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LEARNING FROM TEXTBOOKS 199Underlining must be a selective process. The most important advice
I can give about underlining is to underline after reading a paragraph
or passage, not during the reading. The main idea in any paragraph
can be in the first sentence or the middle or end of the paragraph. If
underlining is begun as the reading is started, the critical phrases in
the passage may be missed. The basic rules of underlining are to read
first and then underline, and select only main ideas and supporting
details.
In some situations, it may be important to do more than generate
questions and underline main ideas. Another strategy to improve com-
prehension is to annotate or mark textbooks. Annotations are words
or symbols usually written in the margin of the textbook that help
one to organize and remember important information. There are
many different ways to mark or annotate a textbook. Consider the
following guidelines:- Mark selectively.
- Mark pages only after they have been read.
- Develop symbols that make sense.
Figure 8.1 identifies various types of symbols for annotations in text-
books. Other types of annotations include summary words or phrases
in the margin that identify key ideas in the text, such as “causes of
the illness” or “3 characteristics of.” Finally, you can write critical
comments in the margin to help prepare for discussion of essays, short
stories, or poems. Do not annotate a book that you do not own, espe-
cially library books.- Comprehension Monitoring. The following is a question you should
ask yourself each time you read: “How well am I understanding what
Symbol Explanation? Use a question mark to show material you
don’t understand.
* Use a star to identify important ideas.
def Use an abbreviation to identify definitions.
Use a vertical line to identify important ideas
that are several lines in length.
Use a circle to identify unknown words.FIG. 8.1. Types of annotations.