Cornell Notes

Topic: Critical Reading Skills (Part 4)

Key Points Notes

Cause And Effect Identifying cause and effect means

being able to see which condition led to
another condition. This skill is
particularly important in reading
expository and persuasive texts.
Oftentimes, there are words in the text
that give you a clue as to which is the
cause and which is the effect. Some
words signify cause such as because
caused by and firm. Other words may
signify effect such as resulting in
produced as a result enhance.
Sometimes the text talks about a chain
reaction. This is when one condition
causes another condition, which in turn
produces another condition. Identifying
cause and effect is a very useful skill in
reading.

Summarizing When you summarize a reading or a

section of reading, you write only the
most important ideas. A summary is a
brief summarizing helps you remember
the most important information in a
reading. Summarizing is useful in reading
all kinds of texts. If a text is well written,
you will find a good topic sentence in
each paragraph. Each of these topic
sentences contains the summary of their
paragraph. They will help you summarize
a text. A really well-written text will
contain a good thesis sentence. This
contains a summary of the text.
 Cornell Notes
Topic: Critical Reading Skills (Part 4)

Key Points Notes

Synthesizing Synthesizing comes from a Greek word

that means to place together.
Synthesizing is especially important in
reading expository, persuasive, and
descriptive texts. Synthesizing involves
combining several conclusions and
other new ideas to form a new overall
understanding. New ideas can be
learned by reading a text. When this
happens, your mind restructures what
you know into a different setup that
incorporates that new knowledge. For
example, as a child, you knew that fish
swim in the sea, but then you learned
about dolphins and whales that swim in
the ocean. These animals are not fish
but mammals. You then synthesize that
new knowledge about dolphins and
whales to produce a new understanding
that not all creatures that swim in the
sea are fish. Synthesizing critical reading
skills helps you benefit more from
reading texts.
 Cornell Notes
Topic: Critical Reading Skills (Part 4)

Summary

These three help a lot in understanding your

readings. Understanding cause and effect is a
crucial reading skill. This occurs when one
circumstance triggers another, which then results
in still another condition. There are frequently
terms in the text that provide a hint as to what the
cause and effect are. Summarizing aids in recalling
the most crucial details from a reading. Every
paragraph in a well-written text will include a
strong topic sentence. A strong thesis statement
may be found in exceptionally well-written texts.
This includes a synopsis of the text. You can get
more from reading materials if you combine critical
reading techniques. When reading expository,
persuasive, and descriptive texts, synthesis is
especially crucial. In order to create a new general
knowledge of what you have learned, entails
merging a number of conclusions and other fresh
concepts.