Keep a log of your reading activities for two weeks (limit your log to reading assigned for one UNE class where reading is one of the significant learning activities in the class). In your log, keep track of the following for each reading session you do:
The class the reading was assigned in
Purpose: (in what ways will you use the reading? for example, to write about, to discuss, to be quizzed or tested on)
The author and title of the reading (can be abbreviated)
Type of reading (textbook, journal article, news or magazine article, other: __________ [please describe])
Length in pages
Textual density: (was the text informationally/conceptually dense, moderate, or light)
Time of day: (early morning, morning, mid-day, afternoon, evening, late evening)
Notes about the reading session: how you felt, what you accomplished, how well you understood the text, other observations
Analyze your reading log with these questions:
For what purpose(s) are most of your readings assigned?
What textual density are most of your assigned readings?
What’s are the two best periods of the day for you to do dense complex readings?
Which active reading strategies do you use most?
Which active reading strategies do you rarely use?
In a reflective piece of writing or video, explain what you’ve learned about your reading practices over the last two weeks. What are your “best practices” for reading complex texts? What aspect of your reading habits and practices could you improve on? What do you wish your first-year self had known about reading?
