Effectively Studying Text

I remember in high school and college I would have a quiz or a test coming up based on a reading in my textbook. It seems straightforward enough -- study these pages and succeed on the assessment. My problem, and I know I was not alone, was not knowing how to study the text. Sometimes I would just read the passages, hoping to passively absorb all the information I would need to know; other times I would take copious notes, miss the forest for the trees, and still not get enough out of the text. Texts can be powerful tools when used effectively, but students need to know how to study a text in order to get anything out of their reading.

For science, a good strategy to help students study text is GRASP, which stands for guided reading and summarizing procedure. After the students read a text, whether in class or at home, students share with the class what they remember; this is recorded by the teacher so everyone can see. Next, each student recollection is addressed with additions or corrections. For example, if a student remembered from an article on the planets that there are nine in our solar system, a correction would be that Pluto has been demoted to a dwarf planet, so there are now eight planets.

Once students have this written down, the teacher models how to categorize the facts. A reading about planets might be organized into planetary movement, the planets themselves, and how beliefs about the planets have changed over the years. From here, the teacher guides the students through the writing of a summary. After modelling GRASP, students should gradually be given more autonomy over the process.

GRASP is an example of an after-reading activity. Since the students read the text silently and the reading was discussed, the teacher has done the bare minimum of reading instruction (Frager & Frye, 2010). A better approach would include a before-reading activity, providing purpose for reading and preparing students for participation in the GRASP activity -- Frager and Frye would give this a B. This should be the minimum a teacher does so students are not left in the dark like I was. An A, according to Frager and Frye, is given when a teacher directs students toward understanding their personal interpretations of the text. This practice has limited application in the sciences. Science textbooks, at least at the 5-12 level, are compilations of accepted facts. Readings about cutting edge research and science-related policy, however, are definitely open to interpretation. Incorporating texts related to research and policy will help students develop their critical thinking and analytic reading skill sets.