Page 160 - Keys To Community College Success

get creative

USE SQ3R TO MAKE A CONNECTION

Complete the following on paper or in digital format.
For this exercise, partner with someone in your class. Before you meet, each of you will write a mini-autobiography, approxi-
mately three paragraphs in length, answering the following questions:
■ Where are you from?
■ How would you describe your family?
■ How has your family influenced the student you are today?
■ What are three things you would like someone to know about you?

Check your work for spelling, punctuation, and clarity, and title the biography. Then meet with your partner and switch
papers. Read each other’s biography using SQ3R:
1. Survey: Scan your partner’s paper for any words that stand out or phrases that seem important. Circle or highlight any-
thing you notice right away.
2. Question: Thinking about what you learned from your survey, write questions in the margins. Your questions should
reflect what you expect to learn.

3. Read: Read through the biography. Make notes in the margins when you find answers to your Q-stage questions. Use
your pen to circle or underline main ideas.
4. Recite: Discuss what you learned from the paper with your partner. How accurate was your comprehension of
the biography? Were there any areas that were not clear or that you misunderstood? If so, what might help in
those cases?
5. Review: Write a summary of the biography of your partner. If there is time, recite the summary aloud in front of the
class. Introduce your partner to the class as if he or she had just joined, focusing on the most interesting and unique
information.

Finally, discuss the impact of using SQ3R with your partner. How did it impact your comprehension of their biography? What
might you try differently next time?

Examine the following reviewing techniques. Try them all, and use the ones that
work best for you. Try using more than one strategy when you study. Switching among
several different strategies tends to strengthen learning and memory.

■ Reread your notes, then summarize them from memory.
■ Review and summarize in writing the text sections you highlighted or bracketed.
■ Rewrite key points and main concepts in your own words. Create written exam-
ples that will help solidify the content in your mind.
■ Answer the end-of-chapter review, discussion, and application questions.
■ Reread the preface, headings, tables, and summary.
■ Recite important concepts to yourself (although you may risk looking silly, this
technique’s high effectiveness may be a worthwhile reward).
■ Record information and play it back.

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