Step 1: Who are you?

Ask yourself this question. It is important for how you will go about reading this document, passage, paragraph, essay, book, article, or whatever. Throughout your life you have been reading and you will continue to read in the future: on the job as an employee, as a citizen, as a student, as a parent, and as a consumer, for example.

In this case, as noted in the introduction, you are a student in America, attempting to understand American culture through the acquisition of American language skills. Or you are a college student seeking to improve your reading/writing/communication skills. Or you are a professional or professional student who needs to be to communicate effectively with clients or patients. Or you are an adult who is considering re-entering college to launch a new career. Or you are an individual who wants to know what standard formal English is all about, perhaps for career advancement or a social goal. Whoever you are, while reading this book you are a student of English.

Step 2: Why are you reading this?

Ask yourself this question. It will set the context for your goals. The primary goal of reading is communication, which requires both a sender of information and a receiver of information. In this case, you are the latter (the 'latter' refers to the last of two people or things mentioned; in this case the 'receiver of information'). The former (referring to the first of two mentioned, in this case the 'sender of information') is the author of the document who has something to communicate: your goal as a reader is to understand what this is.

When reading at the college level, your goal is always to understand. The comprehension goals of a college student are to understand:

Many times when you are reading you will be asked to write about what you have learned. This could be in college, on the job, or even in a formal situation when you have to represent your interests or the interests of a loved one.

Step 3: Who wrote what are you reading? Consider the source.

Ask yourself: Is the document a primary or secondary source? (see Chapter III for a discussion of sources). This is important so that you know how to evaluate the information in the document. Where is the document contained? Is it a magazine or newspaper article? Who wrote it? (Who is the author?) Was it a reporter or a specialist in the field? Or was it a critic offering his or her opinion? Was it written by an expert in the field?

The paragraphs below are from a document that is a primary source. The authors were representatives of the individual states who gathered together to discuss the constitution (the guidelines for governing the nation) of the United States. The language you are about to read is a modern copy of the original words. Some of the nouns are capitalized, as was the custom in the 18th Century (1700 - 1800).

Step 4: How is it written?

Observe the structure of what you are reading. What kind of document is it? How is it organized?

In this case, the first document is a paragraph: it is called the 'pre-amble' (or introduction) to the Constitution. Next there is a list of 10 items. Each was an amendment (an addition) to the Constitution.

This is very different from a pleasure book, written for entertainment. It is also different from a self-help book, designed to help you improve your skills to accomplish a job or task or increase your knowledge about a topic or issue. An historical document is also different from a textbook, which is designed to deliver facts and information about a subject.

Step 5. When and why was it written? Understand the context of the document.

The authors got together (convened) in the State House (now called Independence Hall, you can visit it!) in Philadelphia in 1787 to review and revise the Articles of Confederation (which governed the nation at this time). They decided to write a new framework for the government, which they called the constitution.

Step 6: For whom was it written? Understand the intended audience for the document.

This document was written for the people of the United States (and the world). The Constitution is the basis of our laws and America is a nation of laws. The theory is that everyone is equal before the law. No one is above the law. Even the lawmakers themselves are subject to the law (must obey the law). The authors of the Constitution hoped that people would use and read their document for generations to come. They wrote for all posterity (for the future). They were trying to anticipate all the problems that governing the nation would present. They discussed issues, balanced their different interests and compromised.

Step 7: Read the document, sentence by sentence.

And if you don't understand a word, LOOK IT UP!

Step 8: Think about the meaning of each phrase and the complete idea that the sentence is expressing.

It is not sufficient merely to read: you must think along the way. A student expressed this to me in class one day, when she observed: "You really have to think!"
If you are not thinking, you are not working hard enough!

Step 9:  Re-read sentences, paragraphs, pages as you need to.

Do not be afraid to do this. In fact, you must re-read sometimes, in order to be able to understand the meaning of what is written. This is especially true when you encounter words with which you are unfamiliar and must look up! After you look up a word, you should re-read the paragraph or sentence and see that you now understand what is being said.

Step 10: Take notes that address (relate to) 'why' you are reading this.

The purpose of your reading will determine whether to take notes and what notes to take. When reading for college, often there is a related assignment, a paper or a test, and sometimes you will be reading for a specific purpose, such as to gather assigned information. At the beginning stage, however, you are reading for comprehension.

Be sure to have your dictionary and thesaurus by your side when you read this!

Copyright: 2004 English 4 All, Inc.