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You thought you understood the passage and the question, and naturally, you assume your answer should be correct.  However, the returned script tells you otherwise.

One technique which can help close that gap is the Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) as it provides you with a purpose when reading.  Click below to find out more.

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It is common to struggle to sustain the attention or activate the more complex thinking skills required to to access information (that is implied but not directly stated), especially for texts that are more complex or longer.

Edutopia shares some useful tips to help us think about the text when reading.  They include:

- Developing questions while reading,

-  Connecting what you are reading to another text, something you have seen, or something you have experienced,

- Visualizing or picturing what you  are reading,

- Making predictions about what will come next in the text,

Looking back for keywords and rereading in order to clarify or answer questions,

Besides that, reading strategies such as annotation and SQ3R can also be helpful.  Click below to find out more.

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Have you ever read finish a text and at the end of it, still not understand what you just read? Does this still happen even after you have read that same  text multiple times?

If so, have you tried annotating?

Annotating helps you to interact with the text and in turn, increases your engagement with the text.

What do I write when I annotate?  How much or little do I write? The link below shares useful tips on annotating.  Click below to find out more.

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What is annotation?

Annotation can be:

A systematic summary of the text that you create within the document

A key tool for close reading that helps you uncover patterns, notice important words, and identify main points

An active learning strategy that improves comprehension and retention of information

Why annotate?

Isolate and organize important material

Identify key concepts

Monitor your learning as you read

Make exam prep effective and streamlined

Can be more efficient than creating a separate set of reading notes

How do you annotate?

Summarize key points in your own words.

Use headers and words in bold to guide you

Look for main ideas, arguments, and points of evidence

Notice how the text organizes itself. Chronological order? Idea trees? Etc.

Circle key concepts and phrases

What words would it be helpful to look-up at the end?

What terms show up in lecture? When are different words used for similar concepts? Why?

Write brief comments and questions in the margins Use abbreviations and symbols

Try ? when you have a question or something you need to explore further

Try ! When something is interesting, a connection, or otherwise worthy of note

Try * For anything that you might use as an example or evidence when you use this information.

Ask yourself what other system of symbols would make sense to you.

Highlight/underline
Highlight or underline, but mindfully. Check out our resource on strategic highlighting for tips on when and how to highlight.
Use comment and highlight features built into pdfs, online/digital textbooks, or other apps and browser add-ons

Are you using a pdf? Explore its highlight, edit, and comment functions to support your annotations

Some browsers have add-ons or extensions that allow you to annotate web pages or web-based documents

Does your digital or online textbook come with an annotation feature?

Can your digital text be imported into a note-taking tool like OneNote, EverNote, or Google Keep? If so, you might be able to annotate texts in those apps

What are the most important takeaways?

Annotation is about increasing your engagement with a text

Increased engagement, where you think about and process the material then expand on your learning, is how you achieve mastery in a subject

As you annotate a text, ask yourself: how would I explain this to a friend?

Put things in your own words and draw connections to what you know and wonder

The table below demonstrates this process using a geography textbook excerpt (Press 2004):

A common concern about annotating texts: It takes time!

Yes, it can, but that time isn't lost-it's invested.

Spending the time to annotate on the front end does two important things:

It saves you time later when you're studying. Your annotated notes will help speed up exam prep, because you can review critical concepts quickly and efficiently.

It increases the likelihood that you will retain the information after the course is completed. This is especially important when you are supplying the building blocks of your mind and future career.

One last tip: Try separating the reading and annotating processes! Quickly read through a section of the text first, then go back and annotate.

Works consulted:

Nist, S., & Holschuh, J. (2000). Active learning: strategies for college success. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. 202-218.

Simpson, M., & Nist, S. (1990). Textbook annotation: An effective and efficient study strategy for college students. Journal of Reading, 34: 122-129.

Press, F. (2004). Understanding earth (4th ed). New York: W.H. Freeman. 208-210.
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You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Learning Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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What is annotation? Annotation can be: A systematic summary of the text that you create within the document A key tool for close reading that helps you uncover patterns, notice important words, and identify main points An active learning strategy ... Read more