Complete as much as possible before reading. Add more
information if you discover more while reading.
Complete as you read, one passage of original text at
a time.
Note: if you fully comprehend the text without
this portion, you do not need to fill it out. This
is to help you make your way through
complicated text.
Use the rest of your work to fill this section in after
you’ve read and deciphered the entire document.
Purpose
What was generally occurring when this
document was written? What historical
background will probably be relevant to
understanding this
document?
Biases
Historical Background
This is the bias of the author.
Original Text
A passage of the original text—it’s fine to simply record the
location of the section you are working on (e.g. page 1, ¶5,
etc.)
What is the author trying to accomplish by
writing this document? What question is he
trying to answer? What problem is he trying
to solve?
Summary
Summary of the original text in your own words. The
relevance of the material in this portion of the text. (So what?
Why is this important?)
Questions/Terms
Record terms that you don’t know or
don’t understand in this context and
their definitions, or questions you
have about the text and answers you
found.
Conclusion/Main Ideas
This is the response to the purpose: What is the answer to the author’s question or the solution to the problem?
Hint: The difference between a subordinate idea and the main idea is that the main idea holds the rest of the parts together. All subordinate
ideas/evidence should support the main idea (aka the main idea should tie everything together).