Choose an area that has thick walls and a door or a partition. This will help to block out noise and other sounds that could distract you from your reading.
You should also turn off your cellphone and your wifi. This way, you are not distracted by social media or text messages.
You may instruct others to leave you alone for a set period of time, such as 30 minutes or 1 hour. This way, you are assured of some peace and quiet for a set period of time so you can focus on the text.
If you are worried about using too much paper, print on both sides of the paper. Choose the double sided option when you print the text. You can also use recycled paper to print the text. Alternatively, you can read the text on an eReader or on a screen designed for reading small print. Make the text large and easy to read on an eReader so you do not have to strain your eyes when reading. If you are reading on a screen, turn the brightness down as low as possible while still being able to clearly see the text.
Keep these keywords, ideas, and themes in mind when you read the text in detail. Use them as a guide for your reading.
To keep the reading engaging, you may try reading the text aloud with a peer or friend. Take turns reading the text aloud. This will allow you to listen to the text when it is being read by someone else.
Once you have re read the passage from the same book or from your notes, consider it within the context of the rest of the text. Ask yourself, “How does this passage relate to the text as a whole?” “What does this passage say about the key themes or ideas in the text?” or test yourself.
Try to only highlight or underline sentences that you think are really important. Highlighting or underlining the text too much can make it hard for you to identify sentences that are important, and you’ll end up with pages of underlines and highlights. Only highlight or underline the book if you own it and it is okay to do so. Library books, borrowed texts, and old texts may not be suitable for highlighting and underlining.
For example, you may write in the margins “key detail” or “explores main theme. ” Only make notes in the margins if you own the book and you are allowed to do so. Do not write directly in library books and old texts that are not yours.
For example, you may make a note about a particular passage like, “important discussion of title” or “key character moment. ” You may designate a notebook to a particular text so you can return to it for reference later. Having separate notes in a notebook may be a good idea even if you can write in the book.
For example, you may ask questions like, “How does this sentence explore key themes in the text?” “Why did the author include this example?” “How does this passage make me feel as a reader?” Keep the list of questions in a separate notebook so you can refer to them later.
You may keep a dictionary handy while you read the text so you can look up words quickly and easily. Keep the list of vocabulary in a separate notebook so you can look at them later. Most important is focus on your first read
