What is pre-reading?

Prepare to read by pre-reading. You will understand more and you will remember more.

1. Survey

What is surveying?

Surveying is reading titles, sub-titles, and headings. It also means reading tables of contents, graphs, tables, and outlines. Surveying also means reading parts of a book, poem, newspaper, or magazine to get a rough idea about the topic and the main idea.

Surveying means reading and thinking actively. It means quickly looking for clues about the message and information in the literature. It helps you identify words or ideas which will require more of your time and attention.

2. Question

Why do I need to ask questions?

Before you read carefully, think of some specific questions you want the answered. For example, you might ask:

• What is the theme or main idea?
• What facts or details prove the main idea?
• How are the facts and details organized?
• What did I think or feel about the reading?