READING
Much of your students’ success in writing a research paper will depend upon their ability to comprehend the reading material that they find in their research. You will find that most students have had little experience in ‘close’ reading. Teaching novice readers how to annotate texts benefits them and, ultimately, you. Many instructors require students to summarize each source that they will use in a research effort, which is one of the best ways to teach students to read closely. Before they summarize, however, students should have annotated a text, looked up all unfamiliar vocabulary, found the main ideas and support for those ideas, and raised questions about the ideas in the text. They should have a clear understanding of the text’s tone, its audience, and why it was written. Novice readers often misunderstand irony or satire. Sometimes, that misunderstanding is transmitted into their research work, and, in turn, credibility on the part of the writers is weakened. Reading and annotating sample essays and articles with your students in class is particularly helpful. Although the course textbooks have annotation exercises, students need more guidance than is offered in a how-to manual.
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Faculty Composition Manual home
URL: http://www.siue.edu/ENGLISH/Comp_Manual/reading.html
Published by: Department of English Language and Literature
Last Update: July 14, 2003 by English Web Manager
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