way to begin is to find all of the verbs in the prompt, because the verbs will give you directions.

Some commonly used verbs used or tasks in assignment prompts are:

*Genres adapted from Genre, Style and Writing (Purdue OWL).

Each of these terms can mean something slightly different, depending on the context of the course and the assignment. Again, ask your instructor if you are not sure what the assignment asks you to do.

Questions to Ask Yourself

As you read (or re-read) the prompt, it is always good to write down questions, concerns, or thoughts that you have about the assignment so that you don’t forget them later.

There are also some questions that you should ask after you have finished reading the prompt, to check for comprehension.

• What am I being asked to do?

• Who is my audience?

• What sources or ideas do I need to include?

• How can I schedule my writing time (including research time, if applicable) around my own schedule?

• What concepts do I need to hone in on to understand?

For more information on this topic, click here .

After You Read the Prompt

Sometimes, after you read an assignment prompt, you have a lot of ideas in your head—and sometimes, not very many at all. So, it can be beneficial to engage in some pre-writing activities that can help you come up with some initial ideas about your essay.

You could…

• Write a list of everything you know about the topic

• Compose as many questions as you can about the topic and begin to try and answer them

• Search online for information about the topic

More suggestions can be found by clicking here .

Academic Writing

• Writing Guides
• Academic Writing Basics

Understand Your Assignment

Understand the context of your writing, practice writing as a process, peer review: enhancing your writing through collaboration.

• Resources for Writing Consultants and Peer Tutors
• Faculty Toolkit: Embedding Peer Writing Tutorials in Undergraduate Course Assignments
• Faculty Toolkit: Embedding Writing Consultations in Graduate and Online Course Assignments

Understanding Your Assignment: The Crucial First Step 🎓📝

Comprehending your assignment thoroughly is fundamental to academic writing success. This process involves careful reading, analysis, and often, clarification with your instructor. Here are some key steps to assignment understanding: 

1. Read the Prompt Multiple Times 👀📚

• First read : Gain an overall sense of the assignment
• Second read : Identify key tasks and requirements
• Third read : Note specific details, constraints, and formatting instructions

2. Identify Key Terms and Concepts 🔑📖

• Highlight action words (e.g., analyze, compare, evaluate)
• Circle content-specific terms you may need to research
• Note unfamiliar terms to clarify with your professor

3. Break Down the Assignment ✂️📊

• Identify the main task(s) you need to complete
• List any subtasks or components
• Note the required word count or page length

4. Understand the Purpose 🎯💡

• Consider why this assignment was given
• Reflect on how it relates to course learning objectives
• Identify the skills or knowledge you're meant to demonstrate

5. Clarify Expectations 📏🔍

• Review the grading rubric if provided
• Note any specific sources or number of sources required
• Understand the expected format and citation style

6. Ask Questions ❓🗨️

Don't hesitate to seek clarification from your professor:

• Prepare specific questions about unclear aspects
• Confirm your understanding of the main task(s)

Self-Assessment Checklist ✅

Use this checklist to ensure you've fully understood your assignment:

• I can state the main task(s) of the assignment in my own words
• I've identified all the key components I need to include
• I understand the format and citation style required
• I know how my work will be evaluated (grading criteria)
• I'm clear on the deadline and submission method
• I've clarified any uncertainties with my professor

Common Pitfalls to Avoid ⚠️

• Overlooking important details in the prompt
• Misinterpreting key terms or concepts
• Failing to address all parts of a multi-part question
• Not aligning your work with the stated purpose of the assignment

Remember: Taking the time to thoroughly understand your assignment at the outset can save you time and frustration later in the writing process. 

Need additional guidance? Don't hesitate to schedule an appointment with a Peer Tutor or Writing Consultant for personalized support in decoding your assignment.

Understanding the Context of Your Writing 🖊️🎓

Understanding the context for your writing, or "rhetorical situation," is crucial for effective academic writing at all levels. It involves considering the purpose, audience, context, and medium of your writing. By mastering these elements, you can make strategic decisions about how to present your arguments and structure your writing to communicate most effectively in your academic and professional contexts.

The video above provides a clear explanation of the rhetorical situation and its importance in effective communication. While it uses everyday examples, the concepts are directly applicable to academic writing. Understanding these elements will help you craft more persuasive and effective scholarly works.

What is Rhetorical Situation? 🤔

A rhetorical situation refers to any set of circumstances involving at least one person using communication to modify the perspective of at least one other person. Here are five key elements of rhetorical situations:

• In academic writing, this could be your essay, thesis, dissertation, or journal article
• Consider how the format and structure of your text align with your field's conventions
• As a student, consider your developing expertise and authority in your field
• Reflect on how to establish credibility through your writing and research
• Identify your primary readers (e.g., professors, committee members, journal reviewers, fellow scholars)
• Consider their background knowledge, expectations, and potential biases
• Clarify your goals (e.g., to inform, persuade, contribute new knowledge)
• Align your writing strategies with your academic and professional objectives
• Consider the current state of research in your field
• Reflect on how your work fits into ongoing scholarly conversations

Checklist for Understanding the Context of Your Writing Assignment or Task ✅

Use this checklist as you plan, draft, and revise your academic writing to ensure you're considering all aspects of the rhetorical situation:

Text (Logos) 📄

• What type of document am I creating?
• What are the conventions of this genre?
• How should I structure my arguments?

Author (Ethos) ✍️

• What are my credentials relevant to this topic?
• How can I establish my credibility?
• What potential biases should I be aware of?

Audience (Pathos) 👥

• Who is my primary audience?
• What do they already know about my topic?
• What are their values and expectations?
• How can I appeal to their emotions or interests?

Purpose (Telos) 🎯

• What is my main goal in writing this?
• Am I trying to inform, persuade, or entertain?
• What do I want my audience to do or think after reading?

Setting (Kairos) 🌍

• When and where will this be read?
• What current events or trends are relevant?
• How does the medium (e.g., journal article, blog post) affect my approach?

Community/Conversation 💬

• What ongoing discussions is my writing contributing to?
• Who are the key voices in this conversation?
• How does my work fit into the broader academic or professional discourse?

Using the Checklist 📝

• Planning Stage : Use this checklist when you're first conceptualizing your writing project. It can help you identify key considerations and shape your approach.
• Drafting Stage : Refer back to the checklist as you write to ensure you're addressing all aspects of the rhetorical situation.
• Revision Stage : Use the checklist as a tool for critical review. Have you effectively addressed each element in your writing?
• Peer Review : Share this checklist with peers when reviewing each other's work. It can provide a structured framework for giving feedback.

Remember, understanding your rhetorical situation is key to producing effective, persuasive academic writing. Use these tools to enhance your writing process and outcomes! 🚀📚

Writing is a cornerstone of academic and professional development. Whether you're working on a dsicussion post, essay, thesis, dissertation, or scholarly article, understanding writing as a complex, iterative process is crucial for producing high-quality academic work. The video below provides a foundational overview of the writing process. 

Academic Writing Process Checklist for Major Assignments

Planning and conceptualization.

 Analyze the assignment prompt and requirements

 Brainstorm initial ideas and potential topics

 Identify key research questions or thesis statement

 Consider theoretical frameworks relevant to your topic

 Discuss ideas with instructors, advisors, or peers

Research/Literature Review

 Conduct a comprehensive literature search

 Organize sources using citation management software (e.g., Zotero, Mendeley)

 Read and take notes on relevant sources

 Identify gaps in existing research

 Create a concept map or outline of key ideas and their relationships

Research Design (if applicable)

 Determine appropriate research methodology

 Design data collection instruments (e.g., surveys, interview questions)

 Consider ethical implications and obtain necessary approvals

 Plan data analysis methods

Outlining and Argument Development

 Create a detailed outline of your paper or project

 Develop your main argument or thesis

 Organize supporting points and evidence

 Ensure logical flow between sections

 Set realistic writing goals (e.g., daily word count)

 Write the first draft, focusing on content over style

 Integrate sources and citations as you write

 Develop your scholarly voice while adhering to disciplinary conventions

Revision and Feedback

 Review your draft for overall structure and argument coherence

 Seek feedback from peers, writing tutors, or instructors

 Attend writing workshops or group sessions for additional input

 Revise based on feedback received

Editing and Refinement

 Check for clarity and precision in language

 Ensure consistency in terminology and style

 Verify proper citation format and completeness

 Review for grammar, spelling, and punctuation

Finalization and Submission

 Format document according to assignment or publication guidelines

 Prepare any required supplementary materials (e.g., abstract, appendices)

 Conduct a final proofread

 Submit the assignment through the designated channel

Additional Considerations for Graduate Students

 Engage with current theoretical debates in your field

 Consider potential contributions to your discipline

 Prepare for scholarly presentation or defense, if applicable

 Plan for potential publication or further development of the work

Remember : Adapt this checklist to your specific assignment requirements and writing process. Regularly consult with your instructor or advisor for guidance.

Peer review is a crucial component of the academic writing process. While in-class peer review is valuable, the Academic Commons offers professional support to enhance your peer review skills and writing confidence.

Understanding Peer Review

Peer review goes beyond grammar checking. It's about:

• Gaining insight into audience reactions
• Ensuring your points are clear
• Assessing the effectiveness of your arguments and evidence

Academic Commons Advantage:  Our Peer Writing Tutors and Writing Consultants are trained in the peer review process. They can provide expert feedback and model effective peer review techniques.

Common Misconceptions

❌ Peer review is just about correcting grammar

✅ Our tutors focus on higher-order concerns like ideas and organization

❌ Only instructor feedback is valuable

✅ Our professionally trained staff offer valuable insights

❌ The goal is to criticize the writer's work

✅ We provide constructive feedback to improve your writing

Becoming an Effective Peer Reviewer

• Read the entire paper before commenting
• Focus on higher-order concerns first
• Provide specific, constructive feedback
• Balance criticism with praise
• Ask questions to clarify the writer's intentions

Academic Commons Tip:  Schedule a session with a Peer Writing Tutor to practice giving feedback. This will boost your confidence in class peer review sessions.

Receiving and Using Feedback Effectively

• Approach feedback with an open mind
• Ask for clarification if needed
• Prioritize feedback based on assignment criteria
• Use feedback to guide revisions

Academic Commons Support:  Book a follow-up appointment with a Writing Consultant to discuss how to implement feedback effectively.

Advanced Feedback Strategies for Graduate Students

For handling manuscript feedback:

• Rewrite feedback in your own words
• Create a checklist of action items
• Prioritize revisions based on importance

Graduate Student Tip:  Our Writing Consultants are essentially professional peer reviewers. They can help you navigate complex feedback from multiple reviewers.

Why Use Academic Commons for Peer Review?

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Don't let lack of confidence hold you back from valuable peer review experiences. The Academic Commons is here to support your growth as both a writer and a reviewer.

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14 Activities That Increase Student Engagement During Reading Instruction

Research shows that students whose teachers spend too much time talking are less likely to be engaged during classroom instruction. Luckily, reading instruction can be so much more than lecture, reading practice, memorization, or decoding drills. We, as teachers, can do more to get our students engaged in learning to read.

List of Reading Activities

Here is a list of fourteen student engagement strategies from a webinar presented by Reading Horizons Chief Education Officer, Stacy Hurst, that you can use to increase student engagement during reading instruction or  reading intervention:

1. Partner Pretest

Before teaching a new decoding skill or grammar rule, preface the lesson with a pretest. Let your students know that you will not score the test, lowering anxiety and increasing student performance. Pair students up for the pretest and have them use the same set of materials. If the pretest is on a computer or iPad, have students share the device between the two of them. During the pretest, walk around the room to gauge student needs and adjust the lesson accordingly. When lesson material matches student ability and understanding, engagement is higher. Make sure that the pretest is similar to the posttest so you can see how much your students retain during your lesson.

2. Stand Up/Sit Down

You can use this activity to help students learn to differentiate between similar but different reading concepts. For instance, when you’re trying to help your students understand the difference between common nouns and proper nouns, you can give examples of each and have students stand up if it is a common noun or sit down if it is a proper noun. This is a great way to see how much of your class is grasping the material while getting their blood flowing—helping them stay alert.

3. Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down

This activity provides a quick way to gauge if your students are comprehending a story or to test them on different reading skills. Instruct students to put their thumbs up if they agree with a statement or to put their thumbs down if they disagree. When students have a low energy level (i.e., right after lunch) Stand Up/Sit Down may be a better alternative. However, if you need to maintain your students’ current energy level Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down is ideal.

4. Secret Answer

This activity is great for students who might not be confident in their answers—students who look around the class when doing Stand Up/Sit Down or Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down to see how the other students answer before they answer themselves. To give students a secret way to answer, assign different responses a number and have students hold up the number of fingers that correspond to the answer they think is correct. To do this exercise properly, have your students place their hands near their hearts (physically) with the appropriate number of fingers raised to indicate their answers. This way, especially if all the students are facing the teacher, it is difficult for students to copy their neighbor’s answer.

5. Response Cards

This is a great way to mix things up a bit. Have students create a stack of typical responses, including agree/disagree, true/false, yes/no, greater than/less than, multiple-choice options, and everyday emotions. After students have created their response cards, you can have them use them to respond in various settings. For example, while reading a book together as a class, you may pause and ask your students what they think the character is feeling right now. The students then select one of the everyday emotion cards from their personal stack of cards and lift it up to answer the question.

6. Think-Pair-Share

This activity allows students to pause and process what they have just learned. After reading a passage in a book, ask your class a question that they must first consider by themselves. After giving them time to think, have them discuss the question with their neighbor. Once they’ve discussed the question, invite students to share their answers with the class. By giving them this time to process, you enable them to be more engaged in their learning.

7. Quick Writes

Studies show that the proper ratio of direct instruction to reflection time for students is ten to two. That means that teachers need to provide students with two minutes of reflection for every ten minutes of instruction. This activity is a great way to give students that much-needed reflection time! In this activity, ask a question about a reading passage and have students write a response to share with a neighbor or the entire class.

8. One Word Splash

After reading a passage or learning new vocabulary terms, ask your students to write down one word that they feel sums up that material. This might seem overly simplistic, but it requires higher processing skills to help your students digest what they are reading. Students can do this with a pencil/paper or a dry-erase marker/personal whiteboard.

9. Quick Draw

This activity is perfect for visual learners or students who aren’t entirely writing yet. After reading a part of a story or learning a new concept or topic, have your students draw a picture about what they’ve just read or understood. For example, after reading part of the story Jack and the Beanstalk, have your students draw what has happened in the story up to that point. A student may draw a picture of a boy planting seeds with a beanstalk growing in the background.

10. Gallery Walk

To help students get some of their energy out, have them do a Gallery Walk to see their peers’ work. This activity is an excellent add-on to Quick Writes and Quick Draw. Because students seek approval from their peers, they will put more effort into their work when they know the class will view it.

11. A-Z Topic Summary

Help students connect the dots after finishing a book, a learning module, or a lesson. Have your students complete an A-Z Topic Summary either as individuals or in pairs. If it is an individual activity, have students write either a word or a sentence that connects to the book, module, or lesson for each letter of the alphabet. For example, if they learned about baking, they might write a sentence for the letter A such as: “Always preheat the oven before baking.” To speed up the activity, you can assign students to work in pairs or assign a letter to each student or team and have them write a sentence for that letter rather than the whole alphabet.

This is a quick way to help students process reading or lesson material when you’re pressed for time. First, have your students write three facts they learned from something they read or learned in class that day. Next, have students write two questions about the book or topic that wasn’t covered or discussed in class. Finally, have your students write one opinion they have about the reading material or lesson. This activity can also help you plan for the next lesson on the topic or book.

13. Find Your Match

This is another activity that gets your students up and moving. Create card matches that correlate to a storyline in a book, vocabulary terms, figures of speech, grammar rules, etc. For example, your card matches might include the following concepts (depending on grade level): rhyming words, uppercase/lowercase, antonyms/synonyms, words/definitions, problem/solution, and words/pictures. Hand out one card to each student in the class and then get up and find the other student with the matching card.

14. Dictation

One of our favorite teaching activities is Dictation! It is highly effective in engaging students because it is  multisensory explicit phonics instruction  involving: auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and tactile senses. Having a multisensory approach increases working memory and integrates all language skills/modalities. To do Dictation, have students listen to a word, repeat the word out loud, write it out on paper, and then have them read the word out loud again. View an example of Dictation in action  here .

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5 Tips for Creating Meantingful Reading Assignments with Perusall

How do we get students to engage meaningfully with our course texts? If you’ve been using Perusall for a while, you already know that this technology solves one of the most fundamental challenges we face as teachers—getting students to do the reading—but you may still be struggling to meaningfully incorporate Perusall assignments into your course. Here are some of the strategies I’ve learned after four years of developing Perusall assignments both as a faculty member and as a faculty developer helping other instructors use Perusall.

1. Make time to explain what Perusall is, how it works, and why you’ll be using it throughout the course.

If you’re familiar with the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TiLT) framework, you might recognize the similarities here to defining the purpose, task, and criteria (or, as I prefer to say, the “why, what, and how”) for any given assignment.

On the first day of the semester, or in the welcome module of my online/hybrid courses, I make time to explain what I like about Perusall and why we’ll be using it: the metacognitive benefits of seeing what peers have to say about the reading, the community-building benefits, the intertextuality offered by Perusall’s integrative video and hyperlink comment features, the reading skills Perusall encourages students to develop for long-term success, etc. I also provide brief written and video tutorials on how to use Perusall, making sure to highlight any particular features that I want students to use. In my case, I tend to emphasize the @name and #hashtag options because they support my pedagogies, but that’s a story for another day. Finally, I review the grading criteria I’ve established for my course and discuss examples of annotations at various quality levels so students know how they will be evaluated.

2. Set up a practice assignment in Perusall to allow students to explore the tool on their own.

Over the past four years, I’ve given over thirty Perusall workshops, presented on Perusall at more than seven conferences, and conducted more one-on-one Perusall trainings that I can count. I consider this to be my greatest tip of all time: put your syllabus in Perusall. Not only will this give students an opportunity to acclimate to the Perusall environment, it will also ensure that they’ve read (and engaged with!) your syllabus.

I do this in my own courses and am always pleasantly surprised by the depth of student questions and comments; I certainly never had that experience with a traditional “syllabus day.” One faculty member I worked with commented that she has never gotten such insightful questions about her syllabus in all her decades of teaching. The types of questions she received helped her identify and revise areas of the syllabus for greater clarity. As she stated, she would never have known these aspects of the syllabus were unclear had she not posted it for students review in Perusall. Posting the syllabus in Perusall turned out to be mutually beneficial to both the instructor and her students.

3. Embed Perusall readings in Learning Management System (LMS) modules and frame readings in context of other course content.

While Perusall can be integrated into most mainstream LMS platforms, not all of us have access to this integration. Not to worry! You can still create a linked page that ports students directly to their Perusall assignment by pulling the assignment URL. Doing so makes it easier for students to access the right reading at the right moment, but it also appropriately frames Perusall readings as a part of your course modules rather than an additional thing that they need to do outside of the LMS. Just be sure to set the link to open in an external window.

Linking the Perusall assignment in your module allows you to frame the reading. I always end the previous page by stating that “The next page will link you out to this week’s Perusall reading” so students expect to jump to a new tab when they click the forward button. I usually provide a few framing thoughts and questions or highlight important ideas from the reading to which students should pay special attention.

4. Engage with students through Perusall.

The beauty of Perusall is that it’s not a traditional discussion board, which means you’re no longer constrained to traditional discussion board pedagogies. My advice: ditch discussion prompts and let students lead.

If you’ve followed the first three steps, students should be well primed to engage with Perusall sans prompts. Instead of posting prompts, let students know you’re present and reading their comments by posting follow up probing questions, synthesizing multiple comments and tagging students who should join the conversation, upvoting model responses, hashtagging emerging thread themes, or posting relevant links and videos to comment threads. These are only a few of the ways you can meaningfully engage with students through Perusall beyond discussion prompts. This is a new technology, and we need a new pedagogy to go with it. Get creative!

5. Follow up with students.

I expect you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the level of organic student engagement you see through Perusall. However, this does mean that you’ll likely be unable to read every comment on every reading, and that’s ok! Perusall’s analytics make it possible for you to engage with students in aggregate rather than having to read every single comment. The confusion report is particularly helpful here, but only if you’ve taught students to use the question flagging feature. If you’re teaching synchronously, you can use the confusion report to identify top areas to address in your next course meeting. One instructor I knew who was teaching online posted a video each week to address questions that arose from the confusion report.

I also find the “star comment” feature useful for identifying comments I’d like to address further. This feature creates a curated list of comments you can easily return to in a synchronous meeting or in a follow-up video. While I may not be able to respond to every thread (nor should I—I want to encourage students to become co-creators of knowledge rather than cultivating reliance on me as the giver of knowledge), I can acknowledge and expand on useful conversations by quickly skimming through comments and adding them to my curated list.

Now that you’ve discovered the secret to getting your students to do the reading, I hope you can use these tips to more fully incorporate Perusall into your pedagogy to create meaningful reading assignments for your students.

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Pedagogy – best practices – technology.

How Do You Get Your Students to Do the Assigned Reading?

Gooblar suggests starting by making sure that the assigned reading is really necessary. Students prioritize their work and won’t bother with the reading if they feel it is not essential. Make sure that your required reading aligns with course objectives and can be completed in a reasonable amount of time. Show students that the reading is, indeed, necessary. At the end of class preview the upcoming reading assignment, explain how it fits into the material to be covered in the next class, and give the students some questions to consider as they do the reading.

Handouts created for the students can be useful, Gooblar writes. These can be specific to each reading assignment or more general to be used for all the readings. Questions posed in handouts help prepare students for in-class discussion. End by asking “What one question would you like me to answer in class about the reading?”   Instead of a quiz, create a questionnaire to gauge problems students are having with the reading. “By asking questions that point to the use you’ll make of the reading, you’ll underline the fact that the reading is indeed integral to the course. You’ll also provide yourself with useful information to guide your lecture or class discussion.” These questionnaires can be used to monitor students’ completion of the reading.

Finally, Gooblar advises making use of the information from the reading assignments in class without repeating it in detail. Why should students spend their time reading if you are going to tell them what they need to know? You want the reading to serve as a foundation for in-class discussion or use lecture time to build on the ideas presented in the reading.

A special report from Faculty Focus on Teaching offers 11 Strategies for Getting Students to Read What’s Assigned [Magna Publications, July 2010]. I’ve summarized the main point(s) of each one after the title, but the articles are all short, so it won’t take long to review the full report.

• Enhancing Students’ Readiness to Learn : Being explicit with your students about expectations [concerning the reading assignments] and assessing their preparedness improves motivation and learning outcomes
• What Textbook Reading Teaches Students : Make sure your students understand why you are assigning textbook readings and how it relates to other course content. Don’t repeat the exact information in class and thus make it easy for students to skip the reading.
• Getting Students to Read : Design your course so that students must do the reading to do well. Create assignments that require more than passive reading, structuring these so that students must engage with and respond to the reading.
• Helping Students Use Their Textbooks More Effectively : Suggestions in this article include giving explicit requirements, introducing the text in class, and offering students effective textbook study practices.
• Still More on Developing Reading Skills : Quizzing is not an effective motivator for students to complete reading assignments and may encourage surface reading. Assignments, such as reading responses, that structure reading for the students work better.
• Text Highlighting: Helping Students Understand What They Read : Have students bring highlighted/annotated/underlined texts to class and share their reasons for the markup. “In this way, the types of thinking that accompanies purposeful, active reading become more apparent.”
• When Students Don’t Do the Reading : Students won’t read if they know that the material will be closely reviewed during lecture. Let students know that the reading is necessary background that will be referenced and built on.
• Pre-Reading Strategies: Connecting Expert Understanding and Novice Learning : Examples of scaffolding or structuring the reading experience for students, especially underclassmen, by building a framework for topics, giving them reading strategies, making connections to the course content, identifying roadblocks to understanding, and uncovering the structure of the argument presented.
• The Use of Reading Lists : The article looks at a British study on how students can be motivated to read outside of required texts for a course. The answer lies in taking time to develop student reading skills and raising interesting, challenging questions whose answers are to be found in the readings.
• The Student-Accessible Reading List : Structured and discussion-specific lists (of non-required texts) with a limited number of readings are more accessible to students. Annotations direct students to readings that will be useful to them .
• How to Get Your Students to Read What’s Assigned : The final article provides a nice summary of ideas. Introduce the textbook and encourage use of supplemental materials the textbook provides, identify discipline-specific terminology, have students mark-up readings, structure the reading by providing questions to be answered ahead of class, use the textbook in class to emphasize its importance, teach students to ask questions about the reading, link the reading to exams, and identify and work with students who need help with reading.

Faculty I talked with pointed out that students coming into colleges and universities today may be less prepared to take on reading assignments than in the past. In high schools today many students are being taught to the test and may be associating reading with learning facts, which often means reading on the surface without understanding the big picture. If you teach a course that relies heavily on reading assignments, consider taking time at the beginning of the semester to provide some in-class training on the best practices and strategies that your students should adopt. Have the students scan a text, skimming the abstract or first paragraphs and conclusion, noting the section headings, illustrations and or graphics. Based on this preview, have them frame several questions that they have about the content, before they do a thorough reading. Discuss the value of taking notes and what those notes should cover. Ask them what they highlight when they read and why. Remind your students that they should be bringing questions to class about their reading assignments.

If you have a solution that you’ve used to encourage students to do the reading, please share it with us in the comments.

*********************************************************************************************************

Macie Hall, Senior Instructional Designer Center for Educational Resources

Image source: Pixabay.com

2 thoughts on “ How Do You Get Your Students to Do the Assigned Reading? ”

I pretty much do all of these things. On days when students need to have done the reading to participate, I invite them to leave the class and do the reading and come back when they finish. I’m tired right now so can’t remember how effective it was, but it did show them that they couldn’t pretend to have done the reading and not contribute to class.

in my opinion, one of good things to engage with reading activities is through computer games, but you have to develop such a game conjoined with the syllabus.

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Instructional Technology Blog

ITG supports faculty use of technology for teaching and learning at Emerson College

• by Natalie Hebshie
• August 3, 2021 February 2, 2023

Should you create assignments for readings in your Canvas course?

Last April, I co-wrote a blog post with Jodi Burrel titled Tidying Up Canvas to Help Students Stay Organized . It was a follow up to a workshop we developed together about course design strategies based on student feedback. The main purpose of these design tips was to help students and faculty manage their time and energy.

One of the things I learned from working with Jodi is that students found it very helpful when faculty created a corresponding assignment for readings that they wanted their students to do. Truthfully, this was not a strategy that I was actively encouraging at the time. I assumed it would just clutter the student assignment view and the faculty gradebook view. But once I heard that this was a game changer for students who struggled with time management, I decided to look into it and experiment with various ways to set this up in Canvas. Here is a video on what I think is the best way to set up reading assignments in Canvas:

To summarize, I recommend creating an assignment for each set of readings that are due at the same time. Having an assignment for each individual reading is too much. Listing out all of your readings in a semester long schedule on the syllabus is too clunky. You could create Canvas Calendar events instead of assignments for your readings but then you miss some of the additional prompts that you get with an assignment. An ungraded assignment for each due is just right. Here is how to do it:

• Start with a clear naming convention that is consistent throughout the course. If your class meets live (in person or on Zoom) and you have separate readings for each session, create a different assignment for each due date. Examples could include  Week 1 Readings, Week 1 Class 1 Readings, etc.  Remember that Canvas can adjust the due date fields when importing to future courses, but it cannot adjust dates added to Name fields or Description fields. So if you do decide to include the due date in the Assignment Name field, just remember that you will need to manually change that in future courses.
• List and link the readings in the assignment description.   Don’t refer to a list that exists elsewhere. List those readings in the description area and if they’re electronic, link to them. You can link to course files or to websites via the Rich Content Editor .
• Set points to 0 . The purpose of this type of assignment is to let the students know exactly what they need to read and when they need to read it by. We’re keeping grades out of it so just leave the points at 0. If you’re looking to build in accountability, you’ll probably want to look at other options for low stakes tasks, such as self check quizzes or online discussions.
• Choose “Not Graded” for Display Grade As . Again, we’re doing this for time management purposes, not for grading. Choosing Not Graded will ensure that this does not appear in your Canvas Gradebook.
• Set a Due Date and Time . If you’ve attended any of my workshops, you know that I think this is a big deal. Adding a due date in the due date field generates a series of beautiful prompts for your students. The assignment will be listed in their To Do’s, on their Calendar, on the Course Summary on their Syllabus as well as below the assignment name in the Assignment and Module view.
• Avoid Available From and Until Dates. These fields just restrict student access to an assignment . A student may wants or need to get a head start on readings or refer back to something that they read. We recommend removing any roadblocks that might get in the way of their ability to manage their workload.

I’d definitely recommend reading the Tidying Up Canvas post and watching the corresponding video if you haven’t done so already. You can also check out one of our upcoming sessions on the topic at teachanywhere.emerson.edu . If you do decide to incorporate reading assignments into your Canvas course, let us know how it goes, or reach out with any questions or concerns you might have at [email protected] .

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5 Ways to Include Writing in Reading Intervention

Writing sometimes gets short shrift in literacy education. These strategies help foster students’ reading and writing skills in tandem.

Over the years, reading has remained in the spotlight of literacy conversations, while writing has often taken a back seat. But one of the most powerful tools we have in literacy instruction is the reciprocity between reading and writing. As Natalie Wexler shares in her article “ To Boost Learning, Weave Writing Activities Into Regular Instruction ,” we cannot write deeply about topics we do not have knowledge about.  

Writing is expressive and therefore gives us a vessel for deepening our understanding of what we read. Often, in literacy intervention work, we are so focused on improving reading outcomes that we can sometimes overlook students’ writing abilities. 

These five strategies offer quick ways to enhance student learning as well as develop student writing through explicit instruction and practice. You can utilize them in any intervention setting.

SENTENCE DICTATION

The first strategy is a variation on the dictated sentences that are often used in intervention work. After students read a decodable text, or even a grade-level text, sentence dictation can allow them to practice using specific vocabulary, sentence structure, or phonics patterns. 

Student input can vary depending on what support is needed to craft the sentence. In this case, you, the teacher, would dictate, or say, a sentence that might include a specific phonics pattern, some words that include review patterns, a specific vocabulary word that students have studied, or a specific structure, such as a conjunction.

These instructional decisions are intentional, allowing students to not only write about their reading but practice phonics skills or develop more complex sentences that include elevated vocabulary.

SENTENCE COMPLETION

A second strategy that allows students to demonstrate comprehension of a text involves using a kernel sentence, or a stem, and then completing the sentence using the conjunctions because, but, and so .  

It is important to teach students how these three conjunctions differ in the meanings they convey. A way to scaffold this strategy is to provide prewritten sentence parts and have students match them to the correct conjunction.

This strategy challenges students to take the information they learned and explain it in three different ways. For examples of this type of writing, a good resource is The Writing Revolution , by Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler.

SENTENCE EXPANSION

Sentence expansion is another strategy that allows students to demonstrate their understanding while also developing their writing abilities. Give students a subject (the who or what) from the text, and then ask them to expand the sentence by providing the where, when, why, and how, to add details to their writing. 

Each piece should demonstrate further understanding of the text while also developing students’ ability to add details, which creates a more complex and dynamic sentence. 

A scaffold for this type of writing involves providing some of the details, which students can then build from. While students are adding details and expanding their sentences, they are also recalling information they learned from the text.

SENTENCE STARTERS

A fourth strategy I’ve used is sentence starters that introduce a more complex way of writing a sentence. As students become more comfortable with varying their sentence structures, they can move to crafting the entire sentence.

Some possibilities include asking them to include an appositive, or noun/pronoun that comes after a noun, to give more detail or explanation. Another option could be to start with a dependent clause. In this exercise, students are combining their content knowledge as well as developing their writing skills.

PARAGRAPH SHRINKING

One final strategy I’ve used is to have students write a sentence using paragraph shrinking or finding the gist of the text they’ve read. I ask students to find the most important who or what of the paragraph or text and then add the most important thing that happened to create a 10-to-15-word sentence that summarizes the essential information of a paragraph or text. 

Literacy is a merger of reading and writing skills. Both areas need to develop in order for students to be successful. All five of these strategies can support students in demonstrating comprehension, with writing as the expressive output, in an intervention setting. You can scaffold each activity up or down, depending on the varying needs of your students. 

Writing should be a part of every lesson , and using these five strategies allows us to integrate reading and writing so that both areas are woven together each time a student engages with a text.

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A Teacher’s Guide to Foster a love of Reading and Writing

Fostering a love for reading and writing in students is one of the most rewarding goals a literacy teacher can achieve. Now, more than ever, it is important to help your students discover the joy of storytelling, the power of self-expression through writing, and the magic of words. Below you will find practical and creative ideas to inspire students not only to improve their literacy skills but to develop a genuine love for reading and writing. The tips below will help make the classroom a vibrant place where reading and writing come alive.

Get to Know Your Students as Individuals

Understanding your students’ individual reading and writing interests is crucial.

• Student Favorites: You can start by conducting informal reading and writing inventories to gauge your students’ current preferences. This could be through one-on-one interviews or simple surveys asking about their favorite books, genres, and writing topics.
• Value Student Interest: Incorporate ways for students to showcase their interests. For example, in reading, let them share their favorite books or authors with the class. In writing, teach students to write about topics they’re passionate about, which can provide insights into their personal experiences and preferences. This approach makes students feel valued and understood.
• Share Your Favorites: Your enthusiasm and passion for literacy can greatly influence your students. When students see that their teachers enjoy the act of reading and writing, they will see how fulfilling it can be. Discuss your favorite books and authors and share personal stories about your reading journey. Share your writing – current and past. When I was in fourth grade, my teacher periodically showed us her planning pages and drafts with revisions she was working on as a graduate student. She was proud of the work she was doing and showed us that even as an adult she used the same process for writing that she was teaching us to use. Children can often think that writing is magical – something that someone just knows how to do. By sharing your writing, you can show students that the writing process is used by all writers and writing may be challenging at times but ultimately rewarding. 

Create Joyful Literacy Experiences

Your classroom can be a place where students have joyful literacy experiences that ignite a love for reading and writing.

• Choice: Students need to make some real choices for themselves. In the literacy classroom, children need the opportunity to choose what they will read and write. Think about the choices students have in your classroom. Are the majority of students’ reading and writing experiences decided for them or assigned? Do they have opportunities to develop their tastes in reading and writing? Consider how it feels if most of what you read and write was decided for you. Would you find it enjoyable?
• Book Recommendations: I don’t know if you have discovered the joys of BookTok or book bloggers on YouTube, but I have. It has reenergized my reading life! I have a “To Be Read” (TBR) cart and an active Goodreads account where I can share my thoughts and reactions to books I am reading. I look forward to hearing what other people are saying about books, and I enjoy knowing what my friends are reading.  I can then determine if that sounds like a good fit for me. I decide for myself what may be worth my time reading. Being a part of this reading community, I have learned more about myself –  especially what types of books I like to read and why.

You can help create this rich culture of reading, talking, and writing about texts by teaching children how to give “Book Talks” or write book recommendations for their peers. You can also teach children to keep a list of books they would like to read based on recommendations. So, when it is time for your students to select a new book, they will move into it with a sense of excitement and joy!

• Writer’s Notebook : The writer’s notebook is a place of freedom and joy for a writer.   This is a safe place for writers to be creative and vulnerable. Students are free to take risks and write about things they know and love. Students can sketch and write, or tape pictures and special artifacts and write. A writer’s notebook is a place for students to write about anything meaningful to them. Keep writer’s notebook entries fresh by allowing time for students to showcase an entry to the class. My colleague, Linda Murphy, used a writer’s notebook gallery walk where students selected an entry and laid their notebook open on their desk. Students walked around the room and read their classmates’ chosen entry. Reading one another’s entries may inspire students to write more in their writer’s notebooks.
• Share : Prioritize sharing in your literacy classroom. There are many ways for students to share their thinking. Students can share their authentic thoughts about the books you are reading to them and books they are reading independently. Students can also share their opinions and reactions with their peers. Students can share their writing with an audience to receive feedback, to get validation, and to experience the true purpose of writing – to share a message that is meaningful to them!Ask yourself:  Do students regularly share their thoughts during read alouds, minilessons, and at the end of independent reading and writing? Scheduling time for share can help foster a love for reading and writing.

Ignite a Life-Long Love for Reading and Writing

As a literacy teacher, you have the exciting opportunity to ignite a lifelong love of reading and writing in your students. Embrace the challenges and joys of teaching literacy and remember that your dedication and enthusiasm will make a lasting impact on your students’ lives. Happy teaching!

If you are a new teacher and want to learn more about practical ways to teach literacy effectively and thrive in the beginning years of your career, join my colleague, Heather Rodman, and I for the New Teacher Academy on October 2 nd where you will experience four full days of professional learning and participate in monthly, hour-long problem-solving sessions to provide you with ongoing, just-in-time support you need to address the daily instructional and logistical challenges you face. Click here to find out more.

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Designing Effective Research Assignments

• Designing a Research Assignment
• Designing an Information Literacy Curriculum

Below are questions to ask yourself when designing an assignment that promotes information literacy and critical thinking skills.

• What will students learn as a result of completing this assignment?
• What are the information literacy student learning outcomes?
• What are the writing or presentation outcomes?
• What are the discipline-specific outcomes?
• Are these goals clear to students?
• Does our library have these resources? Are they freely and easily available elsewhere?
• Is there a link to the library (or other needed resources) in the assignment and/or syllabus?
• Is there a link to any related student services (peer tutoring, technology help desk, etc.) in the assignment and/or syllabus?
• Does this model a process students can repeat in the future? Is that clear to students?
• Is there space for students to reflect on what they are doing, which strategies are working and which aren’t?
• Does this provide enough time for students to be successful?
• Does it provide time for you to give feedback to students, and for students to revise and/or integrate that feedback into their next piece of work?
• Do you have grading criteria or a rubric to help you score student work? Is this available to students?
• Might you ask past students if you can use their work as a sample, or can you create your own?
• How will students access the sample(s)? Hand out in class, provide in Moodle, etc.?

Source: Greenfield Community College Library.  “Information Literacy Toolkit for Faculty.”  gcc.mass.edu, Greenfield Community College. Accessed 1 Jan. 2021.

Scaffolding and reinforcing information literacy skills and concepts throughout your courses and program, will allow students to develop and master their skill set. Below are a number of questions to think about while creating course and program materials. 

• Is it clear to students how these skills connect to continued study and/or real life?
• What do they already know? Can you assume, or do you need to find out?
• Which information literacy skills do you need to teach, in addition to your course content?
• What can a librarian help teach?
• What needs to be done during class time (for face-to-face classes)?
• What can be done outside of class, as homework?
• What supports does the library already have available (i.e. Moodle plug-ins, videos, handouts, etc.)?
• If you want a librarian to teach, where does that fit in the course schedule?
• If not, what needs to change? Course content, the research assignment, or both?

Greenfield Community College Library.  “Information Literacy Toolkit for Faculty.”  gcc.mass.edu, Greenfield Community College. Accessed 1 Jan. 2021.

Ideas and Examples

• Classic Examples of Research Assignments
• Ideas for Research-related Assignments

Assignments below are linked to documents. Please feel to download and edit for your classroom or context and to remix assignments. A librarian would be happy to tailor a version of an assignment or scaffold research skills into your class.

Example of a short assignment that asks students to think critically about two news sources.

Example of an annotated bibliography assignment that asks students to think critically about their sources.

Example of a research paper abstract assignment that asks students to closely evaluate their topics and sources needed.

Example of an assignment that asks students to brainstorm and evaluate research questions.

Example of an assignment that asks to compare and evaluate various sources.

Example of an assignment that asks students to critically approach source use and paraphrasing.

Example of an assignment that asks students to detail the research process by recording search strategies and resources located.

Example of an assignment that asks students to choose and refine a research topic.

Example of an assignment that asks students to think critically about sources.

Example of an assignment that asks students to crucially evaluate their research topic by evalauting sources.

There are any number of library-related assignments that can be incorporated into a course. Here are a few examples that can be adapted to most subjects (assignments may be repeated across categories).

Critical Evaluations & Comparisons

• Locate a popular magazine article, then find a scholarly article on the same subject. Compare the two articles for content, style, bias, audience, etc.
• Analyze the content, style, and audience of three journals in a given discipline.
• Choose an autobiography of someone related to the course content. Find secondary sources which deal with an idea or event described in the autobiography. Compare and contrast the sources.
• Evaluate a website based on specific criteria.
• Determine the adequacy of a psychological test based on the literature about the test. Then develop a test battery designed for a particular clinical (or other) situation, by using published tests and the literature about them.
• To develop the ability to evaluate sources, students prepare a written criticism of the literature on a particular issue by finding book reviews, by searching citation indexes to see who is quoting the context of the scholarship in a particular field.
• Students use bibliographies, guides to the literature and the Internet to find primary sources on an issue or historical period. They can contrast the treatment in the primary sources with the treatment in secondary sources including their textbook.
• Write a newspaper story describing an event--political, social, cultural, whatever suits the objectives-based on their research. The assignment can be limited to one or two articles, or it can be more extensive. This is a good exercise in critical reading and in summarizing. The assignment gains interest if several people research the same event in different sources and compare the newspaper stories that result.
• Contrast journal articles or editorials from recent publications reflecting conservative and liberal tendencies.
• Write a review of a musical performance. Include reference not only to the performance attended, but to reviews of the composition's premiere, if possible. Place the composition in a historical context using timetables, general histories and memoirs when available, using this information to gain insight into its current presentation.

Fact-Finding Research

• Read an editorial and find facts to support it.
• In biology or health classes, assign each student a 'diagnosis' (can range from jock itch to Parkinson's Disease). Have them act as responsible patients by investigating both the diagnosis and the prescribed treatment. Results presented in a two-page paper should cover: a description of the condition and its symptoms; its etiology; its prognosis; the effectiveness of the prescribed treatment, its side effects and contradictions, along with the evidence; and, finally, a comparison of the relative effectiveness of alternate treatments. This can also be accompanied by oral or visual presentations, slideshow, poster session, etc.
• Students follow a piece of legislation through Congress. This exercise is designed primarily to help them understand the process of government. However it could also be used in something like a 'critical issues' course to follow the politics of a particular issue. (What groups are lobbying for or against a piece of legislation? How does campaign financing affect the final decision? etc.).
• Similar to the above, have students follow a particular foreign policy situation as it develops. Who are the organizations involved? What is the history of the issue? What are the ideological conflicts?
• Nominate someone or a group for the Nobel Peace Prize. Learn about the prize, the jury, etc. Justify the nominations.
• Write an exam on one area; answer some or all of the questions (depending on professor's preference). Turn in an annotated bibliography of source material, and rationale for questions.

Career-Based Research

• Assemble background information on a company or organization in preparation for a hypothetical interview. For those continuing in academia, research prospective colleagues' and professors' backgrounds, publications, current research, etc.
• Ask each student to describe a career they envision themselves in and then research the career choice. What are the leading companies in that area? Why? (If they choose something generic like secretarial or sales, what is the best company in their county of residence to work for? Why?) Choose a company and find out what its employment policies are-flex time, family leave, stock options. If the company is traded publicly, what is its net worth? What is the outlook for this occupation? Expected starting salary? How do the outlook and salaries vary by geography?

Personal Research

• Locate primary sources from the date of your birth. You may use one type type of material only once, i.e., one newspaper headline of a major event, one quotation, one biography, one census figure, one top musical number, one campus event, etc. Use a minimum of six different sources. Write a short annotation of each source and include the complete bibliographic citation.

Historical Research (for any subject)

• Select a scholar/researcher in a field of study and explore that person's career and ideas. Besides locating biographical information, students prepare a bibliography of writings and analyze the reaction of the scholarly community to the researcher's work.
• Pick a topic and research it in literature from the 60s and 70s. Then research the same topic in the literature of the 80s and 90s. Compare and contrast the topic in a bibliographic essay.
• Write a biographical sketch of a famous person. Use biographical dictionaries, popular press and scholarly sources, and books to find information about the person.
• Everyone becomes an historical figure for a day. Students research the person, time-period, culture, etc. They give an oral presentation in class and answer questions.
• Similar to the above, students adopt a persona and write letters or journal entries that person might have written. The level of research required to complete the assignment can range from minimal to a depth appropriate for advanced classes.
• News conferences offer good opportunities to add depth to research and thus might work particularly well with advanced students. A verbatim transcript of an analytical description of a news conference can serve as a format for simulated interviews with well known people of any period. What questions would contemporaries have asked? What questions would we now, with hindsight, want to ask? How would contemporary answers have differed from those that might be given today? Here students have an opportunity to take a rigorous, analytical approach, both in terms of the questions to be asked and the information contained in the answers.

Biographical Research

(annotated) bibliography variations.

• Prepare an annotated bibliography of books, journal articles, and other sources on a topic. Include evaluative annotations.
• Create a Web page on a narrow topic relevant to the course. Include meta sites, e-journals, discussion lists, and organizations.
• Update an existing bibliography or review of the literature.
• Compile an anthology of readings by one person or on one topic. Include an introduction with biographical information about the authors, and the rationale for including the works [justify with reviews or critical materials].
• Choose a topic of interest and search it on the Internet. Cross reference all search engines and find all websites which discuss the topic. Like a research paper, students will have to narrow and broaden accordingly. The student will then produce an annotated bibliography on the topic, based solely on internet references.
• Create an anthology. The model for this format is the annotated book of readings with which most students are familiar. In this case, however, rather than being given the anthology, they are asked to compile it themselves. The assignment can limit the acceptable content to scholarly articles written within the last ten years, or it can be broadened to include chapters or excerpts from monographs and significant older materials. Students should be asked to write an introduction to the anthology that would display an overall understanding of the subject. In addition, each item should be described, and an explanation given as to why it is included. The assignment could also require a bibliography of items considered for inclusion as well as copies of the items selected. In any subject course in which students would benefit from finding and reading a variety of scholarly, such an assignment would guarantee that they use their library skills to locate the articles, their critical reading skills to make the selections, and a variety of writing skills to produce the introduction, the summaries, and the explanations.

Literature Review Variations

• Each student in the class is given responsibility for dealing with a part of the subject of the course. He or she is then asked to 1) find out what the major reference sources on the subject are; 2) find out "who's doing what where" in the field; 3) list three major unresolved questions about the subject; 4) prepare a 15 minute oral presentation to introduce this aspect of the subject to the class.
• Conduct the research for a paper except for writing the final draft. At various times students are required to turn in 1) their choice of topic; 2) an annotated bibliography; 3) an outline; 4) a thesis statement; 5) an introduction and a conclusion.
• Write a grant proposal addressed to a specific funding agency; include supporting literature review, budget, etc. Have class peer groups review. (Best proposal could be submitted for funding of summer research).

Collins Memorial Library.  “Ideas for Library-Related Assignments.”  Pugetsound.edu, University of Puget Sound. Accessed 1 Jan. 2021.

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How to complete the Bro Athlete challenge in BitLife

The Bro Athlete challenge in Bitlife lets you become the buffest man in California who regularly hits the gym and has a great history in Wrestling. 

Bitlife regularly puts out tricky challenges that give everyone a chance to win exclusive cosmetics to use on their avatars. This week’s challenge is completely free-to-play-friendly, and you need a bit of persistence and luck to finish it. Here’s everything you need to know about finishing the Bro Athlete challenge in Bitlife . 

Bitlife Bro Athlete challenge guide

Here are the objectives you need to complete for the Bro Athlete challenge in Bitlife :

Be born a male in Florida

Join the investing club, become captain of the wrestling team.

• Read “Strong Looks Better Naked”

Pick up five or more lovers at the gym

To start the challenge, you need to choose the United States as your preferred country and select Miami or any Florida-based cities on the list as your place of birth. You also have to choose Male as your gender and continue with the challenge.

If you have Bitizen membership, we recommend turning up the Smarts, Looks, and Health attributes to maximum so you have an easier time with the quest.

Joining the investing club in Bitlife is completely dependent on luck, as you might randomly stumble upon it while pursuing your educational endeavors. To check for the club, make your way to the school/occupation tab, select your School/University , and choose the Activities option. Now, you’ll see a list of clubs to join, and investing is one of the rarer ones to find.

You can only use this option while you’re pursuing any type of education in university or high school, so make sure to always look for the club and join it. Chances are you’re not going to find it immediately in high school, and there’s no way to refresh the list to make it appear. You have to get into the investing club while pursuing your majors. After you’re 18, go back to the Occupation tab, choose the major that you want to study at university, and ask your parents for the money, take out a student loan, or try to earn a scholarship for your studies.

After enrolling in the course, check the list of activities. If you don’t find the Investing club, then choose the Drop-out button , located below the Activities button, to drop out of college. Then, try choosing other subjects and check the activity list to find the investing club in one of your majors. Once you’ve found it, join the club, and devote four hours to it.

It took us around eight tries to get into the investing club while pursuing a major in computer science, so it will take some time. Keep dropping out of college and joining other majors at university until you get into the club. Make sure that you don’t age up your character during this phase, as surpassing a certain age won’t allow you to pursue your majors, forcing you to use the Time Machine to go back in time or start the challenge from scratch.

The Wrestling team is another club you need to join, but unlike the investing club, it’s very easy to find. Simply choose your School tab, choose your High school , go to Activities , and scroll down the list to find the Wrestling team . You need to have high athleticism stats and good health to directly join the team. If you don’t have the required stats, you need to hit the gym or take a walk using the Mind & Body option under the activities tab to improve your health and try the option later.

Now, to become the captain, you have to naturally improve your wrestling skills by going to the Occupation tab, choosing High school , and select the Wrestling team to find the option to Practice harder to improve your skills and raise your approval ratings. You have to keep pressing that button multiple times a year to fill your skill bar in Wrestling. Once you’re done, you’ll see dialogue box pop up, stating you’ve been asked to become the captain. You need to say yes to this option to complete this part of the quest. 

Read ‘Strong Looks Better Naked’

Reading the book “Strong Looks Better Naked” By Khloe Kardashian is your next objective, and it requires quite a bit of persistence as well. Make your way to Activities , select the Mind & Body option , and choose the Books option to open a list of books to read and build your character. To find this particular book, you may need to refresh the list by closing it and opening the books option again to find a new set of books.

Keep refreshing the list, and you will eventually find the “Strong Looks Better Naked” book. Now, simply open the book, and you’ll have two ways to complete the challenge. You can either tap each page of the book to read it completely or simply watch an advertisement to complete the challenge. As the book has 245 pages, it’s not a long read to tap it and complete it.

To become buff in Bitlife , you need to hit the gym more often than most people. To hit the gym, make your way to Activities, select the Mind & Body option, and choose the gym option to get yourself fitter and meet random people.

Every time you complete a gym session, there is a for a random dialogue box to appear, prompting you to ask someone for a date. Say yes to that option five times, and every time, dump that person by going to Relationships , choosing your Girlfriend, and selecting the Break up option. If you don’t break up with the person, it will be harder to meet new people in the gym. If people decline your proposal, make sure to continuously hit the gym until you have dated five people or more to complete the challenge. 

Going to the gym doesn’t cost any money until you’re 18 years old. After that, you’ll have to pay $20 per session . You can easily earn that money by doing freelance and part-time jobs. Because you need to hit the gym many times, you might to visit doctors to avoid complications and stay healthy.

Next up, read our guides to complete the Zodiac 2024 scavenger hunt and the Athletic Supporter challenge in Bitlife .