Textbook

Options for reading and taking notes on the text book:

The bottom line for being successful in this course is that you must read the textbook and you need to do so actively in order to get anything out of your reading. Don’t just let the book happen to you – engage with it!

As this is a college level course, I will not dictate how you take notes, but I STRONGLY suggest you choose a system from the options below:

Option #1: Sub Heading Notes

Use the "contents" section at the beginning of the book, create an outline for the chapter assigned and fill in the big ideas from each section and sub-section you read.

Option #2: Sticky Notes or Note cards

Note big ideas/take aways from each section directly in your book.

Using your sticky notes, create study cards with major terms and themes to remember.

Option #3:

Choice

Pitch your method to Mrs. Cohen and discuss what might work for you!

At the end of each section, as well as at the end of each chapter, be sure you can answer the question:

What's the big idea here?

Some additional tips for active reading:

Preview what you’re going to read. Would you start a novel before you ever even read the synopsis on the back cover or a review of it online? Much of the information you will be reading this year, particularly first semester, will probably be brand new to you. Read the conclusion first, skim through the subheading in the chapter – get a skeletal framework for where the reading is going to take you BEFORE you start.
Break it up. This is dense reading and if you try to do it all in one sitting the night before it is due, it will be very difficult to digest it all.
Be prepared to go back and reread sections. Again, some of this is dense reading – don’t get frustrated with yourself. If you feel like you’re just reading the words but is not making any sense, try going back a couple paragraphs and reading again.
Find shortcuts. This is a college prep course and the reality in college is that you cannot read everything that is assigned – there are not enough hours in the day. As you become more familiar with the book and the course, you should start to be able to figure out when you need to focus intensely on your reading and when you can skim more briefly.
Ask questions. Questioning things as you read (and I’m not just talking about factual/level 1 questions, although those will definitely come up) helps you really engage with the reading and it makes for interesting class discussions. I will frequently require everyone to come up with level 2 and level 3 questions about the material in the chapter.
Make connections. Avoid thinking about the book in terms of chapter numbers – think in terms of the subject matter. As you get into this course, you should be able to make connections across time (i.e. between several chapters) – write them down!
Look into it! If you’re curious or confused about something, do a little research into the topic or bring up the subject in class. Our text is only one source of information and the more you read, the more complete your understanding will be on historical topics and events.

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