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English as an Additional Language: Reading

Reading to Understand Complex Texts

 Have you been managing your reading efficiently? This page provides tips and resources to enhance your university reading. 

Most of the tasks you will be asked to do in university will require reading in some form. Reading involves decoding the meaning of words from the context in which they are used. The reading strategies you use may be determined by your purpose for reading. For instance, you may skim read to decide if a source is relevant to your research or read deeply to understand a new concept. Whatever your purpose for reading, you will want to be intentional in how you approach your reading in university to maximize your reading time.

As a student with EAL, reading at the university can be both challenging and rewarding. Key becoming an effective reader is continued practice and engagement with different kinds of text.

Below are some key points and strategies to help you accomplish your reading goals.

 Listen to the BBC broadcast about reading. Listen carefully and list the lessons you have learned about academic reading.

Purposes for Academic Reading

In university, you will read different kinds of text (e.g., scholarly articles, textbooks, reviews) for different reasons. Some purposes for reading might be:

  • To scan for specific information
  • To skim to get an overview of the text
  • To relate new content to existing knowledge
  • To write something about a particular topic
  • To critique an argument
  • To learn something
  • To prepare for an upcoming exam
  • For general comprehension

University Reading

Reading at the university level is different from other types of reading. It is a personal journey into learning and understanding sometimes complex ideas. The video "College Reading in 5" shares insights from university students like you and offers helpful strategies to overcoming difficulties in reading at that level.

 Watch the video below to learn strategies for becoming a more confident reader.

Reading Your Textbook/Book Chapter/Article for Maximum Impact

As a student at the University of Saskatchewan, you will be required to read extensively and demonstrate comprehension of your reading.

Reading at the university level can be time consuming and challenging as you may have many reading tasks and assignment at any given time. How you read and understand the text is important to your success.

Here are some ways to improve your reading and comprehension of different types of text..

Before Reading:

  • Ask yourself pre-reading questions:
  • What is the topic?
  • What do you already know about it?
  • Why has the instructor assigned this reading?
  • What could I learn from reading this chapter, book etc.?

During Reading

  • Identify and define any unfamiliar terms.
  • Bracket the main idea or thesis of the reading and put an asterisk next to it. Pay particular attention to the introduction or opening paragraphs to locate this information.
  • Highlight any information you think you will need to reassess. It may be word or phrase, an idea of an entire section. Highlight your systematically.
  • Put down your highlighter. Make marginal notes or comments instead. Every time you feel the urge to highlight something, write instead. You can summarize the text, ask questions, give assent, protest vehemently. You can also write down key words to help you recall where important points are discussed. Above all, strive to enter into a dialogue with the author.
  • Write questions in the margins, and then answer the questions in a reading journal or on a separate piece of paper. If you’re reading a textbook, try changing all the titles, subtitles, sections and paragraph headings into questions. For example, the section heading “The Gas Laws of Boyle, Charles, and Avogadro” might become “What are the gas laws of Boyle, Charles, and Avogadro?”
  • Make outlines, flow charts, or diagrams that help you to map and to understand ideas visually. See the reverse side for examples.

Read each paragraph carefully and then determine “what it says” and “what it does.” Answer “what it says” in only one sentence. Represent the main idea of the paragraph in your own words. To answer “what it does,” describe the paragraph’s purpose within the text, such as “provides evidence for the author’s first main reason” or “introduces an opposing view.”

After Reading

  • Write a summary of an essay or chapter in your own words. Do this in less than a page. Capture the essential ideas and perhaps one or two key examples. This approach offers a great way to be sure that you know what the reading really says or is about.
  • Write your own exam question based on the reading.
  • Teach what you have learned to someone else! Research clearly shows that teaching is one of the most effective ways to learn. If you try to explain aloud what you have been studying, (1) you’ll transfer the information from short-term to long-term memory, and (2) you’ll quickly discover what you understand — and what you don’t.

Reading Critically

Critical reading is a way of reading that involves analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating a text. It is a more active and complex way of reading than simply absorbing information. Critical readers think deeply about the text, question its purpose and use, and use their critical thinking skills to question their own reading.

Some techniques for critical reading include:

  • Survey:

Before reading, skim the preface, introduction, table of contents, and index. read only after scanning to first get the general idea of the text. 

  • Ask questions:

Ask questions about the text and your own reading of it throughout the process (before, during, and after reading).

  • Read actively:

Engage with the text. Read with a purpose. 

  • Respond to questions:

Answer the questions you ask yourself.

  • Record key concepts:

Note important ideas and details from the text.

Critical reading is an important step for many academic assignments. It's often the first step in developing arguments, interpretations, and analysis.

Reading & Notetaking Strategies

As a student with EAL, there a variety of resources exist to help you with reading and notetaking. Here at the Library the Study Skills Team has resources available through their website. 


 Take some time to review the Study Skills Reading and Notetaking strategies below.