Page 152 - Keys To Community College Success

Front matter. Skim the table of contents for the chapter titles, main topics
in each chapter and the order in which they will be covered, as well as special
features. Then skim the preface, which is a personal note from the author
telling you what the book will cover and its point of view. For example, the
preface for the American history text, Out of Many, states that it highlights
“the experiences of diverse communities of Americans in the unfolding story
of our country.” This tells you that cultural diversity is a central theme.
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Chapter elements. Text chapters generally use different devices to
structure their information and highlight content.

■ Chapter titles establish the topic and often the author’s perspective.
■ Chapter introductions or outlines generally list objectives or key topics.
■ Level headings (first, second, third), including those in question form,
break down material into bite-size chunks.
■ Margin materials can include definitions, quotes, questions, and
exercises.
■ Tables, charts, photographs, and captions illustrate important con-
cepts visually.
■ Sidebars or boxed features are connected to text themes and intro-
duce extra tidbits of information that supplement the text.
■ Different styles or arrangements of type (boldface, italics, underlining, larger
fonts, • bullet points, boxed text) can flag vocabulary or important ideas.
■ End-of-chapter summaries review chapter content and main ideas.
■ Review questions and exercises help you understand and apply content in creative
and practical ways.

Back matter. Some texts include a glossary that defines text terms, an index to help
you locate topics, and a bibliography that lists additional readings.

Key 5.3 shows a typical page from the college textbook Psychology: An Introduc-
tion, by Charles G. Morris and Albert A. Maisto. As you examine it, how many chapter
elements do you recognize? How do these elements help you grasp the subject even
before reading it?

Step 2: Question

The next step in SQ3R is to ask questions about your assignment. Questioning leads
you to discover knowledge, rewarding you with a greater investment in the material
and improved ability to remember it. Here’s the process.

Ask yourself what you know
Before you begin reading, think about, and summarize in writing if you can, what you
already know about the topic. This prepares you to apply what you already know to
new material. Building on current knowledge helps you learn faster. It is especially
important in your major, where the concepts you learn in introductory courses prepare
you for higher-level courses.

Write questions linked to chapter headings
Next, examine the chapter headings and, on a separate page or in the text margins,
write questions about them. When you encounter an assignment without headings,
divide the material into logical sections and develop questions based on what you think
is the main idea of each section. There are no “correct” questions. Given the same head-
ings, two students could create two different sets of questions. The goal of questioning
is to guide your reading so you learn more from it.
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