Topic: Reading Magazines and Journals for Ideas

Ten-second review: I show students how to read for ideas, how to use reading material to find interesting information.

Magazines and Journals

.Read the title of the first article and sub-headings.

. Read the first and last paragraphs. Interested? Have questions? If not, quit and go on to the next article.

.Interested from reading the first and last paragraphs? Want details? Read the first sentence of each intermediate paragraphs or until you become “caught” and then read everything until you are “uncaught.” Then go back to reading the first sentence of each intermediate paragraph—if you need to.

Rarely, in my experience, will you need to read the entire article. You’ll have the main idea from the first and last paragraph. You’ll have the important details from the first sentence of each intermediate paragraph.

I find that all I want to know can be found in the first and last paragraphs of magazines and journals. It’s only when I need the details that I go back and read the first sentence of each intermediate paragraph. Often I am caught by these first sentences of the intermediate paragraphs and I begin to read everything. Rarely do I need to read the entire article.

RayS.

Next Blog: How to get to the essence of a textbook chapter without reading everything.