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Marking the Text

Marking the Text
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   high interest, readability grades 5 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   5.14

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    whichever, sequence, automatic, dates, material, highlighter, underline, text, paragraph, reading, better, marking, people, separate, lines, subject

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Marking the Text
By Patti Hutchison 		  
1     Many people like to mark the text as they read. It's a good way to read actively. Before you do this, however, make sure you have permission! Do not mark anything that does not belong to you. Once you have permission, there are several do's and don'ts to follow as you mark the text.
 
2     There are different ways to mark a text. Many people use highlighters. This gives color clues to your brain. It brings your eye back to information that is important. These things can help you to remember what you have read. Other people like to underline, using a pen or pencil. When you do this, it is also easy to write notes in the margins.
 
3     Whichever way you choose to mark your text, don't make the BIG mistake. Most people mark too much. They will highlight a whole paragraph. Then when they go back to the text, they can't figure out what is most important. Don't fall into that trap! Usually only about ten percent of what you read needs to be marked. When you highlight or underline, remember that it is better to mark too few words than too many.
 
4     Another big mistake people make is to begin reading with the highlighter in their hands. Always read first. Then go back and mark the important information.
 
5     So, what should you mark, and how should you mark it? You will want to mark titles and subtitles. These note the main ideas of the text. Yes, they are usually already written in italics or boldface type. But highlighting them will draw your eye to them even more. If you are a kinesthetic learner, just this movement alone will help you to remember what you have read.

Paragraphs 6 to 11:
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