Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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Reading and Responding *
Productive and unproductive approaches to
reading exist.
Be aware of and shape your responses, to
improve your performance
meet the expectations of
academic readers of your writing (colleagues /
instructors)
professional readers (when you’re on the job)
* notes taken from an essay by Henry Jankiewicz, Syracuse University. WWW
document, accessed Sept 2005:: http://web.syr.edu/~hjjankie/docs/rdrspnd.html
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Productive Reading
Techniques
Examine and improve your method of
reading
Use different techniques for the different
stages in the reading process:
Before Reading
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Techniques - Before Reading
Before you begin reading
Chose a Good Attitude - Setting
be open to the text’s world
be rested, alert, attentive (the ideal!)
choose a quiet, comfortable spot
Equipment: have on hand
pen and paper (or an open word-processing document, to
take notes)
lots of battery power for your laptop (if you’re using one)
dictionary (Ideally, the Oxford English Dictionary
notes or other texts, if applicable
Four Key Questions to Ask About the Text
(see next few slides)
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Before Reading -
Four Key Questions
Orient yourself to the text: four key questions:
1. Where did this reading FIRST appear?
can be a tricky question; for ENGL 1177 & many
post-secondary courses, readings are usually
collected into a textbook, after having appeared
elsewhere first
use your textbook & Internet resources to help
author / book / article name search - try “Google Scholar”
library searches - e.g., BCIT library; then check by call
number to see what section the book is located in - this
gives you a sense of the audience for the text (e.g.,
accountants; engineers)
publisher searches - look at publisher’s catalogues
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Before Reading - 4 Key
Questions, cont.
2. Who was the original audience for this
text? How do you know?
using detective work to answer question #1 will
make answering this question easier.
be aware that texts can have multiple audiences:
for example, essays we’re reading in this class will
have been originally prepared for an audience other
than that of English Academic Writing students.
Your detective work, done early, makes critical
reading and summarizing much easier later on.
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Before Reading - Four Key
Questions, cont.
3. What’s the purpose of this text - that is,
what does the author want to
accomplish? examples: express, inform,
persuade, entertain.
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Techniques - While Reading
Active Involvement
While you’re reading
Use a dictionary on the spot, as you need to.
Note down to highlight ideas that interest
you.
Note down questions or comments about the
text; set up a dialogue with the text.
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While Reading:
Only the Boring Are Bored
(Jankiewicz)
Was it entertaining?
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While Reading:
Questions and Approach
(Jankiewicz)
Do ask:
Did I understand it?
Can I (as a writer) entertain readers who
love ideas?
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While Reading:
Some Fruitful Strategies
(Jankiewicz)
Begin Freely : think, freewrite, use your
own approaches.
Summarise
Engage the Reading: don’t complain but
take possession of the subject:
1) Be interested.
2) If you're not interested, get interested.
3) If you can't get interested, seem
interested.
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While Reading:
Contextualizing
(Jankiewicz)
Go beyond "local" concerns to ask:
What function does this reading have in terms of the
goals of the course? Why was it assigned?
What is the teacher trying to teach you by having you
read this?
The answer to these questions are far more
critical than whether or not you enjoyed the
reading.
You might dislike a reading but learn a lot from
it, or love it and learn nothing.
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While Reading:
Not Understanding
(Jankiewicz)
Not understanding parts of the reading
can be an advantage, allowing you to
identify the problem
work at the text
seek clarification are needed to make this
reading useful to you -- Where does it fall
short?
This kind of analysis and critique is not
the same as complaining.
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While Reading:
Dodges & Weak Strategies
(Jankiewicz)
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Dodges / Weak Strategies, cont.
(Jankiewicz)
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Techniques - After Reading
After you’ve finished reading
Read the text again - completely, or to
clarify certain points or passages
Go back and skim the text, to see how
idea(s) & arguments are presented.
Read your notes and think about what
you’ve written.
Tell someone what you’ve read -- “high
points,” your response, questions:
“inkshed” or discussion
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After Reading, cont.
After you’ve finished reading you can also
write a summary of what you’ve read
what the text - author is saying, in short form
helps you understand content & structure
write a critical assessment: your analysis of
what the text says
how it presents its main ideas
the validity or effectiveness of the main ideas.
A summary is the first assignment in this class; a critical
assessment essay is the last assignment.
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