I Have to Read What?! Study Strategies to Rock Our Reading

During this one-time class, students will learn how to tackle required reading for school and beyond by learning how to look at ‘text’ differently, ask the right questions, and move through required reading quickly but efficiently – reading less and remembering more. 

I use the Socratic Method when I teach, asking guiding questions as we practice the process. In this one-time class, we will use two pieces of text designed to engage and challenge older learners. This method helps students recognize key learning points, master strategies, and deepen understanding through engaged, thoughtful learning.  This class is recommended for college-bound students. 

What students can expect (and what I'll expect from students): 

1.  Two informational articles and observation instructions:   
-  one article that’s “interesting” and easy to read which allows students to ‘connect’ with the topic as I teach the strategies in the process. 

-  a second article that’s longer and less interesting to simulate the process in a real-world situation   (school or work).

-  an ‘observation sheet’ to make notes and instructions for how to observe me. We will flip roles during this class and I will observe students as they read and tackle text. 

2.  We’ll start with the ‘demo’ article as I guide students through how I read information strategically – with a focus on format, structure, and characteristics and how they impact how I read the information. Students will observe me and jot notes in this step. 

3.  To bridge my demo article and the practice article, I’ll ask students questions about what they observed as I demonstrated the reading/study strategies. I'll also ask students what questions they have at this bridge point, before we move to the next practice activity. All students are expected to  participate and will be encouraged to. Parents, please discuss this with your older teen so he or she  knows what to expect and feels comfortable with the class participation expectation. Being a bit   introverted myself, I like knowing in advance when I'll need to engage with others in a group. We     want everyone to feel comfortable! 

4.  Next, I’ll ask students to look at the longer article that’s ‘less interesting but necessary’ to simulate what they might encounter in academic classes – or the work world later. 

With this article, I'll observe students as they: 

-  Practice identifying text structure, format, and purpose as I guide them with prepared questions. We’ll talk about how those three things impact how we read the article. 

-  Read the article using the strategies I taught (and they observed) with the first article. 

As students read, I’ll monitor facial expressions and how they interact with the text, ‘coaching’ them with reminders as they read. 

5. When time is called or all students are finished reading (whichever occurs first), we will debrief the process. I’ll ask questions, answer questions, and give examples of what I saw while students were 
reading (without specific identification of who did what).	 


Review/Wrap-up: 
We'll take five minutes to review the strategy and how using it can positively impact our future study habits – for school and beyond. 

Course Follow-up:
Student are always welcome to message me through Outschool to ask additional questions about the strategies they learn. 


I've taught this strategies lesson to high school students and college-level students for 15+ years and often hear students (especially college level) say, "I wish someone would've taught this to me years ago!" When parents hear about this lesson from their HS kiddos, they often say the same thing: I wish I had learned this when I was in school! 

The strategy is super-easy and has immediate benefits... Ready to get started?