MAKING THE IMPLICIT EXPLICIT
READING BASICS
1. SKIMMING – the ability to get a broad overview of the structure of the chapter/book and what the
chapter/book tries to cover as quickly as possible (reading for overview; it should take seconds)
a) Look for the contents page if you are reading a book;
b) Look for the main topics which are usually in bold, italicised or numbered if you reading a chapter.
2. SCANNING - the ability to pick out key information from a text (reading for important information). Looking
for the information that needs to be remembered (highlighted if having a personal copy or noted down in
the exercise/note book).
3. ZOOMING – to be able to focus on the meanings of individual words and concepts and their importance to
the topic/text
a) Zooming in – looking for the detail that we can use for analysis; we need to learn key words and
their meanings in order to be able to explain the concepts
b) Zooming out – seeing how the details fit into the big picture; important for evaluation.
CORNELL NOTE TAKING
Recall cues
Record
Create recall questions
here.
Record notes here
a) Cover up the notes in the
“record” column or fold
notes back along line
separating the “clues” from
the “record” column.
b) Use recall cues to
stimulate your memory.
Check your answers. This
gives you immediate
feedback on how well you
have learned and are able to
recall the information. If
you have difficulty recalling
the information or if your
answers are incorrect, learn
and recite over again.
●
Focus on testable information, definitions , supporting
details and examples
●
Bullet each piece of new information and skip lines to
visually organize notes.
●
DO NOT COPY FULL SENTENCES. EXTRACT IMPORTANT
INFORMATION IN YOUR OWN WORDS.
Summary:
1) Write a summary of the main ideas using your own words. This is the best test of how well
you understand the information.
2) Use a section at the bottom of each sheet of notes to write your summary or write a
summary of all the notes on the last page of your note sheets.
RELIGIOUS STUDIES EXAMPLE
Recall cues
Record
NON RELIGIOUS ARGUMENTS ABOUT CAPITAL PUNISHMENT (CP)
What is CP?
CP is a death penalty for a crime; takes away criminal’s life.
What is judicial killing and
capital offence?
Judicial killing – find meaning
Capital offence- a crime punishable by CP.
When was CP abolished in
the UK?
1969 – abolished in the UK.
What are the 4 nonreligious arguments in
favour of CP?
ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR OF CP
1. It acts as deterrent
2. It protects society
3. It values innocent human life
4. Criminals should pay for their actions (retribution)
What are the 4 nonreligious arguments
against CP?
ARGUMENTS AGAINST CP
1. Innocent people might be executed
2. Statistics show that is not a good deterrent; criminals usually think
that they are not going to be caught.
3. Human life is the most important thing.
4. Often life imprisonment is regarded as worse than CP.
Examples of suicide in the UK prisons Dr Harold Shipman and Ian Brady
What is the indeterminate
life sentence?
Indeterminate life sentence = no chance of ever leaving prison (Dr Shipman).
Summary:
Explain in your own words why some non-religious people agree with capital punishment and why some
disagree with capital punishment.
Start with the topic sentence.
Follow the PEE rule (point , explain, example).
Vary use of connectives.
Be careful with SPaG.
References:
David Didau: The Secret of Literacy
Cornell note taking