This handout prepares students for the different purposes and ways that they’ll use reading as they research their topic. You might start with a general discussion about reading practices and strategies before turning to this handout.
For a greater focus on reading and analysis of exhibit sources, see this close-reading exercise.
Objective
To familiarize students with different reading purposes and strategies for approaching research.
Key Terms
current situation; research question; acknowledgment and response
Exercise
- Ask students to think about the different ways they read things, the different purposes, and different strategies.
- Discuss what students currently think about the way they should read articles, chapters, and books for research. Why?
- Distribute this handout with examples of how one student works through these different strategies.
- Discuss the strategies and examples together in class, and prompt students to self-reflect on their own current research process and plans for next steps.