SQ3R Notes
SKIM, (write down) a QUESTION for each section . READ the section. RECITE what you learned and then WRITE some sentences. REVIEW the text to be sure you got it right.
Suggestion for a Sane Study Routine: For each chapter, do ONLY the first two
steps (SKIM & QUESTION) your first session. Take a break.
Come back refreshed (or the next day) to Read, Recite, and Write - remember to
decide ahead of time how many
headings you will tackle in one sitting.
Reading
Notes
Dictionary,
Dictionary,
Dictionary!!
Before
you begin reading, place a
dictionary
within easy reach. If you run across a word you don't know,
LOOK IT UP!
If you
don't know the meaning of the word you probably won't understand the sentence.
If you don't understand the sentence, you won't understand the paragraph.
If you don't understand the paragraph ...
Read the chapter summary and conclusion FIRST.
This
will give you a "heads up" about some of the important stuff you need to take
notes on. Now you have a better chance of taking good notes as you read.
DON’T copy verbatim If
you can’t put it in your own words, you don’t understand it.
**Use “kick in the head” method when appropriate
(What one or two words will remind you what this is about? For example,
"Pocohontas!" could bring back the whole Jamestown story. Or, "Clock!" could
remind you of the Regulators, "Breakfast!" of Bacon's Rebellion.")
DO
USE
SQRR(write)R
Skim
... survey, or "skim," the chapter (section) watching for words and phrases
in bold print. If there is not a lot of bold print, you may use topic
sentences as your key. Keep an eye out for proper names as well.
Question ...
These are the BOLD HEADINGS. Write these down,
adding a question mark, thus making them questions. (In
America's History, these headings are listed in the inset on the first page
of each chapter.) Skip a
third of a page between items (this is where you will later write your notes
concerning that item). Continue to end of chapter and do the same with
terms and questions provided by the text publisher. Stop and read the
cpations on pictures, look at charts, graphs and maps as you go through.
Read
... Now that you know what you're looking for (questions above) you
are ready to begin reading the material.
It is important that you not attempt to short-cut
by beginning with the reading step.
Having a "feel" for what is coming later will help you better understand what
you read now. Read and, as you cover the questions you wrote earlier ...
Recite
... Actually say aloud (or whisper loudly enough to hear yourself) your
interpretation of what the item is. Be
certain you can explain it in your own words. If you cannot, you
didn't understand it and should re-read that part. "Saying and hearing"
the information, and being sure you can put it in your own words helps "filter"
it through your brain. Then, in the spaces
you left earlier, WRITE a line or two that will remind you of
the whole business.
IMPORTANT*
When you finish a chapter or a long section of the reading,
write a summary or synopsis. Use
complete sentences. Note any questions that occurred to you as you read
(e.g. If Western disease killed off Indians, why didn’t Indian diseases wipe out
the smaller number of Europeans?).
Review
... Once you have compiled your notes in this fashion, you can use them to
review for upcoming tests and quizzes.
Only if you cannot decipher an earlier note, should you need to go back to the
text.
While
this may appear to be very time-consuming, in fact it takes very little more
time once you are accustomed to it. The return on the investment of this
little more time is worth it.
For those of you who think this is just some
"off the wall" idea that will be of no use in a college level course, go to
THIS LINK to