Week 11-2

How do you know when you've finished reading something?

4channer posts about refusing to read translations. They insist on reading the original, even for languages they don't speak.

Can We Handle C?

  • We don't have to understand everything.

Wood - Bad

Wood - Good

  • We don't have to understand everything.
  • Articles like these often teach us how to read them.

Wood - Good

WTF is an ARS?

WTF is L/HSE?

Wood - Good

  • We don't have to understand everything.
  • Articles like these often teach us how to read them.
  • Sections tell us where to focus our attention. (Visual chunking!)
  1. [Introduction]
  2. Study 1
    1. [Overview]
  3. Study 2
    1. [Overview]
    2. Method
      1. Mood
      2. State Self-Esteem
    3. Results and Discussion
  4. Study 3
    1. [Overview]
    2. Method
    3. Results
    4. Benefits for People with High Self Esteem?
  5. General Discussion

Visual Chunking

Visual Chunking is a technique for looking at how a piece of writing is organized.

As you read, try to break the paragraphs of the text up into groups. In a well-written essay, every paragraph will be working toward the essays' purpose, but some paragraphs will be more closely related than others. Which paragraphs seem to "go together?" Use horizontal lines to mark the border between one section and the next, and write a short description of the content or purpose of the section in the margin beside it.

Some tips for finding those lines between groups:

  • Most writers use some organizing language to identify the movement to a new idea. Look for transitional words and phrases.

  • Many writers, especially including Tricia Rose, provide "signposts:" language that explains how a section will be organized. Pay attention to language that seems to set out a plan--especially when it includes numbers!

  • Pay attention to changes in topic. If it feels like the writer is talking about something new, or unrelated to the previous topic, you may be looking at a new section. If it seems like she is simply building on the previous idea, those paragraphs are likely related.

"I read a page and get lost."

Use Visual Chunking as you read. It's a lot easier to understand one section at a time than it is to try to understand the whole thing. If you're lost in a section, try to find the end. The next section may be easier, and if you need to reread, you can focus on the section you were stuck on after you understand the ideas around it.