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The Expository Reading Mission Have you ever noticed that it’s easier to read a novel, like a book in The Hunger Games series? Why? Isn’t reading just reading? Why is reading nonfiction so much more difficult than reading fiction? Reading for information, like reading a textbook, is called expository reading . Reading for pleasure, like reading a good story, gossip or sports magazine article is called ludic (loo-dik) reading . Reading for pleasure is relaxing and usually doesn’t take much mental effort, especially when you get caught up in a story. Expository reading is more difficult because you are on a mission to obtain information and achieve certain learning goals. That requires effort and a special set of reading skills.
When you read expository text, you are on a mission to obtain information and achieve certain goals.
Throughout high school, college and your career, your success will depend on your ability to read, comprehend, and recall a great deal of nonfiction, expository text. Studies show that if you open up your textbook and begin reading without preparation, you’ll remember less than 30% of what you read by the next week! Good study skills include using special reading strategies to improve your comprehension and memory of nonfiction text. Guess what? SQ3R provides those very strategies. PRODUCT PREVIEW What is SQ3R? SQ3R stands for: SURVEY QUESTION READ RECITE REFLECT! STEP 1: SURVEY Expository reading requires a patient approach. Don’t plunge right in and start reading. Begin with a survey of the chapter. The survey gives you the big picture of what you will read. Note the title. Turn the pages and preview headings and subheadings. Consider what they reveal about the text’s purpose. Check out illustrations, charts, and photos. Flip through the pages and survey bolded words. Turn to the end of the chapter and read the summary. Finally, observe how the information is organized. It is organized that way for a reason. Organize your thoughts about the content the same way. STEP 2: QUESTION Based on information acquired from the survey, ask yourself questions to activate your schema: What do I already know about this topic? What’s the big picture? What context does this information fit into? Textbooks often have questions or state learning objectives at the beginning or end of a chapter. Read the questions or objectives. They identify the important ideas and topics you will read for.
THE 21st CENTURY STUDENT’S GUIDE TO STUDY SKILLS 113
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