History 151
Mr. Schwartz
On Reading the Textbook.
1. Read carefully the introduction and the chapter summary. Take a few minutes to note down on a piece of paper the main points or themes stated in the summary.
2. Keep your notes of the main points in front of you, so you can glance up from time to time as you read and ask yourself how what you're reading connects with the main points.
3. Leaf through the chapter and study the topic and subtopic headings: note how these are signposts to guide you through the contents of the chapter--they're like the major landmarks to see on a journey. If you know what you're going to see before you see it, you'll be able to absorb more of what you encounter as you journey forward.
4. Go back to the beginning of the chapter and quickly read the first sentence of each paragraph. Topic sentences should identify the main point of each paragraph. Skimming like this can help you grasp much in a chapter in a small amount of time.
5. Now read the chapter in the usual way. Concentrate on associating what seem significant evidence and examples with the main points.
(This method works equally well with nearly any secondary account.)
Suggestion for making
your own chronology:
1. Don't make it too detailed or exhaustive: try to include only what seem the most significant events.
2. Organize your chronology by themes as suggested below:
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Date |
International
Relations |
Domestic Political
Developments |
Intellectual and
Cultural Developments |
Social Developments |
Economic
Developments |
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1850 |
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1900 |
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1950 |
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