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| A Beka 9th grade science student textbook |
My oldest son is finishing up his 8th grade school material. He has begun some of his 9th grade studies. I don't even think he wants to take a summer break, to be honest. He just wants to plow forward. He doesn't want to forget what he's learned. That's why I knew that I'd want him to really get the most out of his studies, without rushing through it.
Reading comprehension is very important for any student, especially as he/she learns independently. One of the best ways is to introduce a study skill. A teenager becoming more independent in his studies must know how to extract important facts in his required reading subjects. The SQ3R method is a reading strategy to help retain information that a student has to learn.
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| Questions that can be answered by the student |
Above are some questions at the beginning of a chapter in my son's science textbook. I realized that my son could simply answer the questions and move on to the next chapter quickly. I did not want that. I wanted my son to get the full understanding of what he was reading. That's why I introduced him to the SQ3R method of study.
SQ3R stands for:
Survey--scan the chapter, looking at all of the pictures, graphs, and titles to form an idea of what the chapter will cover. The idea here is to look at all the visuals first so that you will later read through the text without distraction.
Question--turn the titles into questions. If the title is "Science and Mathematics," one can turn that to: What is science and mathematics? It's that simple. A student might answer the question or it might have needed a better question. The point is to raise curiosity to predict what might be read afterward.
3--these are the 3 R's (read, recite, and review) that follow
Read--read the content of the chapter to look for the answers to the questions. Here, the student actively reads the material, looking for the answers to the questions that are posed.
Recite--actually write down the answers to the questions.
Review--look at these notes again as the important material of each chapter is written down. This will work wonderfully when a test is administered.
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| Questions I created for the first chapter |
When I was in 8th grade, my Earth Science teacher taught us how to use this method to read our textbook. I hated it because it was so much work. I think, though, that it really helped me understand the material. This method of study helps the student slow down in the reading. The student digests the information much better.
The way my teacher taught me is to create an outline of the chapter, like this, with the questions written out:
I. What is science and mathematics?
A. What is the language of science under mathematics?
1. What are the descriptions?
2. What are the equations?
B. What are the limitations?
1. What are the proper uses?
2. What is truth and error?
The student fills in the answers underneath each question. My outline gives you an idea of how to take notes.
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| Title of section turned into a question to be answered |
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| Simple "What is...?" around title |
Well, I hope this helps someone. Any child who is struggling with understanding what they read can use this method. It is helpful to retain the subject material. I know that I learned my material. I had good grades in that subject.
For more elaboration, you can visit these websites about the SQ3R method of study:
Thanks for reading this entry and viewing these pictures. I hope I've given you an idea for instructing teens on reading their subject material.
How about you, my readers? Have you ever used the SQ3R method of study or something similar? Have you given some thought to how your children are reading and retaining their material? Your children can benefit from using study strategies to learn their subjects. Remember: Our teens still need our guidance. Equipping our teens with reading strategies can take them a long way. Study strategies helped me in my university days.
May God bless you all with His wisdom and peace, as you teach your children.
