Active Reading: Marking Up the Text and Dialogic Journals
Purpose: Helping students learn to actively read texts, how to take notes on readings, and gain an understanding of their preferred styles for notetaking and the possible benefits of each.
Description: This exercise asks students to try two active reading strategies using the sources they might use for their research papers. Then, they discuss in order to articulate their preferred note taking style and the benefits of each.
Suggested Time: 50 minutes
Procedure:
Have students bring in at least two articles they plan on using for their research. Give students the two handouts below. Give students 20 minutes to try each technique, using one article for each technique. Give 5 minutes for independent writing in which students explain which method they prefer and why. Then, have a class discussion about the benefits and drawbacks of each method.
Handout 1:
Active Reading – Mark up the Text
Underline key ideas – for example, topic sentences.
Box or circle words or phrases you want to remember.
Place a checkmark or a star next to an important idea.
Place a double check mark or double star next to an especially significant idea.
Put a question mark near any unfamiliar reference or a word you need to look up.
Number the writer’s key supporting points or examples.
Use different color highlighters.
Don’t be afraid to write your thoughts in the margins or on a separate sheet of paper (like the dialogic journal).
Questions to Ask (and Answer) when Reading a Text
What issue is the writer focusing on?
Does the writer take a clear stand on this issue?
What is the writer’s thesis (if there is one)?
What is the writer’s purpose for writing?
Who is the audience for this writing?
What is the writer’s tone? Why do you think he/she writes with this tone?
Does the writer seem to assume readers will agree with his/her position?
What evidence does the writer use to support the essay’s thesis/central argument? Does the writer include enough evidence?
Does the writer consider, address and/or refute opposing arguments?
Do you understand the vocabulary? If not, look the words up.
Do you understand the writer’s references/citations? If not, look them up.
Do you agree with the points the writer makes? Why/why not?
What connections can you make between this article and others you have read?
Handout 2:
Dialogic Journals (also called Double Entry Journal)
Before reading, answer these questions:
Why are you reading this piece?
What do you hope to learn as you read it?
Fold a page in your daybook in half (long ways) and follow these steps to complete your dialogue journal:
Write the title and author of the article at the top of the page.
In the first column, “write down anything from the reading that catches your attention, seems significant, bores you silly, confuses you, or otherwise causes you to take note (or stop taking note).”1 Make sure to also write down the page number from which you have taken the quote.
In the second column, explain what made you write the quote in the first column and/or respond to, question or critique the quote.
Note: You will ping-pong between the two columns. When you find a quote you want to write down, you will write that quote in column one and then respond to it in column two. Then you will go back to reading, notice a new quote you want to write down in column one and respond in column two. And so on…
For this assignment, I want you to choose at least two quotes per page.
When you have finished reading, answer these questions:
How is this reading useful or not useful for my purpose (in this case, for your inquiry project)?
If it is useful, what is useful about it, and what in the reading illustrates that use?
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1 Adler-Kassner, Linda. Considering Literacy. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006. Print. (Quote taken from page 10)