1PNU LET Reviewer General Education PDF

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ENGLISH: Study and Thinking SkillsGeneral: Comprehend written text in EnglishSpecific: Use strategies to efficiently search for information and learn fromwritten texts in English Apply study and critical reading skills in comprehending English textsI. Study Strategies and Thinking Skills Study s...

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PNU LET ReviewerGeneral Education ENGLISH: Study and Thinking Skills General:  Comprehend written text in English Specific:  Use strategies to efficiently search for information and learn from written texts in English  Apply study and critical reading skills in comprehending English texts I.

Study Strategies and Thinking Skills 

Study skills according to Graham and Robinson (1984) are specific abilities which students may use alone or in combination to learn the content of the curriculum on their own.

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Harris and Smith (1986) state that study skills are those that enable a person to gather information and to organize it in such a way that requires analysis, interpretation and evaluation.

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Klein, Peterson, and Simington (1991) claim that study skills are skills necessary for acquiring critical information from a variety of texts and media sources for differing purposes and uses.

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Study skills are skills related to gathering and using information

A. Remembering Information 1. Repetition—saying or writing information a number of times 2. Mnemonics—a technique to remember details such as: a. Acronyms are words that are formed by combining some parts (usually the first letters) of some other terms. The term is also used to refer to initialisms, which are combinations of letters representing a longer phrase. b. Abbreviations (from Latin brevis “short”) is strictly a shorter form of a word, but more particularly, is a letter or group of letters, taken from a word or words, and employed to represent them for the sake of brevity. c. Pegwords are words that rhyme with numbers and are used to build associations with the information to be remembered

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PNU LET ReviewerGeneral Education d. Keywords are familiar words that lead the reader to the new words to be learned. They can be used to create mental images to remember new words and definitions. e. Rhymes are words with similar sounds usually found in poetry and songs f.

Graphic Organizers—are visual representations that show how information is organized

B. Underlining / Highlighting Highlighting and underlining engage the reader to select words, phrases and sentences, as well as, selecting the most important ideas and details in a reading. It makes information stand out so that you can find it easily when you go back to the text to study for a test. Systematically using different colored highlighter pens can make the review process even easier. Familiarity with the techniques is helpful to find rapidly what the reader needs when rereading the passage. Method for Underlining / Highlighting: 1. Mark the main ideas and the major details differently. Underline the main ideas with a double line, and the major details with a single line or use a different color highlighter pen for each. 2. Find main-idea sentences. Underline the sentences or parts of sentences that state the main idea of a paragraph. If the main ideas are only implied, write your own main-idea sentence in the margin. Find major details and underline these. 3. Circle key words. Use brackets [], asterisks (*), or any other symbol to mark parts that are especially interesting or important to you. 4. Write notes or comments to yourself in the margin. The margins are good places to put down your own thoughts as you read. Margin notes can help you connect ideas from different parts of the selection. They can also help you connect a passage with other material you have read, comments your teacher has made, or your own experience. C. Notetaking While Reading Note-taking is the practice of writing down pieces of information in a systematic way. It involves using your own words and a separate notebook to condense the key ideas you have marked in your text while annotating. 1. SQ3R (Rowntree, 1976:40-64) 2

PNU LET ReviewerGeneral Education a. Survey—flip through the chapter or book and note the layout, first and last chapters or paragraphs, look at the headings used, familiarize yourself with the reading. b. Question—ask questions about the way the reading is structured and think about the questions you will need to keep in mind while reading. Think about whether or not you think the book is relevant or if it’s current and if it suits the purpose of your study c. Read—read actively but quickly, looking for the main points of the reading—don’t take any notes—you might want to read through twice quickly. d. Recall—write down the main points of reading and any really important facts, and opinions that help support the main points. Also, record the bibliographic details e. Review—repeat the first three steps over and make sure you haven’t missed anything. At this point, you might like to finalize your notes and re-read your notes or write down how the material you’ve just covered relates to your question or task. 2. The PQ5R Method PQ5R is the mnemonic for an effective student regulated approach to studying the kind of material assigned everyday—textbooks. Gaining new information and ideas from a variety of different textbooks demands a balanced and flexible network of study strategies. a. Preview—know where you’re going first. You would never plunge in and try to cross rugged territory if you could have in advance an accurate map of the region. Here is you mental map of a textbook chapter: Examine the title. Read the introduction. Glance at the pictures, charts and diagrams. Read the wrap-up of the chapter—the summary and review questions. b. Question—work through the chapter—one manageable section at a time. A section marked off with a boldface or italic sideheading is likely to be the right size “bite” for you to digest. Be a human question mark. Go into each section with a question in your mind. Turn headings, and sometimes topic sentences, into questions. These should give you to the main points. c. Read—read to find the answer to your question and other important content. Unknown terms say, STOP! LOOK UP! LEARN! Remove these roadblocks. Each pictorial aid is saying, “This is clearing up something important.” Shift back-and-forth reading for pictures, diagrams, and charts. Shift your eyes (and thoughts) back and forth as needed from the printed words to the pictorial aid. Speed up and slow down as needed within the passage. Do stop-and-go reading. Thought time is needed in addition to reading time. Reread as often as necessary. Do “stop-and-go” reading.

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PNU LET ReviewerGeneral Education d. Record—jot down or mark important ideas. Make the key ideas stand out in some way so they will “flag” you later. Use any combination of devices. Jot mini notes on a memo slip to be inserted between related pages or in the book’s margin. Draw vertical lines in the margin just to the left or right of important content. Bracket key ideas. Underline or color-accent selectively. Now you won’t have to reread the entire chapter when you return to review it later. Make key ideas “flag” you. e. Recite—Students exclaim, “I’ve read the chapter twice, but I still can’t remember it.” Solve this problem by using the most powerful techniques known to psychologists—the technique of self-recitation. As you complete a section or a paragraph, ask yourself, “Just what have I learned here?” Look away from the book while you self-recite, or cover the passage with your hand or with a convenient card (such as 5”x8” index card). Can you recite the important points to yourself in your own words? Now look back at the column of print, whenever you need to, and check your accuracy. Knowing you’re going to self-recite when you finish a section forces you to concentrate while you’re reading. f. Review—add a last quick run through. Can you recall the broad chapter plan? Run through the chapter to recall that plan. Next, run through it section by section, checking yourself once more on the main points and the important subpoints. Use you cover card again. Make some quick reviews later on from time to time. Long term memory does improve grades. g. Reflect—as you read a passage, turn on your critical thinking. Ask yourself:”What does this all mean? Is it true? How can I apply it?” reading and reflecting should be simultaneous and inseparable—built right into every step of PQ5R. 3. Annotating—is a system of marking that includes underlining and notations. A notation system is used for selecting important ideas that goes beyond straight lines and includes numbers, circles, stars, and written comments such as marginal notes, questions and keywords. Annotations are comments, notes, explanations, or other types of external remarks that can be attached to a document or to a selected part of a document. As they are external, it is possible to annotate any document independently, without needing to edit the document itself. From a technical point of view, annotations are usually seen as meta data, as they give additional information about an existing piece of data. How to use an annotation: a. Underline important terms b. Circle definitions and meanings c. Write key words and definitions in the margin d. Signal where important information can be found with key words or symbols in the margin e. Write short summaries in the margin at the end of sub-units. 4

PNU LET ReviewerGeneral Education f. Write the questions in the margin next to the section where the answer is found g. Indicate steps in a process by using numbers in the margin. 4. The Cornell Method – this note-taking method has been devised 40 years ago by Walter Pauk, a lecturer at the Cornell University. This method is used by dividing the paper in two columns. The first column is used to enter key or cue words while the second is the notes column (for recording ideas and facts). There are six steps to Cornell note-taking: a. Record—during the lecture, record as many facts and ideas as possible in the notes column. b. Reduce—after the lecture, read through the notes taken and reduce to key words and phrases, or questions. The key words and phrases are used as cues to help recall the ideas and facts. The questions are to add clarity to the facts and ideas. c. Recite—using only the key words, phrases and questions in the cue word column recite the ideas and facts in the notes column. It is important that you are not just mechanically repeating, but using your own words. d. Reflect—based on the facts and ideas learnt, reflect upon how this fits in with what you already know, and how this knowledge can be applied. e. Review—on a frequent basis, review your past notes by reciting and reflecting upon them f. Recapitulate—after you have reduced, recited and reflected upon your note, you should recapitulate each main idea using complete sentences at the bottom of the key word column.

2.5” CUE C O L U M N

6”

Note- Taking Area

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PNU LET ReviewerGeneral Education

2”

Summaries CORNELL METHOD

5. Concept maps and Mind Maps—the idea is to map out concepts, either as they are found or receives during the Review process in the Cornell or SQ3R method. Mind maps (i.e., hierarchical trees) can be used to take lecture notes in real time, but more often to recognize concepts into a hierarchical tree. Concept maps allow to visualize more complex relationships between different concepts. They allow for example to integrate old and new knowledge and to construct a representation of a complex concept. Finally, concept maps also can be used a design tool. For example, after the initial literature review for a paper or a thesis, a student may create a conjecture map that relates theory to design to observable process to outcomes. 6. Charting—is a method that helps to summarize the most important concepts found in articles and to identify implicit relations (what concepts go together and which authors). This concept charting technique uses a table with columns representing concepts and rows representing a text. 7. Outlining—is a short verbal sketch that show in skeleton form the pattern of ideas in text or a draft prepared for speaking or writing often with main and subideas highlighted by numbers and letters. It is a form of notetaking that gives a quick display of key issues and essential supporting details. It shows indentions, numbers, and letters to show levels of importance.

TWO ACCEPTED OUTLINE FORMATS

Roman and Arabic Number and Letter System

Decimal Numbering System

Title 1. 2.

Title I. II.

2.1

A.

2.1.1 2.1.2 2.1.3

1. 2. a. b.

2.2 2.2.1 2.2.2 2.2.3

3. B. 1. 2.

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PNU LET ReviewerGeneral Education III.

3 D. Skimming and Scanning 1. Skimming—means reading only small parts of a text in order to get an overview of the organization of the text and its main ideas. When skimming a paragraph or a page, you are searching quickly among the sentences for the answers to your questions. Here is how to skim: a. Make sure that you know what information you are looking for, ask yourself a question, and look for a keyword. b. Move your eyes quickly from line to line and from sentence to sentence c. When you think you have found what you are looking for, stop. d. Read slowly the part of the line or sentence that tells you what you want to know e. Think about the question you were trying to answer. f. Does the information you found answer the question? If not, quickly read the passage again to look for the information you need. g. Jot down the answer to the question you’ve asked. 2. Scanning—involves looking quickly through a text to find a specific word or piece of information. Instead or reading every word on page, readers move eyes quickly, searching for what is needed. Guidelines for Scanning: a. Understand the organization of the material b. Stay focused on what you are looking for c. Use whatever clues are available to speed your search d. Confirm your information. E. Summarizing—is a method used in stating the main idea and significant supporting details into short, concise statements about the material you have read. Summaries are full pieces of writing that fit together a selection’s facts and ideas in readable sentences and paragraphs which are shorter versions of the original. F. Test-taking Strategies 1. Read to comprehend—concentrate on the main idea of the passage and avoid fixating on details 2. Interact with the passage—predict the topic and activate schema; monitor and self-correct 3. Anticipate—read the first sentence carefully, it usually gives clues of what is to come 4. Relax—plan your time and concentrate 5. Recall—remind yourself of the author’s main point

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PNU LET ReviewerGeneral Education 6. Understand major question types—test questions that follow certain predictable patterns a. Main Idea Questions—ask to identify the author’s main point b. Detail Questions—check your ability to understand material that is directly stated in the passage c. Implied Meaning Questions—deals with the attitudes and feelings of the writer that emerges behind or between words where in favourable and unfavourable descriptions suggest positive and negative opinion towards the subject d. Purpose Questions—the purpose of the passage which is not usually stated but implied and is related to the main idea e. Vocabulary Questions—test general knowledge as well as the ability to figure out meaning by using context clues 7. Multiple-Choice and True-False Tests a. Read all options b. Predict the correct answer c. Avoid answers with “100 Percent” words d. Consider answers with qualifying words e. Do not Overgeneralize f. True statements must be true without exception g. If two options are synonymous, eliminate both h. Figure out the difference between similar options i. Use logical reasoning when two answers are correct j. Look suspiciously at directly quoted pompous phrases k. Simplify double negatives by cancelling out both l. Certain responses are neither true or false m. Validate true responses n. Recognize flaws in test taking o Grammar o Clues from other parts of the test o Length o Absurd ideas and emotional words II. Reading Comprehension A. Critical Reading 1. Recognize the author’s purpose or intent a. To inform. Authors use facts to inform, to explain, to educate, and to enlighten b. To persuade. Authors use a combination of facts and opinions to persuade, to argue, to condemn and to ridicule c. To entertain. Authors use fiction and non-fiction to entertain, to narrate, to describe, and to shock. 2. Recognize the author’s point of view or bias 8

PNU LET ReviewerGeneral Education a. Point of view refers to the opinions and beliefs of the author of the reader, and a critical reader must recognize how those beliefs influence the message. b. Bias is a word closely related to point of view but tends to be associated with prejudice, and thus t has a negative connotation. It is an opinion or judgment that may be based on solid facts or on incorrect information but leans to one side, unequally presenting evidence and arguments. 3. Recognize the author’s tone The author’s tone describes the writer’s attitude toward the subject. To determine the tone, pick up clues from the choice of words and details. As a critical reader, tune in to the author’s tone by letting attitude become a part of evaluating the message. 4. Distinguish fact from opinion a. Fact is s statement that can be proven true or false. It is an observation that can be supported with direct evidence and is something own by actual experience b. Opinion is a statement of feeling that cannot be proven right or wrong. It can be a commentary, position or observation based on fact but represents a personal judgement, belief, feeling or interpretations of these facts. c. Recognize valid and invalid support for arguments Fallacy is an error in reasoning that can give an illusion of support. On the surface it appears to add support but closer examination shows it to be unrelated and illogical. They are particularly present in propaganda, a form of writing designed to convince the reader by whatever means possible. The following list describes some propaganda techniques: o Testimonials: celebrities who are not experts state support o Bandwagon: you will be left out if you do not join the crowd o Transfer: s famous person is associated with an argument o Straw Person: a simplistic exaggeration is set up to represent the argument o Misleading Analogy: two things are compared as similar that are actually distinctly different o Circular Reasoning: the conclusion is supported by restating it. B. Functional Reading Readings often contain more than just words. Graphics accompany text and knowing how to read these visual aids help the reader how to relate it to the ideas of the selection.

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PNU LET ReviewerGeneral Education 1. Photographs—to interpret photographs, you need to be able to identify what is being represented and then to infer moods, attitudes, and relations that help give life to the pictures, particularly if they are of people 2. Diagrams—are drawings with labelled parts. Notice what the separate parts represented and see how they work together. Labels and captions usually point out the key features and explain how parts relate to each other. 3. Word Charts—presents information in summary form to make material easy to find. Instead of using sentences in a paragraph, a writer can present complex information in chart form 4. Statistical Tables—present numbers in chart form. Often, the numbers appear in columns with headings to explain what the numbers represent. 5. Graphs—present statistics visually with lines, bars, or circles that show how statistics compare with each other. 6. Maps—visually condense material to show relationships. It is a diagram that places important topics in a central location and connects major points and supporting details in a visual display that shows degrees of importance which uses space in a free and graphic manner 7. Charts—give information in an abbreviated outline form. C. Active Reading 1. The main idea of a passage is the core of the material, the particular point...