How to read text once and remember it

Students often complain that they did read the book but still did poorly on the quiz or test. They may have read it, but did they get it? There are some simple ways to help make sure you not only read the assignment but can remember it and learn as well.

Most non-fiction reading can be difficult and boring. Text books are designed to get information across, not entertain. Frequently a teacher will give a reading assignment of approximately ten pages for homework. The student starts to read and by page two or three is distracted or daydreaming. About fifteen minutes later the student looks down and is on the last page of the assignment, but has no idea how he or she got there. None of the information from page two to page ten is processed at all. The key is the focus.

In order to stay focused it is helpful to know why you are reading the assignment. Hopefully the teacher gave something to look for or some broad questions the student can use to determine what information is important. If the teacher has not done this, it is up to the student to focus their reading.

The easiest thing to do in a text book is to look at the questions at the end of the section before reading. These will give you an idea what the most important ideas are and you can look for them as you read. If there are no questions the student will have to determine the importance of the reading. Ask questions like, What have we been studying in class? What have the major themes or ideas the class has been going over throughout the year?

Start with thinking about what you already know about the topic. Brainstorm and write down whatever comes to mind. While reading make small symbols in the margins that represent what you are thinking. For instance, write a star next to something you already know, a question mark next to something you are not sure of or do not understand, and an exclamation mark next to something that is new or interesting to you. Thinking about which of the symbols to write will keep you focused on the reading and retaining more of the information.

Another good technique is to have a dialogue with the reading. This is especially good for handouts, since most schools do not allow students to write in their books. As you read the assignment pay attention to what you are thinking. Any comment or question that enters your head write it down close to the thing in the reading that made you think it. This will help you focus on the reading and any questions you wrote down will be there the next time you go to class and you can ask for clarification.

The next time you start to lose focus during a reading assignment try one of these tricks to improve the understanding of the reading and the quiz score.