College Reading and Study Skills

About our author Kathleen T. McWhorter is the author of more than a dozen textbooks designed to help students succeed in college. Born in a rural farm community in Upstate New York, she went on to receive her EdD from SUNY Buffalo. For 34 years, she taught at Niagara County Community College in Sanborn, NY, where she is a professor emerita of humanities. Through her textbooks, Dr. McWhorter has helped an estimated 500,000 students improve their reading, writing and critical-thinking skills. For more information on Kathleen's Reading and Writing Series, visit the McWhorter Way series page. She also encourages interaction and discourse in the education community on her LinkedIn page.

I: BUILDING A FOUNDATION FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS

Success Workshops:

Read and Learn Online
Manage Your Electronic Life





First Steps to Academic Success

Establishing Goals and Managing Your Valuable Time
Analyzing Your Learning Style
Understanding Your Instructors’ Teaching Styles
Meeting Your Instructors’ Expectations
Developing Active Learning Strategies
Thinking Critically

Using College Textbooks: Keeping Track of and Analyzing Reading Assignments


Self-Test Summary
Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
Quick Quiz


Taking Notes in Class

Sharpening Your Listening Skills
Preparing for a Class Lecture
How to Take Lecture Notes
How to Edit Your Notes
How to Study Your Notes

Using College Textbooks: Taking Notes on Textbook Readings


Self-Test Summary
Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
Quick Quiz


Communicating in the Classroom

Listening Critically
Asking and Answering Questions
Participating in Class Discussions
Working on Collaborative Activities
Making Oral Presentations
Communicating with Your Professors

Using College Textbooks: Preparing for Class Discussions


Self-Test Summary
Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
Quick Quiz



II: USING COLLEGE TEXTBOOKS

Success Workshops:

Work with New Course Formats: Online, Hybrid, and Flipped Courses
Strengthen Your Concentration





Identify and Organize What to Learn

Paraphrasing
Highlighting
Marking a Textbook
Organizing by Outlining
Summarizing: Condensing Ideas
Mapping: A Visual Means of Organizing Ideas
Avoiding Plagiarism

Using College Textbooks: Knowing What Is Important and Identifying Supporting Details


Self-Test Summary
Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
Quick Quiz


Learning and Memory

Forgetting
An Overview of the Learning and Memory Process
Learning Strategies
Review

Using College Textbooks: Deciding What to Learn


Self-Test Summary
Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
Quick Quiz



III: ESSENTIAL READING SKILLS

Success Workshop:

Improve Your Reading Rate and Flexibility





Active Reading Strategies

Previewing and Predicting Before Reading
Discovering What You Already Know
Defining Your Purposes for Reading
Checking Your Comprehension as You Read
Strengthening Your Comprehension of Text
Reviewing After Reading
Strengthening Your Comprehension of Visual Aids
A Classic System for Active Reading: SQ3R

Using College Textbooks: Reading Difficult Textbooks


Self-Test Summary
Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
Quick Quiz


Expanding Your Vocabulary

General Approaches to Vocabulary Expansion
A Strategy for Learning Unfamiliar Words
Using Context Clues
Analyzing Word Parts
Using Reference Sources
Learning Specialized Terminology
Systems for Learning Vocabulary

Using College Textbooks: Locating Word Meanings


Self-Test Summary
Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
Quick Quiz


Understanding Paragraphs

Three Essential Elements of a Paragraph
How to Identify the Topic
How to Find the Main Idea
Where to Find the Topic Sentence
Recognizing Details
Transitions
Unstated Main Ideas

Using College Textbooks: Locating Main Ideas


Self-Test Summary
Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
Quick Quiz


Following Thought Patterns

The Organization of Textbook Chapters
Types of Supporting Information
Recognizing Organizational Patterns

Using College Textbooks: Identifying Patterns


Self-Test Summary
Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
Quick Quiz



IV: THINKING CRITICALLY AS YOU READ

Success Workshop:

Build Your Information Literacy and Recognize Fake News





Evaluating the Author’s Message

Making Inferences as You Read
Evaluating Author and Source Credibility
Evaluating Internet Sources
Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion
Identifying the Author’s Purpose
Being Alert for Bias
Analyzing the Author’s Tone
Analyzing Arguments
Evaluating Data and Evidence
Thinking Critically about Graphics

Using College Textbooks: Critical Thinking Questions


Self-Test Summary
Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
Quick Quiz


Evaluating Authors’ Techniques

Paying Attention to Connotative Language
Examining Figurative Language
Watching for Missing and Misleading Information
Being Alert for Generalizations
Examining the Author’s Assumptions
Watching for Manipulative Language

Using College Textbooks: Using Critical Thinking Features


Self-Test Summary
Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
Quick Quiz



V: STRATEGIES FOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Success Workshops:

Think Critically About College Course Content
Manage Stress





Reading and Thinking Critically in Academic Disciplines

Expanding Your Critical Thinking Abilities in Academic Disciplines
What Are the Social Sciences?
What Are the Life and Physical Sciences?
What Is Mathematics?
What Do Literature and the Humanities Study?
What Are the Career Fields?

Using College Textbooks: Expanding Your Knowledge to Other Disciplines


Self-Test Summary
Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
Quick Quiz


Preparing for Exams

Organizing Your Study and Review
Identifying What to Study
Analyzing and Synthesizing Information
Reviewing for Objective and Essay Exams
Preparing for Self-Testing

Using College Textbooks: Using In-Chapter Self-Test Questions


Self-Test Summary
Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
Quick Quiz


Taking Exams

General Suggestions for Taking Exams
Hints for Taking Objective Exams
Hints for Taking Standardized Tests
Hints for Taking Essay Exams
Controlling Test Anxiety

Using College Textbooks: Using Headings to Create Practice Tests


Self-Test Summary
Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
Quick Quiz



VI: THEMATIC READINGS

THEME A: Non-Traditional Addictions

A-1 The Netflix Addiction: Why Our Brains Keep Telling Us to Press Play
A-2 Textbook Excerpt: Addictive Consumption
A-3 A Food Addiction Has Defined My Entire Life. And It Is Slowly Killing Me


Making Connections • What Do You Think?
THEME B: Discrimination

B-1 Years After 9/11, Anti-Muslim Bigotry Is Worse Than Ever
B-2 Textbook Excerpt: Racial Profiling and Biased Policing
B-3 Singled Out: Are Unmarried People Discriminated Against?


Making Connections • What Do You Think?
THEME C: Controversies in Science

C-1 Shades of Grey in the Ethics of Designer Babies
C-2 The Ocean’s Plastic Problem
C-3 Textbook Excerpt: Some Possible Consequences of Global Warming


Making Connections • What Do You Think?

VII: SAMPLE TEXTBOOK CHAPTER: TEXTBOOK READING AND WRITING

Preparing for the Lecture
Reading the Assignment
Sociology Chapter Excerpt: Race and Ethnicity
Reviewing the Reading Assignment
Attending the Lecture and Participating in Class
Writing About the Reading
Taking Quizzes
Taking the Exam

Credits Index